Battle Ground Public Schools’ student gets recurring role on NBC’s ‘Grimm’

A Battle Ground middle school student and her family got to have the surreal experience Friday night of watching her debut as a recurring cast member on a popular TV drama.

“I’m nervous because I know some actors don’t like to watch themselves on TV,” said Hannah Loyd, 12. 

Loyd and her family live in the Vancouver area, and Hannah goes to Laurin Middle School in the Battle Ground School District.

Set in Portland, “Grimm” is a weekly drama on NBC based on the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales.

“All the people at Grimm, they’re amazing,” said Hannah’s dad, Dan Loyd. “It was such a great experience for us as a family.”

The family has seen Hannah’s footage before the final edit, but hadn’t seen the final version of her first episode until the show aired Friday night. 

Hannah first became interested in acting while doing musical theater. She said she enjoyed being on stage and acting in the musicals and her family helped her get an agent. She auditioned about two months ago for Grimm. 

“I auditioned and I didn’t think I did so well,” she said. 

Despite her uncertainty, Hannah heard she got the part only a few days after her audition.

“It all went really fast,” Loyd said. “It’s pretty surreal.”

The compliments didn’t end with her audition, Hannah and her dad said. 

“Everyone was complimenting me on how good I was, but I’m kind of hard on myself,” she said. “I thought, ‘Maybe I should keep trying.’”

Hannah’s parents are encouraged by how she’s handled the experience that would likely be difficult for someone twice her age.

“She’s very grounded,” Dan Loyd said. “I don’t know how many kids would be like that.”

Hannah worked with a tutor on the set to keep up with her schoolwork. She said it was difficult at first but now is all caught up with school.

While her friends are curious, Hannah is sworn to secrecy about upcoming episodes and details of her character, a “Hexenbiest” creature named Diana Schade-Renard.

“They ask a lot of questions,” she said. “They think it’s pretty cool.”

Even members of her extended family don’t know exactly what she did on the show yet.

“That’s been the hardest part for her,” Dan Loyd said.

The character is a magical creature that has eyes that often glow purple, Hannah said. She is a recurring character in the final six episodes of the show’s current season. 

Hannah said she wants to pursue a career in the arts, whether it’s acting, singing, dancing or another pursuit. 

“I always go to auditions just because the audition is going to give me practice,” she said.