Could this be our next Margot Robbie?
People are hailing 17-year-old Aussie actress Olivia Deeble as the next big Australian to make it big in Hollywood. Meet the former Home and Away star who is set to be recognised around the globe thanks to her big new deal with Disney.
Stellar
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For many Australians, Olivia Deeble needs no introduction. Admittedly, the majority of those people are scrolling Instagram, learning TikTok-ready dance moves and looking to the Gen Z star for fashion inspiration.
For the rest of us, she may be someone who looks familiar – but whose face you can’t quite place. Deeble has been in Aussie film and TV shows since she was three, and is best known for a four-year stint playing Raffy on Home And Away – a job that saw her leave the family home in Melbourne when she was 13 and relocate to Sydney, where she lived with her grandparents.
Or it may still not be familiar at all, although that is highly likely to change soon thanks to a plum leading role in a newly created Disney franchise set to encompass three films.
If hard work and perseverance have helped the young star get here, she says kismet may have also played a part. As she tells Stellar on the set of her photo shoot, “I feel like the universe played out for me.”
Your mum is Kate Gorman, also an actor, who portrayed Sue Parker on Neighbours back in the ’80s alongside Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. And your grandfather is Reg Gorman from The Sullivans. Was it always expected you would follow their career path?
I don’t think so. My parents have always been incredibly supportive of whatever I wanted to do.
I remember watching my mum’s work, or being on set with her when she was directing something, or watching my grandfather in a play. It was familiar to me, and I knew a lot about acting and the craft and what goes with it from such a young age because I was so heavily surrounded by it.
But it was never forced upon me. I wanted to do auditions and I had to beg Mum to get me an agent because she wanted me to have a childhood. So I got an agent when I was 10 or 11, and that’s when I properly started working.
Being an actor isn’t an easy gig – they’re often out of work between jobs and there’s no steady pay cheque. Is that what your mum was worried about?
It’s not like my mum didn’t want me to do it, because she knows how fulfilling and how fantastic it is, and how much of a rush and a kick she gets out of it. She knew where I was coming from when I [said] it was something I want, but she also just wanted me to come to that conclusion by myself.
What did your mother and grandfather teach you about acting?
My grandfather taught me a lot about comedy. I would watch all of his shows; he taught me a lot about slapstick and timing.
I do all of my self-tapes and a lot of my script preparation with my mum. She is really good at asking me the right questions that I can answer to develop my characters properly. I run all my lines with her – and probably still will until we’re both very old!
You’re known to Australian viewers for playing Raffy on Home And Away. You’ve now made the jump to Hollywood and landed your first gig with a leading role in Disney+ movie Secret Society of Second-Born Royals. Is it true this is part of a three-film deal?
Yes, it is huge. I was on Home And Away from 13 to 16 – I think a lot of Australia got to see me become a young woman on television. That was such a fantastic experience, and very different to the Disney film, and [TV show] Little Lunch previously.
They have all been very different. I’m incredibly grateful for that. I hope this continues. I will strive for this to continue, and hope that adolescents and older and younger people can identify with me through the stories I’m telling. And I hope it’s not the same story every time.
What did Home And Away teach you?
I learnt so much from that gig. How to read a script really quickly because we were learning so many lines a day. How to get in touch with my character’s emotions quickly and to find truth in writing, which is an incredibly important thing to do, especially with some of the stuff on Home And Away – it’s very high stakes, lots of emotional things happen.
And so many people watching are invested in the show. You need to show them that truth. I’m used to having long days – upwards of 12 hours sometimes – so I’ve learnt to have stamina. And also respect for everyone who works within a film set.
You’ve studied remotely since you were 13 – how is the schoolwork going?
Because I was working or international, it’s always been easier for me to kind of do it online. In a strange way, quarantine made my work better because it forced me to work a bit harder. I don’t have an excuse, a shoot or other TV shows on. I am just a student.
How are your grades?
I’d say I’m a pretty good student. I tried to pick subjects that I knew I’d be passionate about because, for me, especially if it’s something I’m not interested in, I don’t want to work hard in it. I don’t see the end goal. So I picked subjects that interest me and inspire me.
Still, you’ve been clear that you want to finish Year 12. A lot of actors wouldn’t necessarily do that after landing a major gig. Why is that?
It is incredibly important, to me and to my parents. And it’s to prove to myself that I can. Because I’m not with my peers in a classroom, I don’t have that push. It’s purely me, and my family’s support. So it’s a little adventure and task for me to overcome.
My acting is my passion, and writing and filming, but maybe French isn’t. But I still need to prove I can work hard at things, and not just because I love them. And it’s also great to have a certificate! It gives me the opportunity, if I want, to go to university.
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You’ve been talked up as “the next Margot Robbie”. How does that feel?
It’s the biggest compliment ever. I’m just in shock that’s what people think. I’ve looked up to Margot for so long, I really admire her as an actor. I hope to have a career similar to hers.
How hard did you have to fight to get the role of Princess Roxana in Disney’s Secret Society of Second-Born Royals?
I love my character. She was spectacular and funny and witty, and I gave it a bit of my own flair. I made some bold choices, which they could have hated. Then I got the callback and I did it again, and I had a call with the director.
But with film and television, there’s always someone else. So unless you have a contract or you’re there filming it, it’s not yours yet. I like to be optimistic, but also realistic. I don’t like to get my hopes up too much because sometimes, if you don’t get it, it can be quite hard.
Can you give us a taste of what the movie is about?
It’s fantastic – it brings together friendship and camaraderie, bravery and superpowers. You’re seeing royals like never before. They’re teenagers, there are a lot of modern components and there’s this awesome kick-arse adventure. It’s a feel-good, fun-loving movie.
Social media is a necessity for young celebrities, but it can also be so tricky. How do you navigate it?
I want my social media to be a safe space; I don’t ever want people comparing themselves to me. We are all – young people in general, but especially women – so incredible and powerful.
And the world is ours. We just need to harness it. I want my platform to [show] that if you work hard on the things that you love, you can achieve anything. Social media can mess with your self-confidence if you’re on it all day.
But [something like] Instagram can be this incredible tool, one that I love and use frequently for my work. But like anything, if you use it too much it can lose its magic.
You turn 18 in early August. How will you celebrate?
Due to coronavirus, it is going to be a little family thing, which is kind of what I want anyway.
My grandfather was born on the second of August, so he’s two days before me.
We normally do a joint thing, and it’s just very close friends and family. I’m big on family dinners anyway, and spending my birthday with people that I love – and who love me.
Secret Society of Second-Born Royals will premiere globally on Disney+ on July 17.
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Originally published as Could this be our next Margot Robbie?