Aussies in Hollywood (AUS)

Actor Hugo Weaving spent his childhood obsessed with Shakespeare plays and playing Romeo & Juliet games with his friends and seemed almost destined to become an actor. Nowadays he's one of our most recognisable stars, featured in The Matrix, The Lord Of The Rings, The Dressmaker and many more. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Hugo about learning his trade at NIDA and the Sydney Theatre Company, being directed by Mel Gibson and why he's never moved to Hollywood.

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Actor Callan McAuliffe didn't grow up dreaming of Hollywood but he did start acting at a young age. He was happy acting in commercials and local roles in Australia until a surprise audition at age 15, while on a family vacation in L.A., led to his big break in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age film, Flipped. This set him up for success with The Great Gatsby and The Walking Dead. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Callan about being inspired by Lord of the Rings as a kid, accidentally meeting Stephen Spielberg at the premiere of I Am Number 4 and what's in store for his character, Alden, in the final season of The Walking Dead.

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Actor Naomi Watts has faced more rejections than most people face in a lifetime. Having moved to Australia at 14 (because her mother bribed her with acting lessons), Naomi shares with host Jenny Cooney how her move to LA in the 90's led her to having to face years of constant rejections before landing her big break in David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Naomi about her friendship with Nicole Kidman, her time starring in blockbusters like The Ring, King Kong and 21 Grams and what kept her going when it felt like she was never going to make it.

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Actor Travis Fimmel never dreamed of a career in Hollywood. He was destined for a life working on his family's dairy farm before he traveled to Los Angeles and enrolled in acting school. Since then Travis has landed roles in Tarzan, Vikings and Raised By Wolves. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Travis about working as a model to secure a visa, what he's learned from working alongside director Riley Scott and why he hates being an actor.

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Director Unjoo Moon was enrolled in a producing course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School before she realised directing was her passion. Since then, Unjoo has directed the documentary The Zen of Bennett about musical legend Tony Bennett and the Helen Reddy biopic I Am Woman. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Unjoo about transitioning from producing to directing, coming home to film I Am Woman in Sydney and meeting her husband Dion Bebe at film school.

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Actor Eliza Scanlen sprung onto our tv screens playing Amy Adam's troubled teenage sister of in the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects. We then saw her portray Beth in Greta Gerwig's Little Women and she recently made her feature film debut at  Venice Film Festival alongside Ben Mendelsohn in the film Babyteeth. Eliza shares with podcast host Jenny Cooney; how COVID-19 has affected her acting projects, why she decided it was important to shave her head for her role in Babyteeth and how the experience she had on the Home and Away set helped her when she got to Hollywood.

Actress Geraldine Viswanathan made her mark on Hollywood as Kayla in the 2018 film Blockers. Since then, she has starred in Hala, Bad Education and Miracle Workers. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Geraldine about growing up in Newcastle, the diversity of acting roles available in the United States and reading scripts with Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman.

Screenwriter, producer, director and actor, Leigh Whannell, made a name for himself in Hollywood as the writer and producer of the Saw franchise. Since then, Leigh has written and performed in the Insidious franchise and most recently wrote and produced an adaption of H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Leigh about what he learned about directing from his university classmate & collaborator James Wan, the attitude towards horror in Hollywood and the unexpected success of Saw.

Cinematographer Dion Beebe grew up watching subtitled films at a small foreign cinema in South Africa before moving to Sydney and studying at the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS). Since then, Dion has worked on Chicago, Green Lantern and Memoirs of a Geisha. Host Jenny Cooney chats with Dion about the pivotal people in his career and what it was like working with his wife, Unjoo Moon, on their upcoming film I Am Woman.

Actor Ben Lawson is known for his roles in Modern Family, Designated Survivor, 13 Reasons Why and The Good Place, but when he first arrived in Hollywood, he struggled to land his big break. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Ben about persisting in Hollywood in spite of setbacks and meeting his childhood hero, Michael J Fox.