by Erin Free
With a number of Australian films hitting cinemas that feature Australia's most exciting young female thespians, we decided that it was high time to pay tribute to this country's crop of long underrespected upcoming actresses. As always, we try to keep our finger on the pulse of what's happening in the here and now, so while we tip our hat to the great actresses of the past, we've thrown our focus on who's on the screens now. These performers add a defining and distinct voice to an industry often characterised by a rough, tough, beer-and-biffo approach, from classics like Don's Party, The Club and The Adventures Of Barry MacKenzie through to more recent efforts like Two Hands and Muggers. Though these are all great films, without a balancing female voice, we'd all just be screaming ourselves hoarse at a big cinematic barbecue. Masterpieces like My Brilliant Career, Picnic at Hanging Rock and High Tide may not yell as loudly, but they are truly vital voices in the general chorus of Australian cinema.
Australian actresses have every part of the field covered. From the brilliant performers who have made their presence felt on the world stage with critical raves and Oscar nods (Judy Davis, Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths and Cate Blanchett), to those who are coming up close behind them, having cemented their position in the local arena (Claudia Karvan, Jacqueline MacKenzie, Miranda Otto, Frances O'Connor, Naomi Watts, Radha Mitchell and Belinda McClory) to those young up and comers who are just starting to make a big splash (Rebecca Frith, Susie Porter, Alice Garner, Rose Byrne, Maya Stange, Michelle Noonan, Leah Vandenberg, Sacha Horler and Deborah Mailman), Aussie chicks in flicks are everywhere, and the industry is a much better place for it.
FILMINK digs deep to give you the score on who's moving and shaking amongst Australia's hottest actresses. Are we heading toward the millennium of the goddess? If so, this is where it all starts. Catch these Aussie chicks in flicks burning up cinema screens in a multiplex near you soon.
THE TOP OF THE TREE:
JUDY DAVIS
When it comes to Australian actresses, Judy Davis is the undeniable queen. Ever since she made her indelible mark as pioneering novelist Miles Franklin in My Brilliant Career, Davis has given some of the defining performances of the Australian cinema. From an embittered prostitute in Winter Of Our Dreams to her street wise tough cookie in Hoodwink to her passionate protester in Heatwave and her broken down singer in High Tide, Judy Davis has set the pace for Australian actresses. She was lured to Hollywood, where she has given a series of rich, idiosyncratic performances that constantly get critical raves (Barton Fink, Naked Lunch, Impromptu, The Ref, Absolute Power) and even the odd wink from the academy (A Passage To India, Husbands And Wives). After working with some of the modern greats (David Lean, The Coen Brothers, David Cronenberg, Bob Rafelson, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood), Davis is a major player on the world stage, an actress renowned for her independence, versatility and complete lack of fear in choosing roles. Though in demand in the States, she still calls Australia home, and occasionally even throws her weight behind local issues.
RACHEL GRIFFITHS
If Judy Davis is the queen of Australian actresses, then Rachel Griffiths is the hard talking, rebellious princess. In recent times, this fiery, self possessed actress has been getting nearly as much press for her off screen moves as she has been for her movie roles. Whether stripping naked in public to protest the cultural strangulation being committed by Melbourne's Crown Casino, throwing her unfettered opinions into the ring on television's The Panel, or doing a semi-nude spread in "Australian Style" magazine, Griffiths is never shy about speaking her mind or showing her body, sometimes at the same time. But it's her acting that really counts. On screen she tempers her wilfulness with a moving vulnerability, even mellowing her white hot soul enough to snare an Oscar nomination for her performance as Emily Watson's meek, subservient sister in Hilary And Jackie. But it's her fire that we all love best, and her sultry turns in Muriel's Wedding, To Have And To Hold, My Best Friend's Wedding and Divorcing Jack are what set her up as cinematic gold.
TONI COLLETTE
"You're terrible, Muriel". As the dowdy, Abba obsessed small town girl who makes good in the smash hit Muriel's Wedding, Toni Collette gave Australia a big, warm hug with a performance of incredible humanity and well studied humour. She'd worked up to this with an incredibly moving turn in the underrated Spotswood, and followed it up with rock solid turns in Cosi (as a port of truth and beauty in a storm of insanity and quirkiness), Lilian's Story (as a tortured young woman) and The Boys. Hollywood finally beckoned, and Collette shared the screen with golden girl Gwyneth Paltrow in the enchanting Emma and the not so enchanting The Pallbearer. She showed her indie smarts with a finely underrated performance in The Clockwatchers and a flashy shot in the even flashier Velvet Goldmine. Now Collette's performance as the mother of a young boy who can commune with the dead in the surprise hit The Sixth Sense is already starting to generate hot whispers that Oscar may smile her way. Toni Collette, the quietly ambitious actress who played the girl from Porpoise Spit, may just be Hollywood's next big deal.
