If one trait defines actress Mikaela Hoover, it's versatility. In addition to collaborations with James Gunn (Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy), she’s showcased her comedic talents on sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Back home in Colbert, Washington, folks aren’t surprised by her pliability: In high school, she was dance team captain, a cheerleader and on the debate team. Hoover continues shapeshifting this spring, appearing in the second seasons of two Netflix shows: Emmy-winning dark comedy BEEF and live-action manga adaptation One Piece.
ON BEEF, SHE PLAYS THE QUEEN OF THE COUNTRY CLUB where all the drama unfolds. "Everything with Ava appears to be great. She’s living this fancy life. She wants it to appear like she has life figured out, but we see throughout the series if that’s really true."
PROVIDING VOICE AND FACIAL MOTION-CAPTURE for Tony Tony Chopper on One Piece was freeing, she says: "Playing this character, I don’t have to worry about my makeup being right, or the lighting. I’ve gotten to show pure talent. Everything Chopper does — every blink, every facial expression, every crinkle of the nose — is me. It’s been such an incredible experience. I think he’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done."
SHE'S IN TUNE WITH HER SUPERNATURAL GIFTS. Hoover embraces her "sixth sense" and told Gunn on their first meeting — not long after he wrote Scooby-Doo (2002) — that he’d be one of the world’s biggest directors. "I felt like I’d known him in a past life. I have that with certain people, where I meet them and I’m like, ‘Oh, there you are again.’ The first couple days on the set of BEEF, I was doing everyone’s astrology."
AS A PROUD SMALL-TOWN GIRL AT HEART, she says, "I’m always thinking about ways to get back to Washington. I spend every second I can at the lake with the best friend I’ve had since I was 5 years old, plus her kids and my parents. They don’t care about Hollywood at all. It’s nice."
This article originally appeared in emmy Magazine, issue #3 2026, under the title "Shape Shifter."
