Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Alyea.
Hi Hannah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been acting my whole life. When I was about 5-6 years old and realized I couldn’t be the one and only The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwan, I decided that I would instead be an actor. In all seriousness, I have always had a love for the performing arts. Even when I had a taken a few detours in/post college, I still came back to my first love: Acting.
In the middle of college, I had come up with the conclusion that my pursuit of a musical theatre degree wouldn’t pay the bills. I switched degrees and schools a few times, performed in competitive ballroom dancing for 5 years (even becoming national champions a few times), and flew as a flight attendant with Delta Air Lines for a few years after college. As much as I loved so many elements of the different lives I was living, it always felt like something was missing. I realized I was running away from the chance of succeeding in the future I had believed in for most of my upbringing. It was then I decided to stop doubting the “what if it doesn’t work out” mentality and finally let myself dream again.
I stepped down from Delta Air Lines, to devote more time to the study and pursuit of acting, while physically staying in one place. Since then, I now have had the privilege to work with studios like Crunchyroll, OkraTron 5000, Studio Nano, Dilliongoo, and Sad Panda Studios. Through it all I wouldn’t trade what I get to do for anything. I love being able to jump in the booth and breathe life into so many different kinds of characters. I may have taken a little extra time to get here, but I’m so happy to do what I love with so many other talented people in and out of the booth.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all! Initially choosing to leave acting behind to get a “real” adult job was one of the hardest decisions I made, but because of that, coming back to acting I have not once doubted my career choice since. This career also has a lot of up’s and down’s with booking. One year might be incredible and booking is consistent, and others might be really slow with very few bookings. It’s the slow times that can really make you question if you’re good enough. Hanging in there through the busy and the slow times are all part of the job.
Another difficult element with any facet of acting is the constant rejection. You continuously audition and get way more “no’s” than “yes’s” and that can wear on you after a while. You must be so sure in yourself and your talents to keep going. If you question or imagine yourself doing any other kind of job when pursuing acting, I highly recommend doing that other career. This is not meant to discourage; it’s honestly just a very difficult field that can eat your mental health whole if you are not 100% sure it’s what you want to do with your life. It doesn’t always pay well, there’s a lot of rejection, and you constantly need to make sure you’re sharpening your acting chops. However, if you can think of nothing more in the world you’d rather do; when you book those jobs, or you connect with a character in a way you never did before, in my opinion, it is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor that specializes in voice over work. I perform in front of a microphone in a little booth to provide voices for characters in anime, video games, and even some commercials. A lot of work I do that is currently available is providing English voices in Anime. I’m incredibly proud of so many of the projects I have been a part of. Some of my most memorable include Rae Taylor from I’m in Love with the Villainess, Akira from My Dress-Up Darling, and Mei Shijima from Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. I have a few that are still in production that I can’t wait to share, but until then these performances will always be characters that I really connected with and felt challenged by.
Something I feel sets me apart from others, is my unabashed ability to let myself be as silly, angry, sad, or gremliny as needed for the projects I am given the opportunity to perform in. I can’t help but feel every chance in front of the mic is like giving me an endless sandbox to play in. I’m not afraid to look silly if it means connecting with a character. This might also be why I tend to do more voice over work and less on camera, which is totally understandable with me.
How do you think about happiness?
Performing, travel, connecting with friends, and good food.
The electric energy felt when performing is unrivaled in my experience. Traveling to get new perspectives on other peoples’ lives and cultures is always exciting to me. Having friends for support through the hard times and laughter in the good times can be worth more than gold. And of course, nothing beats eating something so good that everything else around you ceases to exist for those few moments. Performing will always be a love of mine, but also allowing yourself to live life to the fullest every day is so important, so that your life doesn’t get lost within work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hannahalyea.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah.alyea/
- Twitter: https://x.com/HannahAlyea
