She said she modeled her character after a director that she once worked with, citing the character's self-assuredness when everything went as planned, and confusion during crisis. For the role, Hance had to learn how to operate a camera, spending two days in a crash course. She auditioned at the Musical Theater Works in New York City and was cast in one of the three principal roles. Her role in the film originated in 1997, when she read about an audition that was being advertised in Backstage magazine for actors with strong improvisational abilities, which were needed for an independent horror film. She would come to regret this later in life, changing her name to Hance years after she retired from acting. Williams and Joshua Leonard, used their birth names as their character names for the film. She and the two other main cast members, Michael C.

Her first screen appearance, and her best known role, is in the 1999 found-footage horror film The Blair Witch Project. Through her entire acting career, Hance was credited under her birth name of Heather Donahue. Īfter completing her studies, she worked as an administrative office temp worker while appearing in New York stage productions.

Hance graduated from Philadelphia's University of the Arts in 1995 with a BFA in theater, and also performed in productions at the Battersea Arts Centre in London, England, where she apprenticed in conjunction with the University of the Arts London. Hance was born Heather Donahue on December 22, 1974, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, an office manager, and James Donahue, a printer. Hance was credited under her birth name in her acting roles and for her first book before legally changing her name to Rei Hance in 2020. She is known for her roles as Heather in the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project and Mary Crawford in the miniseries Taken. Rei Hance (born Heather Donahue December 22, 1974) is an American writer, businesswoman, and retired actress.

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