Ranked: South Australia’s most in-demand actors on the big and small screen
South Australia’s film and TV industry is booming – and our actors have never been in such hot demand. We rank the state’s top ten and be warned, number one might surprise you.
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South Australia’s film and TV industry is booming – and our actors have never been in such hot demand.
Hollywood studios and global streaming services are flocking to our state to shoot millions of dollars’ worth of productions, with Zac Efron and Jamie Dornan among the big names who have recently spent time here to film new projects.
But many of our homegrown stars are also shining brightly on the big and small screen, from well-known actors such as Sarah Snook and Teresa Palmer, to several other young emerging talents.
Without further ado, here are SA’s most in-demand actors, ranked from 10-1.
10. Luca Sardelis
She was astounding as the precocious, headstrong and politically active Zoe Hunt-Laskaris (Luca Sardelis) in SBS drama series The Hunting shot here in Adelaide.
The down-to-earth young woman has been juggling study and acting since being discovered at age 11 by SA’s Heesom Casting during a massive call-out for kids’ show Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures.
Since then, it’s been back-to-back roles in quality productions including Nowhere Boys, Deadlock and Barracuda for TV and Storm Boy on the big screen. She was listed on the Casting Guild of Australia Rising Stars of 2020 list.
The annual list of 10 actors with the potential to break out on the world stage has previously included fellow Adelaidean (also on our list) Tilda Cobham-Hervey.
9. Tilda Cobham-Hervey
Audiences might recognise this rising star after her stunning performance as groundbreaking singer Helen Reddy in I Am Woman.
First coming to prominence as a teenager in Aussie films 52 Tuesdays and Girl Asleep, Cobham Hervey has also featured in TV miniseries The Kettering Incident and 2018’s Hotel Mumbai, the Adelaide-made story of the Taj Hotel terrorist attack, where she met her boyfriend, fellow actor Dev Patel.
She’ll next be seen in Amazon Prime’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, alongside Sigourney Weaver and Asher Keddie, and executive-produced by Adelaide’s Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers).
8. Erik Thomson
One of our favourite adopted South Aussies, the Scottish-born, New Zealand-raised, now Port Willunga resident has long been on our screens and his popularity shows no signs of waning.
Renowned for playing some of Australia’s favourite TV dads – affable Dave Rafter in Packed to the Rafters or George Turner in 800 Words, fans saw a different side of him in nailbiting film Coming Home in the Dark. And as grump disgraced celebrity chef Easton West in ABC’s Aftertaste. We couldn’t possibly attempt to list all his credits here – but think Xena: Warrior Princess, All Saints, The Alice (where he met his wife Caitlin McDougall), The Code, Now Add Honey, Storm Boy, Awoken and The Luminaries.
Next up is Aftertaste Season 2 which is about to start filming in the Adelaide Hills.
7. Shantae Barnes-Cowan
She’s establishing herself as Australia’s next action hero. The 18-year-old, who is an Adnyamathanha woman from Whyalla, is set to feature in her first film, a dystopian zombie movie called Wyrmwood Apocalypse, described as “Mad Max meets Dawn of the Dead”.
Barnes-Cowan also recently finished shooting an eight-part fantasy TV series, Firebite, in Adelaide, where she plays an Aboriginal-Australian hunter battling a colony of vampires. Barnes-Cowan also starred alongside Hollywood titan James Cromwell and Aussie leading lights Ewen Leslie, Jessica De Gouw, Tony Martin Operation Buffalo.
She first burst on to the scene alongside her screen idol Deborah Mailman – who praised her ability – in the 2019 ABC series Total Control.
6. Natasha Wanganeen
This award-winning actress has a long list of acting credits over the last two decades, from her debut in Rabbit-Proof Fence, to TV series Redfern Now, and the Storm Boy remake.
But the versatile performer has found another gear recently, showcasing her talents as a chef in ABC comedy Aftertaste, and in Warwick Thornton’s sci-fi series Firebite, streaming now on AMC +.
Wanganeen, 37, is also in the running for at least another two film projects, plus a role in a thriller alongside renowned actor Tilda Swinton. The sky’s the limit.
5. Teresa Palmer
Whether it’s on the small screen in Foxtel TV series A Discovery of Witches, or as jockey Michelle Payne in heartwarming Aussie film Ride Like a Girl, Palmer, 35, is one of Adelaide’s – and Australia’s – best-known actors.
A mother of four with husband, director Mark Webber, Palmer’s won acclaim for performances in films such as Warm Bodies, Lights Out, Hacksaw Ridge, and Berlin Syndrome.
This year, she’ll be seen in horror flick, The Twin, in which she plays a young mother who is haunted by the violent death of one of her twins.
4. Samara Weaving
She’s the niece of Aussie acting royalty Hugo, but was born right here in Adelaide. The 29-year-old has already forged an impressive career, but this year she looks ready to take the next step.
The versatile star has alternated between film and television during her career, appearing in the main cast of the miniseries Picnic At Hanging Rock, Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, and Nine Perfect Strangers, alongside Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy.
Her film roles have also included Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Guns Akimbo, Last Moment Of Clarity and Bill & Ted Face the Music.
Next up, Weaving stars in Chevalier alongside Lucy Boynton and Minnie Driver.
3. Kodi Smit-McPhee
If this list was compiled in April, there’s every chance Smit-McPhee would be at number 1 – and not just in SA.
The young Adelaide actor is up for an Oscar next month for his supporting role in Jane Campion’s Netflix western The Power of the Dog, and it would be no surprise if he took home the coveted gold statuette.
After making his film debut at the tender age of 11 alongside Eric Bana in 2007’s Romulus, My Father, Smith-McPhee, 25, has worked steadily over the years, including roles in big films X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
But his stock is set to rise even further, with his next feature Baz Luhrmann’s much-anticipated Elvis biopic, in which he plays country music performer Jimmie Rodgers.
2. Sarah Snook
Adelaide-born Snook’s approval rating couldn’t be higher thanks her star-turn as the ambitious Shiv Roy in hit Foxtel series Succession.
Her performances have secured her a Golden Globe, an Emmy nomination, and global praise from critics and fans alike.
Snook’s diverse resume includes several films and TV roles over the last decade, from Pieces of a Woman, to Black Mirror, Steve Jobs and The Dressmaker.
She’s currently filming new horror-thriller Run Rabbit Run around SA’s Riverland, alongside Damon Herriman and screen legend Greta Scacchi – and there’s even bigger projects on the horizon.
1. Dev Patel
So the Slumdog Millionaire star isn’t strictly from SA, but given he’s spent plenty of time here during the pandemic with actor girlfriend Tilda Cobham-Hervey, we’re going to claim him as one of our own.
A legitimate Hollywood star in every sense of the word, London-born Patel has kept a relatively low profile around Adelaide, in between jetting overseas to shoot films.
Most recently, he’s featured in medieval adventure The Green Knight and his directorial debut, a thriller called Monkey Man. Wes Anderson comedy/drama The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is next up on his busy schedule.
Patel is also rumoured to be currently filming a project around SA … stay tuned for more on that one.
Originally published as Ranked: South Australia’s most in-demand actors on the big and small screen
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