Ozark’s Julia Garner gives huge shout out to indie SA-made film

The film was shot in locations around Adelaide and South Australia last year.

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick in a still from The Royal Hotel. Picture: Supplied

Hollywood superstar Julia Garner may have been a no show at its world premiere, but she’s given SA-made thriller The Royal Hotel a huge shout out on social media.

The flick, which was filmed at various locations around Adelaide and South Australia last year, was unveiled at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, before another screening at Canada’s famous Toronto International Film Festival.

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick in a still from The Royal Hotel. Picture: Supplied

While Garner did not walk the red carpet at either event because of the ongoing Hollywood actors and writers’ strike, she took to social media.

Posting to Instagram, where she has more than 1.5m followers, Garner thanked both festivals for launching The Royal Hotel, which she described as “our very special Australian independent film”.

She also went on to explain her reasons for not attending either event, saying “it doesn’t feel right given the climate of the film industry right now”, before talking up The Royal Hotel and its makers, including Melbourne-born director Kitty Green.

Julia Garner’s Instagram. Picture: Instagram

“I am immensely proud of it,” she said.

“We had the pleasure of working with the most beautiful cast and crew.

“Directed by the one and only, Kitty Green.”

It was high praise indeed because Garner is a Hollywood heavyweight, known for playing Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark, for which she has won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for best supporting actress.

Julia Garner on the red carpet at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival in May. Picture: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images

The Royal Hotel is set to open the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Festival on October 15.

It will also be Adelaide Film Festival’s opening night film on October 18.

While Garner seemed right at home in Adelaide during filming, popping up at Golden Boy, Grace Emily and a Showdown match, she is unlikely to attend.

Hollywood star Julia Garner was spotted at the Grace Emily hotel. Picture: Instagram

Julia Garner, with Adelaide fan Kerrie Papageorgiou, at Golden Boy. Picture: Supplied

Green has RSVP’d yes to the gala event, along with one of the movie’s stars, veteran actor Hugo Weaving, who is the uncle of Adelaide-born actress Samara Weaving.

Partly filmed in Yatina, 220km north of Adelaide, The Royal Hotel is about two backpackers who take a bar job in a small town after running out of money.

Produced by See-Saw Films and backed by the South Australian Film Corporation, the film also stars Jessica Henwick.