Shabana Azeez

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Shabana Azeez
Azeez in 2026
Born (1997-03-09) 9 March 1997
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
EducationUniversity of Adelaide (BA)
OccupationActress
Known for

Shabana Azeez (born 9 March 1997)[1] is an Australian actress and voice actor. She has starred in many Australian films and TV series including the 2023 film Birdeater, and became known internationally for her role as medical student Victoria Javadi on the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt (2025–present).

Early life and education

Shabana Azeez was born in Adelaide, South Australia to Indo-Fijian parents.[2] She has a younger brother.[3] She was educated at St Aloysius College, an all-girls Catholic school in Adelaide, from 2002 until 2014. She was a member of the senior debating team and the choir.[4]

Azeez as raised in a household that emphasised the importance of academics.[3] At the end of Year 12, she gained her parents' permission to audition for one drama school; she crashed her car on the way to the audition, which was not successful.[5]

She undertook a Bachelor of Arts and Media double degree at the University of Adelaide.[4]

Career

While working in an administrative position at Mercury CX, her boss secured her an audition for a short film, which she successfully booked.[6][3] During this time, she met Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs, who she would go on to collaborate with repeatedly.[7] Azeez also appeared in a comedy band with Varghese.[8] Between acting jobs, Azeez worked as a standardised patient.[9]

Azeez's breakout role was in the 2023 film Birdeater.[10] She played Irene, who goes on a disastrous bachelor party weekend with her fiancé.[7] She researched testimonies of emotional abuse and coercive control in advance of filming.[11][7] Critics praised Azeez for her performance and her on-screen chemistry with co-star Mackenzie Fearnley.[12][13][14] Azeez secured her management after Birdeater was shown at South by Southwest in Texas.[15]

In July 2024, it was announced that Azeez had joined the cast of the upcoming HBO Max medical drama The Pitt.[16] Azeez auditioned for The Pitt with a self-tape auditon and then a nine-minute-long Zoom call. Initially, she did not think she had secured the role. Azeez's character Victoria Javadi (an intelligent young medical student who struggles socially) was not originally written as South Asian, and Azeez also thought her race would negatively impact her success of booking the role. "I remember thinking that it would never happen because they already had a 'brown girl'," she stated, referring to Supriya Ganesh, who played Dr. Samira Mohan. Azeez and Ganesh later became close friends when Azeez moved to Los Angeles for the job.[3]

Azeez prepared for the role of Victoria Javadi by watching American teen dramas and reading romance novels (including those by Emily Henry) and studies about loneliness.[3][17] She also learned about gun violence in advance of the first season's mass shooting subplot.[18] She participated in a "two-week boot camp" where she learned how to perform medical procedures.[10] Before filming season two, she researched post-traumatic stress disorder and toured hospitals and medical schools where she interviewed medical students.[9]

Azeez provided the voice of Princess Saira in the critically acclaimed comedy Lesbian Space Princess.[6][19] She had previously auditioned for the role of Willow.[6] Writing for The Guardian, Cassie Tongue described Azeez as "the perfect lead" for the film, while Stephen A Russel for ScreenHub said she was "instantly endearing" in the role".[20][21]

Azeez stars alongside Hugo Weaving in the upcoming SBS series The Airport Chaplain. She plays a single mother named Carmen who works in a management role in an airport.[22]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Aquaphobe Miriam Short film
The Normals Beth-Anne
2021 Weather Girl Molly
2022 Illustrating Sam Newton Charlie
2023 Run Rabbit Run Nowa
Birdeater Irene
2025 I'm the Most Racist Person I Know Lali Short film
Lesbian Space Princess Saira Voice role

