Queensland’s hottest up-and-coming actors
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi may spring to mind but these are Queensland’s up-and-coming actors you need to keep an eye on. FULL LIST
Entertainment
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In 2023 Queensland actors emerged as a formidable force, leaving an indelible mark on both the big screen and small screen.
Renowned figures like Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi - both proud products of the Sunshine State - continued to shine brightly on the Hollywood stage, garnering well-deserved recognition during this year’s awards season.
Their success serves as a testament to the rich pool of artistic prowess found within our state.
However, the spotlight isn’t confined to the established stars alone.
Queensland’s cinematic landscape is witnessing the rise of a new wave of talent, with Aliandra Calabrese, Joe Davidson, Arnijka Larcombe-Weate, Mitchell Bourke, and Chaydon Jay, all hailing from Queensland.
These budding actors are poised to tread the path of success, hoping to carve their own niche in the fiercely competitive realm of the entertainment industry.
As these five fresh faces venture into Hollywood, they find themselves in the esteemed company of A-list stars, rubbing shoulders with the industry’s elite; but all continue to credit their roots, acknowledging the impact that Queensland has had on their professional journeys.
Mitchell Bourke
Age: 27
Based: Brisbane
Best known for: A Royal in Paradise
Next project: Aubrey, A Royal Engagement: A Royal in Paradise
From humble beginnings in Brisbane’s Redlands to big time feature length films, Mitchell Bourke attributes much of his success on both the stage and screen to his upbringing on Queensland’s coastline.
“My mum actually pushed me into acting, she would hear me sing in the shower, she knew that I loved to dance and that I was just a really great little drama kid,” Bourke said.
“I’m really grateful that the school that I went to really pushed the arts, I know it’s such a cliche, but I really don’t think I would have found myself and found what I love without those years at school, because it taught me that I would follow my passion and make something of it.”
The 27-year-old studied acting at the Queensland University of Technology before moving to Sydney where he began working on several TV shows and touring productions.
“When I graduated, I got myself a really great agent and moved to Sydney and then I got on a couple of TV shows,” he said.
“Theatre was always a big thing for me, so I toured Shakespeare for about six months.”
Unlike many other actors, Bourke said Covid was the time he really ploughed ahead in his field, choosing to work behind the scenes in order to advance his position in the industry.
“Covid was for most people a good time to slow down, but I somehow geared up,” he said.
Bourke said that during this time he was able to land his first major role as Prince Alexander in A Royal in Paradise, alongside fellow Australian Rhiannon Fish.
“I booked it and we shot it over 12 days over the span of three weeks on Tangalooma, all throughout Brissy and the Gold Coast,” he said.
“It has definitely put me on the map, especially overseas and from it I have a bunch of stuff happening in LA because of it.”
Having been in the industry for near on a decade, Bourke says he attributes his determined attitude to his recently found success.
“Continuously showing up and being your biggest cheer leader everyday and just knowing that it will click,” he said.
Chaydon Jay
Age: 16
Based: Gold Coast
Best known for: Elvis
Next project: Two Ugly People
Chaydon Jay has experienced more success during his short time in the movie industry than most people do in a lifetime.
At just 13-years-old, Jay was cast in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as the young King of Rock, brushing shoulders with Austin Butler, Tom Hanks and Olivia DeJonge.
“Elvis was just so far beyond anything I could comprehend at the time and it was in that moment that I just thought this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life and I’m not doing anything else otherwise I won’t be happy,” he said.
Now 16, Jay says being a Queenslander has progressed his career farther than what he could have imagined.
“I think since Covid, the rate of growth that Queensland has experienced in the film industry has been phenomenal, if I wasn’t living in Queensland I wouldn't have done Elvis and I wouldn’t have had that opportunity,” he said.
“The borders were shut so if I was from NSW then I wouldn't have been able to book it. What Queensland was able to do through Covid was incredible.”
The Gold Coast-based actor said he knew that acting was what he wanted to do from a very young age and distinctly remembers loving school plays and assemblies because of it.
“I remember when I was in Grade 5 and I had a play where I had to walk up through the middle of the hall during assembly and I remember just improvising this walk and everyone was going crazy because that wasn't how it was written but I had so much fun expressing it,” he said.
Not only does Jay attribute Elvis to his current day success in the industry but also thanks fellow Queensland Baz Luhrmann for showing him the ropes in the glistening movie world.
“That feeling when you are on set and you go into the studios, Baz had created this atmosphere in the studio that was just electric, it was so alive and it was so soulful,” Jay said.
“I remember talking to Baz about Queensland and we just loved having a good chat about how good our hometown is.”
Despite his household name status, Jay says the best is yet to come for him in his career.
“Obviously I am only 16 so I know the best is yet to come, I have a couple of projects on my horizon, a couple of things I’m looking forward to.”
Aliandra Calabrese
Age: 23
Based: Brisbane
Best known for: Joe vs Carole, Darby & Joan
Despite English being her second language, Aliandra Calabrese - who was born to Italian parents - has built a vibrant acting and singing career in Queensland at just 23-years-old.
