The famous local singers and rappers with cameos in How To Make Gravy film

This year’s most anticipated Australian Christmas movie is stacked with cameos from famous local singers and rappers.

Meg Washington has planted plenty of musical Easter eggs in this year’s most anticipated Australian Christmas movie, How To Make Gravy.

The award-winning singer songwriter, who adapted Paul Kelly’s iconic song of the same name with her director husband Nick Waterman for the screen, has stacked the BINGE feature film with Aussie musicians.

It’s the biggest collection of local singers and artists since Neighbours served as the launching pad for a golden era of 80s and 90s pop stars.

Washington herself stars in the film inspired by Kelly’s Christmas classic, well-disguised as the blonde “horny neighbour” Kelly, whose name is an obvious nod to the song’s author.

Meg Washington makes you do a double take as blonde neighbour Kelly in How To Make Gravy film. Picture: Supplied.

The revered How To Make Gravy songwriter also makes a cameo in the film, credited as “bus driver”.

Just as the song’s letter-writing prisoner Joe shares his gravy recipe in the lyrics – “just add flour, salt, a little red wine, And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce” – so Washington and Waterman have flavoured their film with musicians turned actors.

With much of the film staged in jail, most of the singers are cast behind bars and featuring in the prison choir.

Comedy writer, actor and award-winning rapper Briggs plays prison guard Chief while Dallas Woods, whose hip hop supergroup 3% just won two ARIAs at the recent 2024 awards, is inmate Breaka.

Stream How To Make Gravy on BINGE, available on Hubbl.

Meg Washington with cast and musicians from How To Make Gravy. Picture: Supplied.

Eurovision fans will recognise Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross of Electric Fields, who competed in Sweden this year.

Indie singer and actor Brendan Maclean, who also starred in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, plays the character Possum in the film.

But for fans of 2000s indie rock darling The Grates, the big a-ha moment in the film comes with the appearance of the band’s former frontwoman Patience Hodgson. Her prison guard character’s name is Heinz, a cute homage on How To Make Gravy’s recipe.

Washington laughed when asked if musician actors were easier or tougher to work with then “kids and animals.”

“We had kids, we had dogs, we had musicians and we had food, we had everything,” she said.

“I’m speaking with quite a lot of personal bias but I believe musicians are the funnest type of people to hang out with so having musos on set all the time is always a recipe for a very good vibe.

“The only (artists) more crazy than musicians is hanging out with a dancer on their night off.”

Washington also acted as executive music producer for the film and contributes three of original compositions to the soundtrack,The Hook, Dream Onsung byFielding and Fine, recorded by Maclean.

She was working on her own new music alongside filming and Waterman suggested she adapt the songs for the movie.

The music producer also commissioned Brisbane indie rockers Beddy Rays to record a riotous new Christmas song Red Hot Chrissy for the film.

“It’s a pretty cranking song! We said to the boys ‘Hey, do you guys wanna write us a Chrissy blues?’ and they came back with Red Hot Chrissy and it is absolutely mint. We need to get them on the Christmas carols concert,” she said.

Washington with director husband Nick Waterman on set for How To Make Gravy film. Picture: Supplied.

The film’s traditional Christmas songs, credited to Vince Guaraldi, will prove the biggest Easter egg test for music fans.

Washington said the selections were suggested by her soundtrack and score collaborator Sam Dixon and were “borrowed” from the much-loved 60s silly season staple A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first TV special based on the Peanuts comic strip.

“People love a bit of easy listening on Christmas Day so maybe this year they will discover Vince and My Little Drum and Christmas Time Is Here,” she said.

And of course Kelly’s original How To Make Gravy is the film’s last song, playing over the final scenes and credits.

How To Make Gravy is now available on demand on BINGE and Foxtel.

The soundtrack is available on limited edition coloured vinyl – Yolk Yellow, Tomato Red, Salt White and Gravy Brown – via Suitcase Records.

Originally published as The famous local singers and rappers with cameos in How To Make Gravy film