CATE BLANCHETT
Cate Blanchett is the movie world's newest golden girl. Though now principally known for her extraordinary, fiercely complex performance as the compromised queen in Elizabeth, this dynamic actress has been making it in Australia for some time. She lit up the stage with an incendiary performance in David Mamet's Oleanna opposite Geoffrey Rush before moving on to the big screen. She stole Bruce Beresford's Paradise Road from some very heavy hitters (Glenn Close, Frances McDormand) before providing the picture of elegance and restraint in Thank God He Met Lizzie. Blanchett then beat out the world's biggest names to snatch the lead in Gillian Armstrong's period epic Oscar And Lucinda opposite Ralph Fiennes. This interesting, slightly off centre performance got her recognised internationally, and she took the lead in Shekhar Kapur's dazzling Elizabeth, grabbing a well deserved Oscar nomination. Irony ruled and she lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow, who she is now co-starring with in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Anthony Minghella's hotly anticipated follow-up to The English Patient, also starring Matt Damon. Currently, you can catch Cate Blanchett in An Ideal Husband opposite Rupert Everett, Minnie Driver and Julianne Moore.
THE RESPECTED UP'N'COMERS:
MIRANDA OTTO
The daughter of legendary film and theatre actor Barry Otto, Miranda Otto has been working it on the Australian cinema scene for some time now. Quirky, off centre and a true original, she has given some highly memorable performances in a sling of interesting films. After an inauspicious debut in the clunky comedy Daydream Believer, she has gone from strength to strength. Bob Ellis tapped into her natural eccentricity in The Nostradamus Kid, she gave a hilarious performance as a repressed country girl in Love Serenade, worked with Gillian Armstrong in The Last Days Of Chez Nous, was part of the hip young ensemble in True Love And Chaos and starred opposite real life beau Richard Roxburgh in Doing Time For Patsy Cline. She got the break of a lifetime as the only major female character in Terence Malick's masterpiece The Thin Red Line and has parlayed that into a role in Robert Zemeckis' supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
FRANCES O'CONNOR
After some memorable TV work (Blue Heelers, Halifax FP), Frances O'Connor took Australian audiences by surprise with her smart, charming performance in Emma Kate Croghan's low budget winner Love And Other Catastrophes. As the free wheeling lesbian Mia, she was like a breath of fresh air, all grit and insouciance. The publicity and good reviews set O'Connor up as the next sweetheart of Australian cinema. She followed up this campus comedy with Bill Bennett's wicked thriller Kiss Or Kill, as a mean spirited, cold-as-ice grifter on the road with bad boy Matt Day, and kept audiences guessing with her next performance. As an energetic eccentric with a big, bruised heart, she stole Thank God He Met Lizzie from Richard Roxburgh and Cate Blanchett. Her next effort - Peter Duncan's pretentious, A Little Bit Of Soul - is best left forgotten. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood caught the scent of Frances O'Connor's wit and personal charm, and director Patricia Rozema has snared her for the role of Fanny Price in the Jane Austen adaptation Mansfield Park.
NAOMI WATTS
Naomi Watts is a rarity among young Australian actresses. She didn't wait to become a banner name locally before heading off to find fame and fortune in the States. TV (the inevitable role in Home And Away) and some major roles in minor films (as a demented student hanging professor Jimmy Smits for sexual harassment in Gross Misconduct and as part of the seamy cityscape in the mishandled The Custodian with Anthony LaPaglia and Hugo Weaving), were her modest launching pads for heading stateside. She hit it early with a showy role in the commercial disappointment Tank Girl, and has been quietly plying her trade in a number of TV shows (Mulholland Drive amongst others) and some lesser film work (including the cheesy period drama Dangerous Beauty, aka, A Destiny of Her Own). A low key, sensitive actress, Naomi Watts hasn't quite received the praise, or the roles, which she deserves. That's all set to change with her turn in the new film from Emma Kate Croghan, Strange Planet, a quirky, witty stroll through love and romance among Australia's twenty-somethings.
RADHA MITCHELL
Like Naomi Watts, Radha Mitchell wasn't exactly a household name in Australia before she jumped ship and headed to America. An ongoing role on TV's Neighbours (a hot bed of young Australian talent, this show has thrown up major finds like Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue and many others) led to Mitchell's being cast in Love And Other Catastrophes, as the other half to Frances O'Connor's flighty lesbian. Like pretty much everyone else involved, this proved to be a star making part for Mitchell, and she took her wares stateside. Since washing up there, she has been a minor fixture on the indie scene. She gave a rich, naturalistic performance as a naive photographer besotted with Ally Sheedy's junkie lesbian in High Art, and has given similarly full bodied performances in lesser known indies such as James, Sleeping Beauties and Cleopatra's Other Husband. Next up, Radha Mitchell takes her low key charisma into the mainstream with a role in the big budget shot in Australia science fiction thriller Pitch Black.
