A breakout role and a wild ride

Australian actor Shabana Azeez scored the role of medical intern Victoria Javadi on HBO's hit series The Pitt in 2024, a part she landed after a US-based manager saw her performance in the 2023 Australian thriller Birdeater. She recorded a tape, sent it in, and the role was hers. Now, as she tells it, "it's been wild."

The Pitt, which has earned a record 38 Emmy nominations at this year's awards, has turned Azeez into one of the most closely watched Australian acting newcomers in recent years. The series took home five Emmys and two Golden Globes last year, and has been renewed for a third season.

Speaking from Sydney during a break before heading back to the US to begin filming the new season, Azeez says her life changed in mid-2024, though others noticed in 2025 when the show aired. She describes the experience as a "good-luck story" that young actors can only dream about.

Keeping perspective back home

Azeez, 29 and from Adelaide, has been enjoying a rare moment of pause in a life that hasn't stood still for more than two years. She spent time in Adelaide with family and friends, and says she's been trying to do "fun little side-quests" while back home.

"I have worked a lot these last few years, and when you work that much, you become a bit less interesting as a person," she says. "I work really long days, so it's really hard to learn to turn off. It's hard to take a pottery class when you are on set!"

She also reflects on the toll that rising fame can take. "I think fame is bad for your health," she tells SBS News. "It's not that I'm famous or anything — thank God — but there is that kind of thing starting and happening in these small ways. It's bad for you."

Her medicine, she says, is home. "I feel very grateful that I can just opt out and wash my hands of it and go back to Adelaide, Australia, where nobody really cares except to tease me about it," she says. "I think it's really good for your soul to get off the chessboard a little bit."

She spoke about the difficulty of being away from family and friends, counting down to Christmas break for a hug. A friend cooked her a home-cooked meal when she returned, which meant a lot to her. During her break, she also did a retreat with breathwork and ice baths, calling it "not my jam" but fun.

From rejection to the screen

Azeez's path to Hollywood wasn't straightforward. She was rejected from drama school years earlier and later worked an arts admin job. A boss booked her an audition for a short film without asking, which led to her career. After Birdeater screened internationally, she got US representation and an audition for The Pitt.

Her parents are Indo-Fijian migrants; they told her "do not become an actor." She described feeling devastation and injustice during her first year in LA, feeling like an alien. She flies back to Adelaide each Christmas; her uncle jokes "Action!" when she answers questions.

On The Pitt, she shadowed departments including directors, props, video, playback, lighting, and techs. She values working with Noah Wyle, the producer and co-creator, who plays her mentor Dr. Robby on-screen. She also discussed the healthcare crisis in America as a reason for The Pitt's relevance.

A new role back home

Azeez has been filming The Airport Chaplain alongside Hugo Weaving and Claudia Karvan for SBS. The eight-part SBS Original drama premieres Wednesday, August 26 on SBS and SBS On Demand, and will stream globally on Netflix outside Australia.

She plays Mira Ansari-Cole, an airport manager clashing with Hugo Weaving's character — the new terminal manager, an antagonistic force for the chaplain. The role, a working mother, is for her mum and reflects on women's struggles.

"It's really abysmal that it's no better for women now," she says.

Azeez sees the series as for working mums. She says "women don't have to be nice to be likeable" and Mira's quiet power is not pandering. She also tries to avoid hypervigilance in work.

She resists being called a trailblazer, saying being first is "lonely and sad." "I'm not proud to be first," she says, finding it heartbreaking for those who came before.

Returning home to film the series offered a chance to work in Australia, and the show's strong script and topnotch creatives were enough to convince her she needed to be part of it.