Hanelle Harris - Funny As Interview

Hanelle Harris is the creator and one of the stars of web series Baby Mama’s Club, which brings Māori and Pasifika solo mothers into the spotlight. Hanelle discusses several topics during her Funny As interview, including:

• Enjoying playing the villains in plays from a young age, because they always had a lot of “comedy and sarcasm”
• How she believed getting pregnant at 18 meant that she couldn't have a successful acting career
• Deciding to write for the screen, because there were no stories that she wanted to direct
• Creating Baby Mama’s Club to empower young mothers to “make something of their lives”, and create positive representations of Māori and Pasifika women
• Teaming up with the cast of Flat3 to create a rap battle — Girl Fight — to tackle the issue of racism
• Reflecting on the problems of past comedy, and how modern audiences can take offense to anything

This interview was recorded for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. All audiovisual content is copyright to Augusto, and may not be reproduced. Publication of Funny As extended interviews made possible with funding from the NZ Lotteries Grants Board.