An actor can study a script, research a character, and learn every detail of the world they are about to enter. But there are some things that cannot be found on a page.
To portray another person truthfully requires more than performance. It requires an actor to remain connected to the people and realities that exist beyond the frame—to listen, to observe, to understand, and to recognize that a character’s experience cannot always be reduced to what is written in a script.
For Nour Hooshmand, staying grounded is part of that responsibility.
Before becoming the actress audiences know today, Hooshmand was already learning how to understand stories from different sides of the room. It was through theater that she developed an early understanding of acting as something collaborative—an art that asks not only what a character says, but why they say it, what shaped them, and how their story exists within a larger world.
Hooshmand eventually moved from the stage into film, finding a particularly strong footing in Philippine independent cinema. From Blue Room to A Very Good Girl, Love You So Bad, When This Is All Over, Agapito, and Cinemartyrs, her growing body of work has placed her in stories that explore different corners of Filipino life.
Her performances have earned recognition along the way, including a FAMAS nomination for Blue Room, a Gawad Urian Best Actress nomination, and a place in the Short Film Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. More recently, she has appeared in projects including 2 Valid IDs, Starfish, Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam, Runo!, and Filipiñana. Her film Ria, in which she takes on the lead role, is also set to screen at the 31st Busan International Film Festival in October 2026.
But beyond the growing list of projects and recognitions, there is something that remains consistent in how Hooshmand approaches the work.
She listens. And perhaps that is where her understanding of acting begins.
The Work Beyond the Script
As an actor, she understands that the people she portrays come from realities that may not always be her own. And because of that, playing them demands a kind of humility: the willingness to do the work of understanding before attempting to represent them.
“Mahalaga yung constant grounding and pakikipag-ugnayan sa iba't ibang klase ng mga tao. Lalo na yung mga nire-represent mo.”
For Nour, that connection is not simply useful to her craft. It is essential to it.
When an actor becomes a character, there is an inevitable distance between the performer and the person being portrayed. The actor brings their own experiences, interpretations, and understanding into the role. But Nour believes that truth can only come from constantly questioning what they think they know.
“I think it's really work on yourself, your humanity. Hindi mo kasi siya lahat mababasa sa libro. It's rooted also in pakikipagkapwa mo…”
It is an idea that places humanity at the center of acting.
Research can tell an actor about a community. A script can explain a character’s circumstances. But neither can completely replicate the experience of living that reality. Understanding, then, becomes a continuous process—one that requires an actor to step outside themselves and engage with the people whose stories they are helping tell.
For Nour, that means being aware of the struggles of the people she portrays and paying attention to the world around them.
“Meaning, you go through that extra work of actually knowing sino ba itong mga tao na pinaportray mo, being aware about their struggles, kung ano nangyayari sa current events, and if there's a chance for you to have conversations with the actual people para maintindihan mo kahit papaano yung danas mo.”
There is humility in that approach. Rather than assuming that an actor can completely understand another person's experience, Nour acknowledges the work required to get as close to that understanding as possible.
Because ultimately, acting is not about claiming someone else's story as your own. It is about approaching it with enough care to tell it truthfully.
Giving Characters Their Humanity
That responsibility becomes even more important when an actor is portraying stories that represent communities often misunderstood or underrepresented.
For Nour, representation cannot simply be about placing different faces on screen. It has to involve the people behind the story, too.
“I think it's a collaboration kapag nabuo ng characters and stories, na hindi lang siya isang perspective pero it's something na pinaghahandaan and pinag-uusapan. I think in between different perspectives. Nandun yung katotohanan.”
For her, truth emerges through conversation.
When different perspectives are brought into the room, characters become more dimensional. Stories become less dependent on a single interpretation. And the people being represented have more of a chance to be seen as complete human beings rather than simplified versions of an identity.
“So I think conversation, when creating work, it's important yung preparation na yun, yung conversation na yun, who's in the room? Who gets to decide how these people are represented.”
That question—who gets to decide?—extends beyond representation on screen. It also points toward the kind of industry Nour hopes to see: one where more women, queer filmmakers, actors, and artists have the opportunity to participate in shaping the stories that represent them.
