With the same grace and elegance that she uses to captivate the camera, Hana Roanne also moves fluidly into the world of filmmaking and acting. For BURO’s January cover, we chart the 26-year-old’s transformation from muse to maker, and her enduring love for storytelling.

What you see is what you don’t get with Hana Roanne. Despite having a career that relies on being outwardly perceived, the creative keeps her cards close to her chest. Shrouded in an alluring air of mystery, it’s never quite clear what the 26-year-old is truly thinking—that is, until she suddenly bursts into song or unironically drops Gen Z slang mid-sentence.

Throughout our day on set, emotions run from laser-cut focus to wide-eyed playfulness. A constant reminder that when you think you know Roanne, she surprises you at the next turn with her charming duality. Perhaps this is exactly why the model, actress, and filmmaker finds it natural to be in front of and behind the cameras—she knows how to keep people watching.

A HAPPY ACCIDENT

With the way Roanne commands the camera, it’s hard to believe that the creative never intended to be a model at all. Recounting her unexpected and accidental path into modelling at just 16, it traces back to her first real love: film and photography. In high school, Roanne would join photography clubs and gatherings around PJ and KL. Armed with her camera, it was yet another seemingly normal afternoon that would set her on an unexpected path.

“I was doing a photography walk in Pasar Seni, and another photographer came up to me and asked me to pose with a flower,” she laughs. “There I was, wearing no makeup, granny clothes, and with my untrimmed eyebrows, posing, and next thing I knew, other photographers came up and started taking my pictures too!”

Soon, those photos were posted online and gained traction among the photography community. “People started recommending me for test shoots, and that’s how it all started.”

As a self-proclaimed theatre kid, Roanne was involved in multiple drama clubs and imagined herself in front of the lens in a very different setting. “My dream was to be an actress, and I felt that to be an actress, you also have to know what’s going on behind the cameras, which is why I studied to become a screenwriter at university.”

With her modelling career taking off, Roanne found a way to make her filmmaking and acting dreams come true, never thinking about choosing one over the other. “Everything I made from modelling and test shoots would go into funding my short films and drama school in Los Angeles,” she confides.

But rather than treating them as separate worlds, the 26-year-old began to see modelling and acting as extensions of the same instinct: performance and storytelling. “You’re putting on different makeup and outfits, and essentially becoming a completely different person. For a moment, you are that character and acting is similar in that sense.”

A filmmaker never forgets their first project. For Roanne, her maiden project could not have gone any better. In 2022, she directed and wrote her first short film, Sayang, set in a post-apocalyptic world where people have to carry oxygen tanks everywhere they go. At just 22 years old and in her final year of university, she was a finalist for the prestigious BMW Shorties, marking a turning point in her filmmaking career.

“Becoming a finalist was completely unexpected,” Roanne recalls. “I had no filmmaking friends and was totally unfamiliar with the industry. So when Sayang got nominated, I was genuinely shocked… I was surprised that someone watched and liked it. That moment made me pause and think, maybe directing was something I could actually pursue.”

A film is only as good as its cast and crew, and the beauty of Sayang was that the short film was a truly collaborative effort. “I loved movies, but I never studied production life—I didn’t know the language of a film set,” she says. “Yazeid Suhaimi and Jasmine Wong, my producer and co-director, held my hand through the entire process. They taught me more about filmmaking than film school ever did.”

FROM SUBJECT TO STORYTELLER

“The award is special because it reminds me of the kindness and the friendships I’ve made, and how much I love making films. Sayang changed my life.”

Now, even with a lot more experience and short films under her belt, Roanne is still approaching filmmaking with a sense of childlike wonder. “I love seeing stories through the lens of curiosity. Like a kid, I like to ask questions, poke at things, and find meaning in the little things.”

When it comes to acting, Roanne puts just as much detail and focus into building a world for her characters. “I do a character profile and dossier for every single character I play,” she expounds. “I write down everything from their name, age, what they like, how they walk, what colours they like, how they wear their hair.” It’s the same process that earned her the Best Actress award at the BMW Shorties 2025 for tragedy of youth, a coming-of-age story about an aspiring musician.

