Aussie actor’s huge role in Spielberg series

If you don’t know Yerin Ha’s name, you soon will. The Korean-Australian actor’s career is about to launch into the stratosphere with a role in Spielberg’s new sci-fi series Halo.

If you don’t know Yerin Ha’s name, you soon will. The Korean-Australian actor’s career is about to launch into the stratosphere with a role in Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi series Halo – and she’s on a mission to make this her first of many giant leaps forward when it comes to small-screen diversity.

Yerin Ha is ready for her big Hollywood break… and something tells her it will have been worth the wait.

Ha, who was born in Sydney, but relocated to Korea – where her family is from – when she was a teenager, is about to appear in the much-anticipated, US$200 million sci-fi TV series Halo, executive produced by industry titan Steven Spielberg and based on the blockbuster Xbox game of the same name.

“It’s been a really long process in the making, but we got here,” (Picture: Daniel Nadel)

We started that shoot in 2019 and it wrapped last year in July. It all feels very real now, but yeah, it’s been a long time coming.” (Picture: Daniel Nadel)

“It’s been a really long process in the making, but we got here,” the 24-year-old tells Stellar.

“We started that shoot in 2019 and it wrapped last year in July. It all feels very real now, but yeah, it’s been a long time coming.”

Set in the 26th century and shot in Budapest, Hungary, the series is described by Ha as “massive. We used all the lots [in the studio], lots of blue screen and a lot of imagination.

It feels like you’re stepping into outer space. It was so magical.”

The now-Sydney-based actor portrays the character of Quan Ah, a part she landed after responding to a casting call on Facebook. And it’s only fitting that Ha sported futuristic-inspired fashion for her photoshoot with Stellar, even though she admits she’s still finding her way when it comes to modelling a look.

“I love fashion, but I’m still just trying to figure out what that is for me, and how I express myself through that.” (Picture: Daniel Nadel)

“I still think there’s a long leap to go, but we’re getting there. We’re seeing a lot of leading roles being played by Asian people [on screen].” (Picture: Daniel Nadel)

“I’m so camera shy,” Ha says. “If there’s a camera pointed at me, I’m terrible. When I’m acting and I’m trying to tell a story? It’s easier. I love fashion, but I’m still just trying to figure out what that is for me, and how I express myself through that.”

Ha, who studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), says she’s determined to bolster Asian representation and diversity on the small screen in her career – she also has a role in the current ABC crime-drama series Troppo – adding that time spent toggling between Australia and Korea has given her a unique perspective.

“I have a strong sense of both identities. It helps me with my work and figuring out who I am, what kind of stories I want to tell, my morals and – with everything going on in the world right now – it’s beautiful to have these two cultures and to be able to flow between [them].”

Yerin Ha features in this Sunday’s Stellar.

She continues: “I still think there’s a long leap to go, but we’re getting there. We’re seeing a lot of leading roles being played by Asian people [on screen].”

The actor adds that she’s only interested in taking parts that provide both her and the audience with heft. “It needs to be genuine, not just ticking a box. Inclusion in all aspects, on and off the screen, is the next step.”

Halo premieres on Paramount+ from Thursday, March 24.

Originally published as Aussie actor’s huge role in Spielberg series