Rei Hance (born Heather Donahue; December 22, 1974) is an American writer, businesswoman, and retired actress. She is best known for her role in the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project, and as Mary Crawford in the miniseries Taken. 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.
Early life and education
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 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.
After completing her studies, she worked as an administrative office temp worker while appearing in New York stage productions.
Acting career
Her first screen appearance, and best known role, is in the 1999 found-footage horror film The Blair Witch Project. She and the two other main cast members Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard were cast as characters that would share their given names. She would come to regret this later in life, changing her name to Rei Hance years after retiring from acting.
The Blair Witch Project
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 auditioned at the Musical Theater Works in New York City and was cast in one of the three principal roles. For the role, Hance had to learn how to operate a camera, spending two days in a crash course. 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. After filming, Hance and the two other leads were asked not to appear on any television shows or in any films, as the filmmakers made great advertising efforts to portray the events in the film as factual, including the distribution of flyers at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, asking viewers to come forward with any information about the "missing" students. The IMDb page for the film also listed the actors as "missing, presumed dead" in the first year of the film's availability. The promotion for the film was so convincing that Hance's mother received sympathy cards from people who believed that her daughter was actually dead or missing.
Once released, the film received unexpected acclaim from critics and became a resounding box office success–grossing over US$248 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time. Despite the film's highly positive reception, Hance's performance received a mixed reaction. While being nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Newcomer, and an Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, she was also nominated for worst actress at the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, and won in the same category at the Golden Raspberry Awards.
Hance later admitted there was a considerable amount of backlash against her because of her association with the film, which led to her having threatening encounters with people, and difficulty finding other employment.
Later roles
A year after the release of The Blair Witch Project, she appeared in the independent film Home Field Advantage, and alongside Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Jason Biggs in the romantic comedy Boys and Girls.
In 2001, she appeared in the independent film Seven and a Match and in the short film The Velvet Tigress.
In 2002, she had a co-starring role in the science fiction miniseries Taken, for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television. The same year, she appeared in an array of short films and televised films, such as The Walking Hack of Asbury Park, New Suit and The Big Time. In 2005, she guest-starred in an episode of the comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Her last acting role was in the 2008 direct-to-DVD horror film The Morgue.
