RISING TALENT 2023 - ACTORS

ACTORS

So impressed are we with the industry’s up-and-comers, we have decided to make our Rising Talent list an annual fixture. These are the people we think the industry needs to sit up and take notice of; the names you’ll need to know and want to work with in the years ahead. Some faces are relatively new, while others have recently moved up the chain into leadership positions where they are making change.

Thank you again to everyone who helped us put this list together, including the hundreds of submissions we received through our public call out. We know this list is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the talent in this industry, but we hope it hints towards its future.

JULIA SAVAGE

JULIA SAVAGE

Julia Savage’s feature film debut in the lead role of Del Kathryn Barton’s Blaze, shot when she was just 13, saw her nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in 2022. In 2023, she will be seen globally in Amazon series Class of ‘07 and Disney+ series The Clearing. Savage’s previous roles include Mr Inbetween, Dead Lucky, Hardball, Doctor Doctor, The Other Guy and Mary – Making of a Princess. Her work in short film includes Sherbert Rosencrantz, You’re Beautiful, Sweet Tooth, The Familars and All Silent Dogs.

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MARKELLA KAVENAGH

MARKELLA KAVENAGH

In 2022, Markella Kavenagh’s career reached global heights as she starred as Nori Brandyfoot in Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In 2023, she will also be seen in Stan’s Bad Behaviour, recently selected for Berlinale Series. Kavenagh made her screen debut in Foxtel’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, going on to TV roles in Romper Stomper, The Cry and The Gloaming, and films True History of the Kelly Gang and My First Summer. The actor also has ambitions behind the camera, and is one of the finalists in VicScreen, SBS and Arenamedia’s Originate program for screenplay Into the Blue with Katie Found.

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TUULI NARKLE

TUULI NARKLE

Tuuli Narkle was born and raised in rural Western Australia and is of Aboriginal and Finnish descent. In 2022, she won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Mary in Mystery Road: Origin, and was named a rising star by the Casting Guild of Australia (see page 32). Narkle’s first major acting role came as Ruby in the play Stolen by Jane Harrison, directed and produced by Leah Purcell. This drove her to audition for NIDA, graduating in 2018. In 2023, Narkle will be seen in Stan’s Bad Behaviour, recently selected for Berlinale Series. She also starred in the AACTA Award winning short-form series All My Friends Are Racist, and in theatre, has been seen in Winyanboga Yurringa, Black is the New White, Sunshine Supergirl, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Cyrano.

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SHANTAE BARNES-COWAN

SHANTAE BARNES-COWAN

After her 2019 breakout in Total Control, Shantae Barnes-Cowan was cast in Operation Buffalo and Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, before landing the lead in Jub Clerc’s debut feature Sweet As. Sweet As screened at both the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, and will soon screen in Berlin. Barnes-Cowan stars as Murra, a troubled Indigenous teenager on a journey of self-discovery. Immediately after shooting Sweet As, Barnes-Cowan was cast as Shanika in the AMC+ international series Firebite. Barnes-Cowan was named a rising star by the Casting Guild of Australia in 2019. She has also been a recipient of the Australia Day Youth Citizen of the Year Award, a NAIDOC Week Award, and has been a SA ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

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THE ENSEMBLE CAST OF HEARTBREAK HIGH

THE ENSEMBLE CAST OF HEARTBREAK HIGH

When Netflix’s Heartbreak High premiered in September, it cracked the top ten most watched shows in 43 countries, hitting number one in Australia. Its global success is in no small part due to the strength of its young cast of rising stars, including Ayesha Madon, James Majoos, Chloe Hayden, Asher Yasbincek, Thomas Weatherall (who won an AACTA for his performance), Bryn Chapman-Parish, Will McDonald, Gemma Chua-Tran, Sherry-Lee Watson, Brodie Townsend and Josh Heuston, as well as Chika Ikogwe as the students’ teacher. With each of these actors poised for international careers, we believe the entire cast deserves an ensemble recognition.

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