Little Miss Sunshine Sweetie Hannah Nordberg on Her Wicked ‘Second Mom’ & Awesome Sense of Style

Age & Hometown: 9; Santa Monica, CA

Current Role: A dynamic off-Broadway debut as Olive, a quirky ray of light in the dysfunctional Hoover family who dreams of winning the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.

Little Miss Humble: After stealing the show in local productions of Annie and Beauty and the Beast, Nordberg was ready for the big time—she just didn’t know how big. A giant poster of the pint-sized star in a bathing suit is now plastered above the Second Stage Theater building on Eighth Avenue. “At first, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m on a billboard!’” she squeals, before composing herself and adding, “But now I’m very humble. I'm used to it.” With a whole new crew of Broadway co-stars, Nordberg has license to brag. “They’re all really close to me, but Stephanie [J. Block] is my second mom,” explains the young actress, who is a huge Wicked fan. “She’s just so nice, and she’s not stuck up about being famous and stuff.”

A Sunny Disposition: Raised “right near the beach” in Santa Monica, this bubbly nine-year-old knows a thing or two about sunny skies. “Living in California is just so awesome,” Nordberg says. “Well, except sometimes it gets super hot, but that’s way better than too cold.” While performing off-Broadway, the young actress is living in blustery New York City with her mom, while her film editor father and older brother stay in California. “It’s really hard and it takes a lot of sacrifices,” she says of being separated from her dad for several months, “but I think it’s worth it to do this. Plus, they visit a lot—and when we’re together, we all feel great.”

A Passion For Fashion: When Nordberg isn’t onstage, she and her fellow “pageant girls” love weaving Rainbow Loom bracelets for Block and their other adult co-stars. “We’re so obsessed with them, it’s crazy how much,” she says. “It’s basically all we do.” The girls also give each other makeup tips and had a blast dressing up in glitzy outfits on the musical's opening night. Nordberg and her zany character Olive share a love of dancing and performing, but the actress insists they do not have the same fashion sense. “We are so different,” she says, noting her preference for shimmering dresses over puppy T shirts. “Oh, and especially the hair. Fireworks hair clips? No way, sister!”