U on Sunday’s Hot 19 for 2019: Ellie Gonsalves

Take one look at Ellie Gonsalves, and you’ll quickly realise she’s no ordinary woman.

Take one look at Ellie Gonsalves, and you’ll quickly realise she’s no ordinary woman.

ELLIE GONSALVES

27, model/actor/social media influencer

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Aside from her flawless complexion, million-dollar smile and washboard abs, there’s something else about her that takes your breath away. Beneath that perfect exterior is a fiercely determined, hardworking model, actor, fitness influencer and wildlife warrior.

“Success to me has always been about working hard and enjoying life so that one day the children I have down the line get to learn from my experience, and grow up to be good, hardworking people,” she says.

A former John Paul College student and National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) graduate, Gonsalves built her modelling career in Australia before moving to LA in 2015. She scored her big break in 2017 in Yellow Tail wines’ $10 million Super Bowl commercial, and campaigns with brands L’Oreal and Guess came knocking.

With more than 1.5 million social media followers, she uses her profile to promote her own fitness program and is an Australia Zoo wildlife ambassador.

But it’s her acting debut that is set to turn the 27-year-old Brisbane beauty into an international household name. Last year she landed a life-changing role in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Fighting With My Family – a comedy based on a true story about a family who try out for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

“I remember jumping around in my living room with my partner, screaming ‘I’m going to be in a movie!’ It was so cool, and so surreal,” she says.

“Dwayne is such a supportive guy,” she adds, “He’s an amazing friend and mentor and I’m so grateful to have him in my life.”

Now signed with US talent agency WME (William Morris Endeavor) and back on home soil, Gonsalves has moved in with her partner of more than 10 years, Ross Scutts, and has plans to continue to grow her name and brand from a Queensland base.

“Now I have so much more of a work-life balance. It feels so good not to come home to an empty apartment every night.”

Last December, she co-produced and starred in Zebra, a dark comedy short series, due for release early this year. Scutts is the executive producer.

“I’m starting to create my own projects. It’s all about … creating your own path and not waiting for someone to hand it to you on a silver platter.”