Nuha, who is based in New York, was impressed by what she saw. The show’s complex female characters struck a chord with her, making her wish she’d had a shot of auditioning for it.

Last year, the Kuala Lumpur-born actress got her chance after receiving an invitation to try out for the show’s second season.

“I didn’t think I’d actually get the job. The show did so well in its first season, all the Emmy nominations and the huge impact it had on its fanbase, so it seemed like a pipe dream to think I’d get it.

“I remember filming my audition tape right before I had to leave for my survival job waitressing at a café,” Nuha shared in an email interview with FMT.

For months, there was silence after she sent in her tape. Then, one day, she received the call: she had booked a recurring guest-star role on the show!

The actress had less than 24 hours to fly to Canada for the start of filming. “It kind of felt like a dream. It still does sometimes. But I feel so grateful, being part of something special like this means a lot to me.”

“Yellowjackets” is the story of a girls’ soccer team stranded in the harsh Canadian woods after a plane crash. To survive, they resort to dark and desperate measures.

The plot is split between the immediate aftermath of the crash in 1996 and events in the survivors’ lives in 2021, 25 years after their rescue.

“Yellowjackets” features an ensemble cast with big-name stars including Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, and Sophie Nelisse.

This critically acclaimed series received seven Emmy nominations last year, and is the second-highest streamed series in the history of its network, Showtime.

Nuha plays Crystal, a “weird, energetic, enthusiastic theatre kid” who doesn’t fit in with the rest of the group, but builds a strong connection with another outcast, Misty (Samantha Hanratty).

“Their story is one about love, total acceptance of each other, revisiting one’s childlike wonder, and finding your person at an unexpected time,” Nuha said.

Passionate about show business from a young age, Nuha got her start with her father’s organisation, The Tree Theatre Group, which put on plays about environmental issues.

When she was about 12, she made a deal with herself: that she would one day move to New York to study drama. She recalls making her applications in secret, doing auditions in her bedroom at 3am because of the time difference.

“When the acceptance letters started coming in, I built up the courage and told my parents I was going to move to New York and find a way to make it work for myself.

“I don’t know why I was so worried because they ended up being so supportive,” said the former student of Cempaka International School in Kuala Lumpur and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.

Going overseas, however, proved expensive, so Nuha and her father turned to foundations that offered scholarships. She applied and managed to qualify for financial aid.

“I think it’s important for people, especially those who are younger and don’t think they have the means to seek an education elsewhere, to know there are options out there.

“If you put in the work, do a bit of research, you’ll find there are ways to get the support you need to pursue the education you want,” said Nuha, who has been in New York for about five years now.

About her time on “Yellowjackets”, Nuha said it could be challenging as most of her experience had been in theatre, while television was a different beast altogether.

“I learnt to use different acting muscles. Being on camera is really intimate – the camera really does catch everything, every smirk, every twitch, every blink. It all has to be purposeful, so I had to learn to adapt to that, and am still learning.”

The best part about being on the show, she shared, was working with the cast. “They’re all so hardworking and just phenomenal at what they do. I would come to set every day and watch them work and it would teach me so much.

“These guys are seasoned pros, so it was a gift to be in the room with them.”

And finally, how closely does she relate with her character? “A lot of the time, Crystal lets her impulsive thoughts win and she’ll do or say anything that pops into her head. In that sense, we’re alike.

“But she’s also sure of herself, and I’m a little less like that,” Nuha revealed. “I’ve grown to be quite an insecure person, so I’m learning from Crystal to be more confident and unapologetic about who I am.”