Jessica McNamee, Noni Hazlehurst join Upright season 2 cast

Foxtel has announced the star-studded local cast joining the second season of Upright, including Home And Away and Packed to the Rafters alum, Jessica McNamee.

Australian actress Jessica McNamee is making her return to local TV.

The 36-year-old Sydney star, who rose to prominence on Home And Away in 2007 and Packed to the Rafters in 2008, has joined the cast for the second season of Foxtel comedy drama Upright.

After bowing out of Rafters in 2013, McNamee went on to star in international films including The Vow, Chips, Battle of the Sexes, The Neighbour and Mortal Kombat, and the US TV series Sirens.

Jessica McNamee pictured arriving at the 7th annual AACTA Awards held at The Star in Pyrmont in Sydney.Picture: Richard Dobson

She joins lead stars Tim Minchin, who wrote the show, and House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock, who are reprising their roles following the success of the first season in 2019.

McNamee’s return to Aussie TV comes eight years after her last local television production on the 2014 ABC drama The Time of Our Lives.

Elsewhere in the extended cast announcement for the returning series is Australian legend Noni Hazlehurst, Hayley McElhinney, Darren Gilshenan, Tom Budge, Anita Hegh and Travis Cotton.

Season 2 of Upright will once again follow the misfit duo of Lucky (Minchin) and Meg (Alcock) as they set off on another Australian road trip, this time with their sights set on Far North Queensland.

Milly Alcock and Tim Minchin return for Upright season 2.

Minchin, who has previously described Upright as the highlight of his sprawling career, said: “We are so grateful for the incredible actors who signed up to be a part of the second season of Upright. Legends of the industry and newcomers alike, they grabbed hold of the quirky characters we had conjured and made them more exciting and nuanced and funny and real than we could have dreamed. It is one of the great thrills of the job; to watch your words come alive in the hands of brilliant actors.”

Meanwhile, Foxtel’s executive director of drama Brian Walsh added, “We are thrilled with the high calibre of Australian acting talent that have come on board for the second season of Upright. It is testament to the breakout success of the first series, the standout creative team at Lingo Pictures including the brilliant Tim Minchin and the wonderful scripts filled with humour and heart. We are also excited that Milly Alcock will reprise her role as Meg after her incredible global success in House of the Dragon.”

Upright was filmed earlier this year, with a release date yet to be announced.