ABOUT
Shonee Samia is a Maori Samoan screen actor, stunt performer, and motion capture artist working across film, television, commercials, and video games.
Known for her physicality and emotionally grounded performances, she brings a unique blend of athleticism and storytelling to screen roles.
Based on the Gold Coast, Samia has built a career across both live-action and performance-capture work, appearing in productions including The Nut Farm, the Battlefield video game franchise, and the action-comedy feature Spa Weekend, where she served as a lead stunt double.
Alongside her screen work, Samia has led several independent short films that have achieved festival recognition and industry attention, demonstrating her ability to anchor character-driven narratives while also performing in physically demanding roles.
Her background in competitive powerlifting and stunt performance allows her to perform complex physical roles while maintaining strong emotional authenticity on screen.
Samia continues to work across film, television, and gaming while developing new performance opportunities both in Australia and internationally.
CASTING LANE
Shonee Samia’s work often sits at the intersection of physical performance and emotionally grounded storytelling. With a background in competitive powerlifting and stunt training, she is able to perform physically demanding roles while maintaining character-driven performances.
Her experience in motion capture has also developed a strong understanding of performance translation across digital and physical mediums, allowing her to move seamlessly between traditional screen acting and performance-capture environments.
As a performer, Shonee Samia was deeply influenced by the grounded, powerful work of Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen. Their ability to carry emotional weight on screen with authenticity and presence shaped her understanding of truthful performance.
In terms of casting, Shonee often sits in the space occupied by actresses like Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Tessa Thompson and Kerry Washington who are strong, emotionally intelligent women that command the screen.
At the same time, she naturally leans into the relatability, humour, and grounded charisma seen in performers such as Tiffany Haddish, Jennifer Lawrence and Sandra Bullock.
