Kate Hawley

Growing up in Wellington, Kate Hawley began making sets and costumes while at Samuel Marsden Collegiate. She went on to study the craft at Wellington Polytechnic then took up a scholarship to London's Motley Theatre Design Course, before returning home to design sets and costumes for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Opera and other notable stage productions. Her impressive screen career includes major Hollywood movies like Crimson Peak, Edge of Tomorrow, Suicide Squad and the television series Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. In 2026 Hawley won both an Oscar and a BAFTA for her costume design on Frankenstein.

It’s also about not being an island! You have to be there at rehearsals and find every opportunity you can to be involved so that you’re constantly building. That’s the beauty of humans as creatives working together. It’s the push and pull. Things that can feel restrictive can also be moments of absolute opportunity. Kate Hawley, The Talks website, 2026