Rhiana Jade Griffith was born on April 16, 1985, in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. As a child, she began modeling, doing runway work, magazine shoots, and catalogue ads for children's clothing. At the age of 13, she won the ModelQuest98 Grand Final for the 12-to-15-year-old division.
Rhiana's modeling successes resulted in her being auditioned for acting roles in commercials and, ultimately, a television show. On February 20, 1998, viewers tuning in to the medical drama Children's Hospital got their first introduction to Rhiana's phenomenal talent. She played Kelly, a young burn victim who had been injured when her uncle's fishing boat exploded, opposite Peter Whitford (Strictly Ballroom) who portrayed her surgical specialist.
Next Rhiana won a part in Maurice Murphy's period romance 15 Amore. Set during World War II and based upon events from Murphy's own childhood, it's a complex tale of love, honor, and class warfare carried out in the Outback. Rhiana played Mercia, the eldest of the McClelland children. It was at this time that she decided she wanted to pursue an acting career.
From there, Rhiana was cast as "Audrey" in a small science fiction film being made in Queensland, Pitch Black. Audrey was a young teenager unaway who survived a spaceship crash with a dozen other people, only to find herself trapped on a world where almost-perpetual daylight reigned, but monsters emerged in the darkness. Audrey would be forced to rely upon the aid of a dangerous felon whom she would idolize and emulate, to the point of shaving her head. Shortly after Rhiana's arrival on the set, it was decided that her character needed more depth, and a major change was made. Her name was changed to "Jack/Jackie," and the script was changed so that she would spend most of the film disguised as a boy.
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