A relaxed Jessica McNamee is fresh from a trip to Mexico for a friend’s wedding when she jumps on a Zoom call with WHO from her home in Los Angeles. And after a very busy stint filming two projects back in Queensland and Victoria – with a brief break thrown in during the Hollywood strike – the Australian actress, 35, has earnt herself some downtime.
“I was in Australia for the last nine months because I was shooting Mortal Kombat 2 on the Gold Coast, and I was filming Windcatcher at the same time,” McNamee says. “But I’m telling you, I have not been to the gym since we wrapped [Mortal Kombat 2]. I’m enjoying some wine, enjoying not working out.”
While she was all about the action as Sonya Blade in the Mortal Kombat sequel, feel-good family film Windcatcher gave McNamee a chance to play a completely different, “lighter” character – small town fire chief Sharon Cobb. In the movie, young Percy “Boy” Collins just wants a new pair of shoes so he can win a running race and defy his school bullies, with the help of his loyal friends, Keithy and Daisy.
“I love doing these big, studio films – they’re so much fun, and it’s insane seeing how so many people can make such a fantastical world come to life,” McNamee explains. “But I felt such a sense of belonging and fulfilment from being on the Windcatcher set and felt really connected to the other characters and the crew.” Here, she talks to WHO about her time at home making the Aussie movie.
Windcatcher is a film with a lot of heart. Did you feel that instantly when you read the script?
I was so taken by this beautiful journey that these kids go on together – it gave me that really nostalgic feeling of those great movies from my childhood, watching Stand by Me and The Goonies, where these kids all band together.
Had you ever crossed paths with Jessica Mauboy before, who plays Aunty Cressida?
No, we haven’t! It was very funny because we’re obviously both ‘Jess M’s’ so it was very confusing [on set]. But that was one of the highlights, working with her – she’s so talented and she’s such a lovely person.
How was it filming with a smaller crew back home?
It felt so Australian – I remember the smells and the sounds of the birds. It was a very small crew, and a very small cast, and we all really got to know each other.
It sounds like quite the change of pace from the Mortal Kombat sequel!
That was such a big production, and you can be a cog in a big wheel, so it was so nice to be working on Windcatcher where it felt so meaningful. I really enjoy the diversity. On a movie like Mortal Kombat [2], you could spend a whole day doing a scene and for whatever reason, the other actor might not be there, so sometimes you can feel quite detached from the process. But on Windcatcher, we’d be sitting altogether in a green room in one of the bedrooms, playing music and talking and pranking each other. But TV, film, I love it all!
You seem to have some good Aussie friends over in LA, like Phoebe Tonkin and Alexandra Park. Is LA home now?
I knew those two from Australia, but we all have a big expat community. In fact, we’re all meant to be going tonight to one of our friends to have book club on A Court of Thorns and Roses. It’s a crazy phenomenon right now, but I haven’t finished the book so I’m not going! We’ve also got American friends and Canadian friends and English friends; it’s such a melting pot of people here, but it’s definitely home.
What’s up next for you, career-wise?
I’m producing a movie over here that we’re in the early stages of, I’m excited about that, that’s a grittier kind of movie. And then I’m working on an Australian series that I can’t say too much about yet … but hopefully will be able to soon!
Windcatcher is streaming now on Stan
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