Despite a role in the 1994 film,
Bread and Roses, Bushnell's early focus was on her musical career; her musical abilities had been recognized by her mother at the age of eight, and Bushnell studied piano and classical singing until her early twenties, when she began to feel stifled by the rigid structure of classical music, and consequently turned her creative focus to acting. Bushnell auditioned and gained a place at the prestigious New Zealand Drama School:
Toi Whakaari. She won the role of Britta McMann, five months before graduating. ==Filmography==