AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST HOLLYWOOD

STAR Meet Danielle Macdonald

Having grown up watching the flicks of the 1990s, Danielle Macdonald says she didn’t see herself becoming a successful Hollywood actor. “I never really felt represented in an on-screen film when I was younger. I never really saw myself in movies and I was like, ‘I want to be an actress but I don’t know how that’s [going to be] possible.’ ”

Speaking to WHO, Macdonald says she thought she’d have to wait a few years before stepping into the spotlight. “I feel like there were older plus-sized women, but there were only ever plus-sized teenagers if they were the butt of the joke. They were never a main character.”

Since then, thanks to growing demand for more diversity on the big screen, Macdonald has landed herself several top-notch roles alongside stars she never dreamt of working with, including Jennifer Aniston in the Netflix comedy film Dumplin’ (out Dec. 7). “We met up before we started shooting to get to know each other,” Macdonald recalls. “She invited me over to her place a few times and we talked about our childhoods and our families.”

Despite their vastly different lives, Macdonald tells WHO the pair discovered they had much in common. “We both love animals and we’ve both got dogs. It was fun to just share our dog pics.”

Alongside their bonding and laughs, veteran actress Aniston also passed on some words of wisdom to the rising star. “She’s very professional and present. She always shows up and is ready [to work]. You see people like Jen and you understand how they have continued to work.”

Now, the 27-year-old reveals why she accepted the offer to play the role of a plus-sized teen. “I read the book and I loved it. I related to [ Willowdean] and I wish I’d had that movie when I was a teenager – a different perspective is always really important in the industry.”

Growing up in Sydney, Macdonald says her parents were extremely supportive when she told them she wanted to pursue an acting career. “They said it’s going to be a really hard industry, we want you to be really prepared and understand it could take a really long time, but we’ll support you.”

The actress says her parents’ realistic view and supportive nature is what helped her when she first moved to LA by herself, a month before her 19th birthday. “I did go over there knowing, OK, it might take me 10 years [but] I’m here for the long haul. I came out with the right expectations thanks to my parents.”

Although leaving her family behind was hard, her parents encouraged her to spread her wings. “They both travelled when they were younger so in their minds it was normal.”

Like most Hollywood stars, Macdonald also gets her share of internet trolls, but the selfassured young woman has a simple way of dealing with it. “I don’t look,” she explains. “I’ve seen a few comments in the past that have really upset me [but now] I don’t care about their opinions, because they don’t know me.”

In addition to starring alongside Aniston, Macdonald has also filmed a second Netflix movie, Bird Box (out Dec. 21), in which she co-stars with Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich and Jacki Weaver. “It was mind-blowing. I honestly don’t think they could’ve got a more randomly diverse group of people from different places and backgrounds, which is so cool.”

Macdonald also reveals that she’s faced challenges many times in her career to date. “Almost every job I do there is a moment where I’m completely out of my comfort zone.”

One recent example was having to sing and record a series of Dolly Parton numbers for her role in Dumplin’. “I was in a recording booth and Dolly Parton and Jennifer Aniston were on the other side just watching me with their thumbs up saying, ‘You can do this!’ ”

As a self-confessed non-singer, Macdonald says she received insider tips from Parton herself. “She was like, ‘You got this, you don’t have to hit every note, just really relax because once you relax it’s all going to come together.’ ”

Macdonald reveals she always feels like a better actress after pushing herself beyond her boundaries. “I’ve been put in roles where I’ve had to get comfortable and get through it,” she says. “You grow from it so honestly, I like the challenge.”

“I never really felt represented in the industry”