Hanna Mangan Lawrence

From the Gymnastics Mat to the Mud of Capua

Hanna Mangan Lawrence didn't start out rehearsing monologues in front of a mirror. Her original training was in elite acrobatic gymnastics, and she represented Australia in international competitions before turning fifteen. That physical discipline marked her entry into the entertainment industry.

In 2008, she debuted in the series Bed of Roses as Holly Atherton. That shoot lasted three seasons and taught her that the camera demanded a restraint that sport didn't. But it was film that gave her her first real breakthrough.

That same 2008, she shot The Square under the direction of Nash Edgerton. The thriller did well at festivals and put her name on the radar of casting directors in Los Angeles. Her face conveyed a mix of innocence and murkiness that is hard to find.

And the international industry didn't take long to call.

In 2012, she joined the cast of Spartacus: Vengeance to play Seppia. It was a complex production shot in New Zealand, where she had to adapt to a world of green screens and choreographed violence. The Starz series gave her the visibility she needed to break into the American market for good.

The refuge in TV suspense

After her time in historical fiction, she sought projects with a more realistic grounding. In 2014, she appeared in Old School alongside Bryan Brown and Sam Neill. Working with veterans of that caliber shaped her approach to dialogue and dramatic pauses.

But the project that had the biggest impact on her American career was Containment in 2016. In this series, she played Teresa, a pregnant young woman trapped in a quarantine zone in Atlanta. Julie Plec's script avoided artifice and demanded a visceral performance that Lawrence delivered with confidence.

Television changed the scale of her work.

In 2019, she starred in the horror film Sweetheart, directed by J.D. Dillard. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews for its oppressive atmosphere. Lawrence played Mia, a survivor who must face a supernatural threat on a deserted island.

The horror genre allowed her to explore other registers.

Her return to Australian television came in 2022 with the series The Secrets She Keeps. In this second season, she shared the spotlight with Laura Carmichael in a psychological suspense plot about motherhood and obsession. Filming took place entirely on location in Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

In 2009, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television nominated her for Best Young Actress for her work in The Square.