Having experienced the difference herself, she understands why those spaces matter.
“Personally, I feel more safe when I'm working with queer and women on set kasi they have a... deeper understanding of… you know, female narratives, queer narratives, and being a queer woman myself, parang mas nakakapag-express ako.”
For Nour, there is something powerful about being surrounded by people who understand parts of your experience without requiring you to explain every piece of it.
“Mapi-feel mo yung alaga din sa kapwa.”
That sense of care is perhaps another form of grounding. It reminds her that filmmaking is not only about the finished product. It is also about the people who make it, the spaces they create for one another, and the kind of environment in which stories are allowed to exist.
Staying Close to People
There is a temptation in acting to become consumed by the character—to disappear so completely into another person that the performer becomes detached from the world around them.
But for Nour, the opposite may be closer to the truth.
The more an actor stays connected to people, the more they can understand the lives they are being asked to portray.
That is why she sees constant grounding and pakikipagkapwa as part of an actor's responsibility. It is not enough to know what a character says. An actor has to understand the conditions that shaped why they say it.
And that understanding cannot come entirely from books, scripts, or research. It comes from people.It comes from conversations. From listening. From being aware of current events. From recognizing struggles outside one's own experience. From having the humility to admit when there is more to learn.
For Nour, this is also why giving characters humanity matters.
“I think important then that you set a good example and maging… siguro yun din yung choosing the stories that you believe in and making sure na hindi one-sided yung pag-portray mo. Bigyan mo ng humanity yung characters… and bigyan mo ng puso palagi.”
It is perhaps the simplest way to understand her approach to acting: give the character humanity, and always give them heart.
Because characters are not simply representations of an idea. They are people with contradictions, histories, fears, desires, and lives that continue beyond the scene.
Dare to Imagine
Nour's understanding of acting ultimately connects to something larger than performance. It reflects the way she sees her own path within the industry.
She does not describe her journey as particularly traditional. If anything, its unpredictability has become part of what makes it hers.
“I feel like hindi traditional yung trajectory ng path ko dito sa industry.”
So when asked what she would want her career to say to the next generation, her answer is not about following a particular formula.
It is about refusing to let someone else decide the limits of your imagination.
“Dare to dream. Dare to imagine beyond what is possible. Don't be afraid to carve your own path.”
For someone who believes in staying grounded, there is something fitting about that message. Being grounded does not mean thinking small. It means knowing where you come from while still allowing yourself to imagine where you could go.
“Don't let other people tell you you're not deserving of what you want, what you dream, what you imagine…”
And perhaps that is the balance Nour continues to carry with her: staying connected to reality while refusing to let reality determine the limits of possibility.
“Always cultivate hope in your heart for your dreams and for other people. Kasi, if you have hope, you can do anything, really.”
For an actor, staying grounded may begin with understanding other people. But perhaps it ultimately leads back to understanding yourself—your place in the world, the stories you want to tell, and the kind of artist you want to become.
Because to portray someone truthfully, you have to stay close to humanity.
And sometimes, the best way to imagine what is possible is to never lose sight of the people who make the journey worth taking.
METROSCENE MAG | SEPTEMBER 2026 COVER: NEXT IN LINE
Producer, Creative/Art Director & Editor-in-Chief: Elwyn Baccay (@markelwyn)
Photography by Josh Castro (@ajoshcastro)
Makeup by Dominic Ocampo (@dom.ocampo)
Hair by Mharhea Banting (@workwithmhar)
Fashion Direction & Styling by Gen Real (@genreal__) assisted by Jasper Añonuevo (@jasperuevo), Lynus Martin (@lynuss) and Cha Fronteras (@chafronteras)
Video Director, Cinematographer & Editor: Gene Francis C. Sayson (@g.f.sayson)
Gaffer: Jessal Cruz (@jessalcruz)
Co-Producer: Avin Dela Cruz (@avindelacruz_)
Set Design by Elwyn Baccay and Niña Cruz (@cruzynina)
Shot at Sikret Studio (@sikret.studio)
Written By Joshua Sazon and Elwyn Baccay
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