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2018 F Off We're Full Fatima TV movie
2019 The Letdown Hipster Waitress Episode: "Heavy Heart"
The Hunting Jaspreet Episode: "sluts"
2020 Love, Guns & Level Ups Steph Mini series; 2 episodes
2021 Why Are You Like This Samara 2 episodes
Metro Sexual Yasmin Dagher 6 episodes
2023 Utopia Carla Episode: "Tunnel Vision"
In Limbo Jay 6 episodes
2024 Nautilus Renouka 3 episodes
Triple Oh! Brooklyn Episode: "Car Crash"
Urvi Went to an All Girls School Maya Episode: "Urvi Went to an All Girls School"
Westerners Tasneem Episode: "Second Hand Lamp"
2025–present The Pitt Victoria Javadi 30 episodes
2025 Apple Cider Vinegar Evie Episode: "Tapeworm"
2026 The Airport Chaplain Mira 8 episodes[23]
Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee (AU) Herself Season 3, episode 2

Awards and honors

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2026 Actor Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Pitt Won [24]

References

  1. Ganesh, Supriya (1 March 2026). "Guys it's March 9th, I promise, unless she lied to me to maintain her mysteriousness" – via X.
  2. Lai, Gladys (16 September 2025). ""I do miss when actors showed up in jeans": Shabana Azeez on her first Emmys, Australian designers, and fashion as armour". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 11 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. Bittner, Alisa. "How Shabana Azeez Landed Her Role in The Pitt". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  4. "Shabana Azeez". St Aloysius College. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  5. Law, Benjamin (5 April 2026). "'You're already doing it flawlessly': The Pitt star Shabana Azeez on her US accent hack". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  6. "Shabana Azeez is ready to be Australia's newest screen queen". Vogue Australia. 6 August 2025. Archived from the original on 7 August 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  7. Bailey, Indigo (19 May 2025). "The Pitt's breakout star Shabana Azeez loves a confronting role: 'We want victims to be perfect'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  8. Suber, Devan (18 November 2025). "'Lesbian Space Princess' is a queer story from a BIPOC perspective". JoySauce. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  9. "How Playing Victoria Javadi on 'The Pitt' Taught Shabana Azeez About Bravery". Town & Country. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  10. Kornits, Dov (3 September 2025). "Shabana Azeez: From Lesbian Space Princesses in Adelaide to The Pitt in the States". FilmInk. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  11. admin@alisa (19 February 2026). "How One Random Act Of Kindness Launched Shabana Azeez's Acting Career". Alisa Bittner. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  12. Buckmaster, Luke (17 July 2024). "Birdeater review – nightmarish buck's party in the bush becomes faintly preposterous". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  13. Edwards, Brayden (15 July 2024). "Review: Birdeater - A bird in the hand". X-Press Magazine - Entertainment in Perth. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  14. "BIRDEATER Review: Brilliantly Uncomfortable, Harrowing Thriller". ScreenAnarchy. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  15. Lee, Sophie (26 March 2026). "The Pitt's Shabana Azeez Wants to Be the Next Robert Pattinson". Cultured Mag. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  16. Petski, Denise (12 July 2024). "'The Pitt' Adds 9 To Cast Of Max Series Including Tracy Ifeachor, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell". Deadline. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  17. "'The Pitt' Star Shabana Azeez Is Making Hollywood Her Own". Cosmopolitan. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  18. Shana (27 March 2025). "INTERVIEW: Shabana Azeez Hopes The Pitt Season 1 'Stays With You'". Fangirlish. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  19. Gray, Peter (10 September 2025). "Interview: Shabana Azeez on embracing vulnerability and career specificity for the queer animation of Lesbian Space Princess". The AU Review. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  20. Tongue, Cassie (9 September 2025). "Lesbian Space Princess review – a fizzy animated film with loads of laughs and a lot of heart". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  21. "Lesbian Space Princess review: uproarious, anarchic and surprisingly wholesome | ScreenHub: Film, TV, Streaming and Games". www.screenhub.com.au. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  22. Thatcher, Kirsty (5 May 2026). "Shabana Azeez is more than a breakout star". RUSSH. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  23. "SBS drama 'The Airport Chaplain' casts Hugo Weaving alongside 'The Pitt' star Shabana Azeez". SBS What's On. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  24. "Complete Winners List: SAG Actor Awards 2026". The New York Times. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.