Hollywood Calling

After graduating from one of the most sought-after acting schools in the world, Ms Lucy Freyer’s hit the big time.

Ms Lucy Freyer (2013) loves drama. Not the over-the-top emotional kind, but rather the theatrical, ‘lights, camera, action’ style. Towards the end of Year 12, she commented to Wenona’s Head of Drama, Ms Tiffany Crittle, that she was going to miss it. Ms Crittle’s response? “Why would you stop?”

Fast-forward nearly a decade and Lucy has just starred in her first independent film, Paint, opposite none other than Hollywood star, Owen Wilson. “I had just graduated from drama school. I got an audition, made a tape and loved the idea of the film. I had decided just to let it go and not obsess about it, when I got a call back from the Director, Brit McAdams. I was so excited when I got the call from my team

School in New York since I was 12 years old. When I was in Year 8, I looked up the audition requirements and put them on my bedroom wall. Drama was everything to me – my world revolved around it.”

After a month of preparation, Lucy travelled to upstate New York where the movie was filmed. “On my very first day on a professional movie set, it was just Owen Wilson … and me. He is the most wonderful man. He knew everyone’s name. He made me feel like I knew more about acting than he did, as I had gone to drama school and he hadn’t. My imposter syndrome disappeared immediately. There were only seven people in the cast as it was an ensemble piece – everyone was very welcoming and kind.”

Bright, happy and infectiously effervescent, Lucy has always had her end goal in sight. “I had wanted to go to the Juilliard

In January 2014, aged just 17, Lucy headed to the bright lights of New York, gaining a place at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After completing her course in 2016, the unthinkable happened. She was selected to attend the Juilliard School. “It was unbelievable. I had had this goal for so long. It seemed impossible – it is the number one drama school in the world. There are so many talented people who don’t get in.” Lucy’s talent and achievements are not to be underestimated. 3,000 people auditioned for a place. Fifty were called back to spend the weekend at the school. Just nine were then selected for the Bachelor of Fine Arts undergraduate degree and nine for the master’s program.

Amongst the many highlights during Lucy’s four years at Juilliard, one stands out. “Our acting teacher was leaving for three months to perform in a play and told us a replacement teacher would take the class. We walked into the room to find that the teacher was Daniel Day-Lewis. He was such a huge force on-screen, but was so humble and eager to learn from us. He was interested and does everything so fully.”

With Paint now in post-production, Lucy is getting ready to make her off-Broadway debut with Roundabout theatre in February in a play called The Wanderers. She has also acted in a pilot opposite Aubrey Plaza, Olga Dies Dreaming, based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez. As auditions are often called at short notice, Lucy frequently finds herself on the move. “My best friend from Wenona is coming to stay with me next week, but I may have to fly to Atlanta. I might take her with me!”

Lucy describes her dream as “working in anything with a great cast who I can learn from, and one day acting in a play I have written myself.”

In a career where knock backs are common, Lucy has her own strategy for building resilience. “You hear ‘no’ so many times – and often it is for things you can’t control such as your voice is too high or you are not tall enough. You need to have a thick skin to be able to drive yourself forward. I tell myself that I got close, that it is not that I am not good enough, and that the next one might be different.”

Having already navigated many highs and lows to get where she is today, Lucy reflects on the journey and her guidance for up-and-coming students. “Immerse yourself in drama –go and see productions, read plays, learn about the drama schools and their differences. Ask for help and advice. Don’t ever underestimate the desire of others to help – they want to pay it forward – they were once in the very same position you are.”