The Goldfinch actress Ashleigh Cummings wild life, from Saudi Arabia to Hollywood
Actress Ashleigh Cummings has had a wild life so far, from her parents being doctors to the king and queen of Saudi Arabia to now acting alongside Nicole Kidman and Sarah Paulson.
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Ashleigh Cummings has had an unconventional life so far, which has seen her growing up in a gated compound in Saudi Arabia to acting alongside Nicole Kidman and Sarah Paulson.
She has acted in titles including Puberty Blues, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Gallipoli and soon, the much anticipated film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch, but her upbringing couldn’t have been further from Hollywood.
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Her parents were the radiologist and sonographer to the king and queen of Saudi Arabia, and Cummings lived in a secure lot in Riyadh until she was 12.
The family left after her school was bombed and the situation was tipped to become even more volatile as the war on terror raged.
The family moved to Sydney’s north — a strange change of pace for Cummings.
“I’d been dealing with the fact we could die at any moment, then came here and was in the playground with friends talking about what brand of ballet shoes they had and I struggled with that,” she told Vogue.
Her role in Tomorrow When The War Began earned her a 2010 AFI nomination for best young actor and since then her career snowballed, to now, her first role in a US big budget production.
But she says her biggest role is an eco warrior — she regularly makes trips to Africa to continue volunteer projects and at 23 lived with a Maasai tribe in Kenya for months.
“I don’t buy any new clothes; I don’t wear make-up, except for auditions; and still have my sister’s make-up from years ago,” she said of her eco warrior status.
“It can be tricky, because you can feel like you’re being a diva, but this is something that matters to me more than people being upset with me.”
The Goldfinch is released nationally on September 26 and Vogue Australia September 2019 goes on sale Monday, August 26, or see the story online at vogue.com.au.
Originally published as The Goldfinch actress Ashleigh Cummings wild life, from Saudi Arabia to Hollywood
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