As Roanne continues to expand on her craft, the world becomes an ever more expansive landscape for the aspiring filmmaker and actress to explore. “I don’t believe there’s a bad story out there. People write with their heart, time, and soul, so I never judge the art.”

Being both a model and actress—two careers where women are put to notoriously narrow ideals of beauty—comes with its own baggage. When asked how she deals with her image constantly being scrutinised, she recounts how growing up different hardened her skin.

“In school, I got teased a lot. Boys called me ‘King Kong’ because I was taller than them, or ‘aeroplane runway’ because of my small chest. I never felt put down, though. I was into sports, so whenever they teased me, I would shove my sports medals in their face,” she giggles.

But that kind of scrutiny followed Roanne in her later years. “Even now, people comment on my looks. I’ve had someone in the industry repeatedly try to persuade me to get a nose job,” the model reveals. “Still, I’m grateful for how I look, and I’ve learned to embrace it and use it to my advantage… beauty standards change every year, and you can’t shapeshift all the time to fit them; you’ll lose yourself eventually.”

THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE

After years on set, witnessing and being on the receiving end of questionable behaviour from photographers, directors and the like, Roanne has learned that treating people with kindness and dignity is the most important way forward in the pursuit of art.

“I’ve seen directors yell at crew, blame them, gossip on set… I’ve been grabbed, pushed, or pressured into things I clearly said no to,” she reveals. “More than anything, I care about the way I treat people, which is with kindness. I believe kindness will always help you go far and pay you back.”

It’s what’s inside that counts, as the old adage goes. For Roanne, this rings even more true in an industry that banks on poreless skin and size zero waists. “I believe that being beautiful isn’t just about looks. It’s really about owning who you are,” she says resolutely. “To me, the most attractive part of a person isn’t how they look. It’s their kindness, empathy, discipline, passion, and respect for themselves and the people around them.”

The modelling and filmmaking industries are often met with more “no’s” than “yes’s”. That kind of rejection can chip away at anyone’s confidence, but Roanne has struck a balance over the years. “One of the biggest shifts was separating my self-worth from my work. Every project used to feel like a judgment on me as a person… but now I see each film as part of a longer journey. That made me more intentional and less afraid of failing publicly.”

A look of resolution comes over Roanne’s face, the kind of peace that only comes from true acceptance. “The past year has taught me to trust my instincts more instead of second-guessing myself all the time. I’ve become more patient with my own process. I’m not rushing growth or comparing myself as much anymore.”

When asked how she has evolved after a decade in the industry, Roanne turns pensive. “I’ve evolved by failing a lot,” she answers with sobering self-awareness. “Passion didn’t carry me the way I thought it would. But I learned that discipline did. Showing up prepared and respecting the process changed everything.”

So, what’s next for Roanne? It won't be long before you see the actress on the big screen. “It’s my first proper movie role, so I’m really grateful,” she gushes about her character, Lina, in Andre Chew’s upcoming dark thriller Zero. The film stars top-billed Malaysian actors such as Hun Haqeem, Tony Eusoff, and Farah Ahmad. “We’re still in the process of filming, and I can’t say too much about the story, but Lina is a character I really look up to in real life.”

JUST KEEP WATCHING

Creativity exists in a continual process of evolution and transformation; experimentation and risk. As Roanne emerges as a creative force within the industry, she recognises that change is constant and allows her metamorphosis to unfold without a fixed deadline. “There’s always more to learn, challenge, and explore. The moment I stop questioning or growing, I’d stop evolving as a person.”

In 2026, Roanne is letting every creative facet of her life unfurl and take flight. “As a director, I’m working on several short films and really pushing myself to act and direct at the same time next year,” she says excitedly. “Right now, I’m making as many micro short films as I can, collaborating with other great creatives so that we can prepare for bigger projects. It’s a lot of work, but I love the challenge.”