BELINDA MCCLORY
Belinda McClory is the unknown roll-of-the dice amongst Australia's young actresses. While a highly respected player to those in the industry, she remains relatively unknown to the average filmgoer. Her work on television (Blue Heelers and a devastating performance on Janus) has garnered critical raves and awards. Her move into Australian film has definitely been through the grittier, hardcore indie route. As the obscure object of desire for John Brumpton's AIDS stricken convict in the masterful Life, she was seamy, gritty and totally street. She worked with John Brumpton again in another film straight out of left field. For tyro underground director Jon Hewitt (who she would later marry), McClory gave a fierce, uncompromising performance as a burnt out homicide cop in Redball. Shot on video with a grimy mise-en-scene, this was too tough for the mainstream, but got McClory some major raves. Her biggest film (by far) to date is the Australian shot, Hollywood smash The Matrix where she effectively played one of Laurence Fishburne's band of freedom fighters. A major talent to watch.
THE YOUNG GUNS:
REBECCA FRITH
"Dimity!!" A shrieking cry not easy to forget. As older sister Vicki-Anne to precocious younger sibling Dimity (Miranda Otto) in Shirley Barrett's bizarre love triangle that was Love Serenade, Frith was the very picture of small town domesticity and desperation. Hopelessly lusting after smarmy local DJ Ken Sherry, she was almost as sad as she was bitterly funny. But since this brilliant, defining performance, Rebecca Frith has been disappointingly quiet of late. Some low key television and stage work have kept her on the go, but largely out of our sight. Thankfully, that's all set to change with a small but integral role in Strange Planet and a leading role in next month's The Missing.
SUSIE PORTER
If you want a bit of spice in your film, then Porter is just what the doctor ordered. Her tough, upfront attitude has seen her steal a number of films from some heavy hitters. She raunched up Idiot Box with Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims and made an impact with a small role in Mr. Reliable with Colin Friels and Jacqueline McKenzie. She was in the chorus of Paradise Road and was the only part of Stephan Elliot's Welcome To Woop Woop that didn't inspire immediate nausea. In a cast of scene stealers, she got her chops across as Heath Ledger's streetwise sister in the Aussie smash Two Hands and as Ben Mendelsohn's mad-as-a-shithouse-rat sibling in the under rated Amy. Next up, Susie finally gets the lead in a decent film with the sparkling comedy Feeling Sexy.
ALICE GARNER
The daughter of acclaimed novelist Helen Garner, Alice made her film debut as a youngster in the film adaptation of Monkey Grip, her mother's most famous novel. Her first real splash as an actress, however, came with her role in Love And Other Catastrophes. As a sweet natured student on the lookout for love, she was the charming anchor grounding a cast of full throttle scene-stealers. So while Frances O'Connor may have got all the glory, Alice Garner definitely made her presence felt in this delightful nineties screwball comedy. After a role in the smash hit ABC-TV series Sea Change, Alice is back on the big screen for her Love And Other Catastrophes director Emma-Kate Croghan with Strange Planet opposite other hot Aussie chicks Claudia Karvan and Naomi Watts.
ROSE BYRNE
Two Hands was the kind of smash hit that the Australian film industry doesn't get to see nearly enough. This gritty, black comedy/crime thriller hurtled its hunky leading man Heath Ledger into the big time and jacked up the career of Aussie everyman Bryan Brown. It also introduced audiences to an actress of almost angelic sweetness. As an innocent country girl caught up in the gun fights and seediness of Kings Cross, Byrne was the tasty dose of femininity that this rough and tumble caper movie so desperately needed. She managed to make the crippling role of "the girlfriend" her own, injecting this sketchy part with a truly ethereal quality. Though her resume is looking a little slim at the moment (a stint on the short lived soapie Echo Point and a major shot on a very flashy Sony commercial currently screening), expect big things from Rose in the future.
DEBORAH MAILMAN
Bagging an AFI award for your first feature film is no mean feat, but Mailman did it with grace and style. In Rachel Perkins' Radiance, a moving story of three warring aboriginal sisters, she was the sparky, cheeky presence that cut this stage play adaptation free from its more static elements. With AFI award in hand, Mailman moved into theatre, gaining more acclaim and experience, but leaving film audiences hungry for more of her offbeat charm. Her only significant film role since Radiance has been as a postal clerk in the major misfire Dear Claudia. In an industry sadly bereft of films telling the stories of indigenous Australians, let's hope Deborah Mailman crosses the race bridge, and gets the roles and continued acclaim that she so richly deserves.
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link directly to this feature at http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=122
originally posted: 11/01/99 21:04:32
last updated: 11/01/99 21:05:58
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