Hannah John-Kamen, an English actress, was born on September 6, 1989. She is known for her portrayal of a First Order officer in the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. She is most recognized for playing Dutch, the main character in the space adventure show Killjoys, and for her role as the anti-hero Ava Starr/Ghost in the 2018 superhero movie Ant-Man and the Wasp. She has also played the Dothraki widow Ornela in the sixth season of the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (acting alongside her Star Wars co-star Emilia Clarke), the journalist Sonja in the Black Mirror episode "Playtest," and F'Nale Zandor in the 2018 science fiction movie Ready Player One. Furthermore, she starred as the central character in the Netflix miniseries The Stranger.
For her role in Star Wars, John-Kamen only auditioned once, performing a scene written specifically for the audition that was not included in the final film. She filmed her scenes in 2014 at Pinewood Studios. Because the production was kept secret, the actress wasn't informed of her role until she arrived on set for her first day of filming, and she didn't receive her script until later that day. The actress, who grew up watching Star Wars because her older brother was a fan, described her time on the Star Wars set as a surreal experience, saying "being there on a ship [sic] and seeing everyone in costume having a sandwich in between takes." She lauded J.J. Abrams as an excellent director who "was there in the playground with us." Her performance in The Force Awakens led to her casting in Game of Thrones because Nina Gold, the casting director for both projects, remembered John-Kamen from Star Wars.