Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2014 - (Page 27)
Who's that girl?
new girl's hannah simone Performs
on screens big anD small
H
annah Simone,
RTA School of
Media '04, can't
recall a year - from the age
of eight onward - when
she wasn't performing: "I
knew I would always act,
but I didn't know someone
would pay me to do it."
No worries: the Ryerson
alumna, 33, is now a
Twitter-trending talent.
On Fox TV's popular
sitcom New Girl, she plays
Cece, a fashion model who
is star Zooey Deschanel's
best bud.
Last season, Simone won
the Teen Choice Award for
TV Breakout Actress. "It
means people are watching
and like what we're doing,"
she says.
Now in its third season,
New Girl resonates because
it portrays a "special
point in your life when
you're not living at home
anymore, you're out in the
world on your own, and
your friends make up your
dysfunctional family," says
Simone.
Lately, Simone has
branched out into movies.
She appears in director
Spike Lee's drama Oldboy,
out last November, and
Flock of Dudes, a comedy
coming out this year.
Born in London, U.K., to
Indian and Greek-Cypriot
parents, Simone spent her
early childhood in Calgary,
then attended schools in
Cyprus and India before
returning to Canada for
university.
The RTA program
"was truly a hands-on
experience," she says.
When MuchMusic did a
casting call at Ryerson,
Simone auditioned and
was eventually hired
as a VJ. She hosted The
NewMusic, interviewing
bands.
"I wasn't just someone
in front of the camera,"
says Simone. "I understood
lighting, sound, how to
frame a shot, what would
work for the edit. When
you study at RTA, you
have to learn all aspects of
bringing something to the
screen."
After three years at
MuchMusic, Simone
headed for Hollywood
and landed a job hosting a
show on the SyFy channel.
"The network of people
I met opened up bigger
opportunities," she says.
"Los Angeles has been
really good to me." n
shelDon gorDon is
a writer baseD in
toronto.
RTA alumna Hannah
Simone's career takes off in
Los Angeles.
W i n t e r 2014 *
ryerson university Magazine 27
photo courteSy of fox
By ShelDon GorDon
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2014
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2014
Contents
President's Message
Showcase
Gould Street
Bee-ing the Change
Agents of Change
Crafting it Old School
To Lightly Go...
Who's That Girl?
From Gimmick to Game-Changer
In My Opinion
Giving Back
Alumni Diary/VP Viewpoint
Class Nots
Remember When?
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2014
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com