Yvonne Strahovski is an Australian actress. After graduating from the University of Western Sydney, she began her career working in Australian television. She then moved to America and is best known for her roles as CIA Agent Sarah Walker in the NBC television series Chuck and as Hannah McKay in the Showtime series Dexter. She is also noted as the voice and model of Miranda Lawson in the Mass Effect video game trilogy.
The cover story was photographed by Fashion Photographer Joseph Chen.
Following in the footsteps of her idols Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett, Yvonne Strahovski made the move from Australia to Los Angeles and struck gold. After five years as the sexy spy Sarah Walker on NBC’s cult favourite Chuck – the role that put this sparkling Aussie on the map – Strahovski joined the cast of Dexter for season seven and eight in the role of Hannah McKay.
“When selecting roles, I consider a variety of factors but really look at the characters: how much depth they have and whether it is something different than anything I’ve played before,” said Strahovski.
When reflecting on her career, Strahovski admits there are rare moments she questions her career choice, but, for the most part, feels like things have fallen into place just as they should.
“I feel extremely lucky to have been able to experience certain things thus far,” said Strahovski. “Especially being able to work in different mediums, such as television, film and on the Broadway stage – which was such an unexpected bonus.”
On her down time, Strahovski enjoys listening to KT Tunstall, Sia and Zero 7, or throwing on her favourite classic The Sound of Music. She aims to balance her ‘Hollywood life’ and real life by keeping her work separate from everything else. She tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible, takes care of her dogs, and keeps in touch with friends and family to stay grounded.
“My parents always taught me to do everything myself. If there was a hole in my sock, I would fix it rather than buy a new pair,” said Strahovski. “It didn’t mean we couldn’t afford it, it was more about having a value system in place and being grateful for everything you have and not taking anything for granted. I take this value system along with me in life and find I especially need it in this business.”
Strahovski is also a proud supporter of PETA and promotes pet adoption. She has participated in past campaigns to draw attention to the high number of homeless animals and rescued a dog herself using petfinder.com.
New York Fashion Photographer JOSEPH CHEN 