‘I HAD A BIT OF A MELTDOWN’
The Aussie actress reveals her rocky ride on The Tourist, now steaming on TVNZ OnDemand
Over the past few years, Sydney-born actress Danielle Macdonald has made a name for herself in a series of high-profile roles in Hollywood films Patti Cake$, Bird Box and Dumplin’, plus Netflix series Unbelievable.
The 30-year-old is now starring alongside Jamie Dornan in new thriller The Tourist, in which she plays a young probationary police officer who is tasked with interviewing a man with no memory.
“The Man” wakes up in hospital after being involved in a car accident in outback Australia – and the mystery surrounding him gets more intriguing and complicated by the episode. Despite her youthful enthusiasm and sunny disposition, Danielle’s character Helen is dealing with her own issues, including weight struggles, as well as a relationship that’s stuck in a rut.
What should we look forward to from
The Tourist?
I think audiences can expect to be surprised and shocked – I definitely was! When I read the last episode, I had a bit of a meltdown. I couldn’t tell anyone what happened and I also didn’t want to. I want all of my friends and family to be able to watch this. I was like, “I need to talk to someone on the show because we need to discuss what on Earth is happening,” so it’s a lot!
What can you tell us about your character?
Helen is a lovable character. She is someone who grew up in this town, has never really left and has faced a lot of issues that she has suppressed. She is stuck in a relationship because it might be a safe haven versus what is really right for her. The journey that she goes through in this show is interesting because it really is about her personal growth through the circumstances of what is going on around her.
What is it about The Man that makes Helen want to help him?
Instantly, there’s this beautiful connection – he trusts her straight away. When you wake up with no memory of who you are or about anything in your life, it’s going to be very difficult to trust someone, but instantly they form a trust, and that carries throughout the show as they get to know each other for who they are and what they’ve been through.
How was filming it in rural Australia?
Shooting in the outback is a huge part of this show. We’ve got the red dust on our boots and our clothes every day. It’s constantly a part of it. We had a huge dust storm – Jamie and I were shooting a big scene one day, and it got so bad that we had to stop and come back to it. And that’s just part of being in the outback – you have to deal with the elements and figure it out.
What has it been like working alongside the rest of the cast?
Working with Jamie is just a joy. It’s easy – he’s really fun. And Greg Larsen, who plays my fiancé Ethan, he’s so funny! I love Shalom Brune-Franklin, who plays waitress Luci. I’m obsessed with her – we hang out every day. And Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is so terrifying in the one scene we have together, but he’s such a teddy bear in real life. There is one scene that involves stunt work and we were all together – that was fun. We were playing tag on set, probably driving people crazy.