First look: Teagan Croft opens up about playing Jessica Watson in Netflix biopic True Spirit
As Netflix drops the first look at Jessica Watson biopic True Spirit, teen actor Teagan Croft has revealed how she took on the role of the Queensland sailing icon.
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Actor Teagan Croft had one question to ask Jessica Watson when she arrived on the Gold Coast to portray the record-breaking sailor in Netflix’s new biopic: “Why the heck did you do it?”
Croft, 18, arrived in Queensland before production on big-budget movie True Spirit began last year and spent time with Watson, who at 16 famously spent 210 days navigating remote oceans to become the youngest person to sail around the world unassisted in 2009.
“The most interesting thing she said was, ‘I just wanted to, there was no reason, it was just my dream’. And that was incredible,” Croft said.
“She is such a normal person and she just decided to do this and that really impacted my whole perception of her, and then in my performance.”
Croft spent the extra time before filming learning to sail solo in the Gold Coast Broadwater, intent on upholding the legitimacy of the sailing in True Spirit, a retelling of the iconic Queensland story which will drop globally on Netflix on February 3.
“The other thing was just making sure she came across as someone who is real, and despite how inspirational she is, she is just a normal girl from Queensland,” she said. “You’d have no idea she was a record-breaking solo sailor and I wanted that to come across – to be relatable and real.”
With Covid restrictions separating her from her family and friends in Sydney, Croft, who was in grade 11 at the time, also tapped into the isolation Watson felt during her treacherous solo sail.
“I felt really connected to Jess in those moments,” she said.
“I loved the days on the Broadwater when I could sail for real, because I put so much effort into learning it and it was really gratifying and I could feel that same feeling that Jess was feeling, in that enjoyment of it and feeling free.”
Netflix released first-look images from True Spirit on Wednesday, showcasing Croft as Watson on her iconic yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady. It also shows Hollywood duo Anna Paquin and Josh Lawson as parents Julie and Roger Watson and Cliff Curtis as her sailing coach.
True Spirit filmed at Village Roadshow Studios in Watson’s hometown of the Gold Coast, as well as on location throughout southeast Queensland and Sydney.
The long-awaited biopic was backed by Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, pumping around $24 million into the Queensland economy and creating more than 300 jobs for cast, crew and extras,
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Originally published as First look: Teagan Croft opens up about playing Jessica Watson in Netflix biopic True Spirit
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