Before filming “A Promise to Astrid,” one of Luba Hansen’s favorite roles was Amy Boyd in the horror flick, “Friendish Fables.”

 

“I got to play this woman who becomes a spider and eats cheating men,” she said. “It was so much fun shooting the scene.”

 

Hansen worked with director, Brad Twigg on various other films over a three- to four-year period. He was, in fact, her connection to the JC Films production of “A Promise to Astrid,” a faith-based film about a Massachusetts woman who spent her humble life secretly helping others.

 

As director of photography, Twigg recommended Hansen for the role of Cindy in “Astrid.” JC Films co-owner, writer and executive producer Jason Campbell asked for her resume, head shot and reel of her previous work and thereafter offered her the role.

 

“I was thrilled,” Hansen said. “A lot of the work I’ve done is with horror films or theater, but this is the first film in which I got to portray an actual person who is still living.”

 

She liked that the movie is based on a true story and was happy to talk with Cindy Tourville, the woman from Massachusetts who knew Astrid and observed all her selfless deeds. Between the phone conversation and reading the book “A Promise to Astrid,” penned by Michael Tourville, Hansen liked the project even better.

 

“It was very sweet and it was something so new to me,” she said.

 

Hansen even saw a little of herself in Astrid.

 

“She was a very positive person and I think I am, too,” she said. “I always try to see the good in people.”

 

When she’s not acting, Hansen lives in the DC area, where she and a friend run Healthy Fresh Meals, a meal delivery service.

 

“The business is about two and a half years old,” she said. “We prepare and deliver between 1,500 and 2,000 meals per week.”

 

Hansen said she has three criteria for consideration of any role she seeks.

 

“One is if it pays a lot of money and two is if I’m really fascinated by the story or it endears me,” she said. “Three, even if it doesn’t pay a lot – but will provide me with projects in the future.”

 

If two of the three criteria are satisfied, Hansen generally accepts the role. In the case of “Astrid,” it was the latter two that led to her decision.

 

“I was fascinated by the book and hope it will lead to future films with Jason,” she said.

 

Hansen as born in Tula, Russia and lived as a child in an orphanage. She was adopted at age 10 by an American family. She feels very fortunate about the latter, but also appreciates her early life.

 

“I remember a lot about living in the Russian orphanage,” she said. “What I learned from my childhood experiences made me a better person as an adult.”

 

When she arrived in the U.S., she couldn’t speak a word of English and had to learn the language “from scratch.”

 

She remembers it all vividly. She also recalls the moment she was inspired to become an actor.

 

“My American parents took me to see Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in DC,” she said. “It was the first play I had ever seen. I didn’t understand a word of it, but I loved the actors, the costumes and the way they moved and their voices changed through the whole process. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

 

After attending the University of Maryland, Hansen moved to New York City, where she worked and lived before moving back to the DC area.