Amanda Rawles has never been one to chase perfection. It has always been about curiosity—saying yes to something she didn’t fully understand and trusting she would find herself in the process. She started acting at 13, and at first, it felt like an exciting game: working with new people, learning to slip into different lives. But around seven years ago, when she transitioned into film, something shifted. The layers behind character building, reading scripts, and exploring emotional depth began to draw her in. She started to understand the deeper nature of her work—the way a character can reflect parts of yourself you didn’t know were there. “That’s when I realised this is what I want to keep doing.”
That growing depth didn’t come without its challenges. The more Amanda leaned into her craft, the more she found herself navigating moments of discomfort and vulnerability. The doe-eyed actress has always been honest about the fear that comes with stepping into something unfamiliar. She admits that every project still brings a flicker of uncertainty. “You meet new stories, new characters, new people. There’s always that question: can I pull this off?”
That uncertainty was especially present when she took on her first biopic, “Laura: A True Story of a Fighter” (2024), portraying a woman with a spinal cord injury. Amanda worried she couldn’t do Laura’s story justice, unsure if she could embody someone else’s pain so truthfully. She used to believe she had to mine her own memories, even past traumas, to access emotion. Yet through this ordeal, she discovered a deeper approach. “Once I understood how Laura thought, how she saw the world, the feelings came naturally.”
The shift from anxiety about doing Laura right to simply feeling Laura’s experience transformed her performance. In the end, she found that empathy could be just as powerful—or even more so—as any other technique. That same clarity guides Amanda in her daily life. She no longer feels compelled to say yes to every offer. She prefers to leave space in her schedule for stillness and the rituals that keep her anchored. She meditates most mornings, reads self-help books before shoots, and journals to empty her thoughts. It’s her way of staying present. “You have to have time for yourself. It is equally as important as any project. I do like working under pressure,” she admits with a laugh, “but I also know I have to protect my energy.”
That balance also shaped the years she spent juggling university and film sets. During the pandemic, she pursued her Media and Communications degree online, even sacrificing a semester to be fully present in the projects she loved. “If I were offered a certain acting role, I knew if I took it, I wouldn’t be able to do academics. So I had to make sure I gave 100% because I was sacrificing something for it.” She took her time with her degree, unhurried by other people’s timelines, because she wanted to do it intentionally. “Why rush? Opportunities don’t always come twice.” This coming October 2025, she will be graduating from Macquarie University in Sydney. “It seems this year I get two certificates,” she smiles cheekily, “my bachelor’s degree and my marriage certificate.”
Amanda and Adriel have been together since she was 15. Earlier this year, they tied the knot in a picturesque wedding at Mona Farm in Braidwood, Australia. It was an intimate celebration that perfectly reflected their enduring love. Amanda admits that her husband remains one of her greatest inspirations. “He’s ambitious and full of dreams,” she says, eyes sparkling, “but he knows how to maintain balance. He’s never lost who he is.” When she describes their relationship, it mirrors the qualities she’s nurtured in herself: the freedom to grow, the commitment to stay present, and the belief that love can be steady rather than loud. “It feels lighter knowing that I have him,” she says. “We share the burden and the happiness together.”
Their marriage has not slowed her ambitions. If anything, it has made her more intentional. “There are more considerations now,” she explains. “I always include him in decisions regarding which projects to take and what he thinks of them because I respect him as my husband.” For now, she is excited to enjoy the simplicity of small routines: dinner together, quiet evenings with a book, the feeling of building a home.
Over time, Amanda has learned to embrace the slow unfolding of things. She no longer lets fear dictate her path. Even in moments when the stakes feel highest, she believes vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s what makes the work worth doing. That same courage to move forward also shows up in quiet moments, such as when she sketches. “When I draw, I don’t always know if I can bring what’s in my head to life on paper,” she elaborates, saying,. “But I just have to change my perspective and try. We all might be surprised by our capabilities.”
While much of her growth has been internal, it also finds expression in tangible tastes. Even her choice of jewellery speaks to her inner calm. Amanda gravitates toward pieces that are subtle, minimal, and elegant. Surely that is why Piaget, a brand renowned for its understated refinement and quiet luxury, feels aligned with how she sees herself. “It doesn’t have to be too in your face,” she says. “Simple, calm, minimal—but there’s a statement in it.”
Perhaps that is the quiet lesson we can all take away after listening to Amanda Rawles reflect on the different aspects of her life: that over time, she has made more intentional choices as she carries new titles—actress, wife, graduate. She reminds us that success and self-actualisation rarely come from chasing perfection or racing ahead of our own growth. They come from trusting the process that often unfolds slowly, in the silence between striving, when we dare to breathe, to listen, and to trust that we are exactly where we need to be.
Creative Direction & Fashion Styling: Charlene Atalie
Photography: Raja Siregar
Make-Up: Claudya Christiani Purba
Hair Styling: Eva Pical
