I’ll be honest: the moment Hassie Harrison rode into Yellowstone, I was sold. That show, which can often feel like a slow-burning slog through the ranching melodrama of stoic men and whispered betrayals, needed someone with her spark. As barrel racer Laramie, Harrison brought a lightness and energy that cut through the grit. She was funny, magnetic, and endlessly watchable—so yeah, I immediately had a bit of a crush. And as a fellow Texan? What’s not to love.
Now with Dangerous Animals, Harrison isn’t just the scene-stealer—she’s the star. And she proves she’s got far more to offer than charm and screen presence. Directed by horror maestro Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy), Dangerous Animals throws her headfirst into survival-horror territory. She plays Zephyr, a rootless surfer whose idea of freedom is shattered when she’s abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and trapped on his boat in the middle of the ocean. If that sounds intense—it is. But Harrison meets the moment with grit, vulnerability, and real emotional depth.
This isn’t your typical scream queen role. Zephyr is layered—a woman who’s been running for so long, she’s forgotten what it feels like to fight for herself. Harrison captures that journey with remarkable nuance, delivering a performance that’s both physically demanding and emotionally raw. You feel every wave of her fear, every flicker of defiance. It’s the most grounded, guarded character she’s played yet, and she crushes it.
Sean Byrne cast Harrison after watching her in Yellowstone, recognizing the “depth and sadness” she brought to the role of Laramie—qualities that translated beautifully to Zephyr’s isolation. What sets Harrison apart is her ability to let the audience in. Even when Zephyr is at her lowest, Harrison makes you care. And in a film where she shares the screen with Jai Courtney’s feral, unpredictable killer, that’s no easy task.
The film itself is a brutal, atmospheric nail-biter, but Harrison holds her own against the blood and brutality. Shooting on location in Australia, much of it at night and on water, the production was physically grueling. But you wouldn’t know it from Harrison’s performance—she’s completely present, drawing you into Zephyr’s struggle with grace and intensity. As she recently said, Dangerous Animals might be “the most guarded and damaged character” she’s ever played—and you can tell she threw herself into it.
Beyond her performance, Harrison’s résumé keeps growing in exciting directions. From the cult comedy Tacoma FD to the Searchlight feature Quasi, she’s proven her versatility. She can do funny, tough, vulnerable, and now—full-on survival mode. And she does it all while remaining unapologetically herself: a Texas native who brings a little Southern soul to everything she touches.
With Dangerous Animals, Hassie Harrison isn’t just riding shotgun anymore—she’s in the driver’s seat. And if this performance is any indication, her next chapter is going to be thrilling to watch. Hollywood, take note: this Texan is just getting started.
Jessie Hobson