Hannah Zeile: On her role in ‘‘This Is Us’’ and commitment to acting

PHOTOS: Margaret Leyva

STYLING: Michelle Wu

MAKEUP: Erika Lee

HAIR: Mickey Hernandez

WORDS: Thilda Riou

Hannah Zeile, best-known for playing the teenage version of Kate Pearson in NBC’s hit show This Is Us, recently took off in the acting industry. From Los Angeles, the 20 year-old actress answered our call to tell us everything about her crazy journey to get where she is today. As she makes sure to embrace every moment, Hannah couldn’t be more passionate and grateful to be able to live her dream.

It’s important to push through your insecurities

As she grew older, Hannah discovered her passion for acting. When she went into acting classes, that was the first time she became really obsessed with something. After a four years break during which she focused on high school and even thought about applying to college, she decided to start auditioning again. ‘‘I just had the feeling inside of me that I was meant to act and that it was what I was supposed to do with my life,’’ she says.

If you want to succeed in something, you have to fully commit to it

Hannah’s interest in performing was initially sparked by the possibility to leave herself behind and become another person. As her ambitions are probably too big for one life, she enjoys to put herself in someone else’s shoes. ‘‘I think it’s really cool to live a life you wouldn’t be able to live if you weren’t acting,’’ she admits. When asking about her inspirations, Hannah mentionned her mum, who has trained to be in the Olympics since she was 12 years old. ‘‘She was really determined and focused, so that kind of taught me that if you want to succeed in something, you have to fully commit to it,’’ she recalls.