“I originally was a musical theatre performer and I studied voice at the Conservatory of Music and I’ve played the piano since I was four-years-old, and then I transitioned to screen I just developed a passion for it,” she said.
“I loved the subtleties of it especially after being on stage and I wanted to try something different and fell in love with the craft of it.
“Screen is less of a performance it is just existing and I find it interesting to observe the human condition and try to mimic it.”
Much like younger Queensland actors, Calabrese attributes her early success to being based in the Sunshine State.
“The fact that I am a Queenslander saw me cast in Joe vs Carole which we were very fortunate through Screen Queensland to have shot here,” Ms Calabrese said.
“I might not have this early in life and this early in my career have had this opportunity to have been in an NBC TV show, so that was definitely an opportunity to do that in my home town. It was just absolutely incredible.
“The screen industry here is absolutely booming, so that definitely gave me that start.”
Despite her young age, Calabrese says the industry has forced her to remain determined and grounded due to its typically unforgiving nature.
“I think a lot of actors would probably agree that the nature of the industry is quite uncertain, and the thing with undertaking anything in the arts or anything creative it’s really difficult to put yourself out there,” she said.
“It is a very difficult thing to have no level of certainty for when your next project is, but I think that’s also what partially drives me and I think that’s where the love of it is.”
Joe Davidson
Age: 32
Based: Gold Coast
Best known for: Anyone But You, Neighbours
Next project: Troppo
A conventionally embarrassing primary school memory ultimately encouraged this Gold Coast born actor to pursue a career in the arts.
“It was my primary school play, half way through the part where I am meant to walk from one side of the stage to the other, my pants fell down, and I was about five-years-old and everyone started laughing and I thought actually this is pretty fun,” Joe Davidson remembers.
“Everyone got so much joy out of something unintentional, so I just thought maybe if I acted intentionally, it might be better.”
Davidson has long been a part of Aussie television, starring in Neighbours and Mako Mermaids, but it wasn't until last year, in rom-com movie Anyone But You, that he was officially put on the map.
“Anyone But You has put me on a global platform and it potentially is a career-making role, just because I have had a lot of traction from that with new reps and more opportunities being sent through,” he said.
“It was an incredible opportunity and experience, Sydney (Sweeney) and Glen (Powell) are just the best and just two of the best actors I have had the opportunity to work with, such an incredibly work ethic and incredibly humble.”
The 32-year-old said in the early years of his career, being an actor from Queensland was difficult and would often mean he would miss out on roles.
“It was challenging early on to be from Queensland because all the roles were already cast before it came time to shoot in Queensland,” he said.
“They would cast a Sydney or a Melbourne actor and they didn't really take Queensland actors very seriously.”
However, with new actors paving the way and Screen Queensland working to make the Sunshine State a filming hotspot, Davidson says things have changed for the better.
“In Queensland, there is the feeling of everyone supporting one another and helping out like a village. I love showing people around my favourite Queensland secret nature spots, and there’s just so many great places to film.”
Having been in the industry for more than a decade, Davidson said he loves watching young guns come through the ranks and enjoys imparting his wisdom.
“My old teacher used to tell me, ‘train hard, win easy’ and oftentimes people rely on a natural ability but in acting, like everything, you have to train hard at the skill to make your work pop.”
Arnijka Larcombe-Weate
Age: 28
Based: Brisbane
Best known for: Boy Swallows Universe, The Family Law
Brisbane based actor Arnijka Larcombe-Weate has based her entire career around finding what is unique to her in the acting world.
She describes “finding her spice” and what sets her apart from other individuals in her category as both the most challenging and most rewarding part of her job.
“For me it is about finding what is unique to you, that you need to find your spice. The challenge is finding yourself and letting that shine through your work,” Larcombe-Weate said.
“If I could tell my 18-year-old self one thing, I would say, ‘be yourself and don’t be afraid of it’.
“It’s an industry that you have to be yourself completely and you have to throw yourself into that.”
Larcombe-Weate grew up in Mount Samson and says she vividly remembers the moment she knew she was going to pursue a career as an actor.
“I remember when I was about seven going to a production, and mum took me to it and I could not even tell you what the show was about but I remember saying to mum after, ‘that’s what I’m going to do’,” she said.
Since then, the 28-year-old has been cast in feature-length films, TV shows and miniseries and recently featured in Boy Swallows Universe.
“Working on Boy Swallows Universe was just incredible,” Larcombe-Weate said.
“Working on a story that was written by Trent Dalton who is a local and grew up in The Gap, which is so close to where I grew up. and to be able to be a part of his story, it’s so cool to be in an industry where you go to work and it doesn't feel like work.”
Larcombe-Weate also credits Queensland as shaping her career as an actor and says she is filled with pride watching her home state become a filming hotspot among Hollywood professionals.
“I think what is special about Queensland, is how vast the landscape is,” she said.
“We have some of the best beaches in the world and we have beautiful rainforests and vast desert, that gives so much room to make so many different productions and as an actor that is such a special gift to be based in Queensland.”
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