There’s nothing we love more than an up-and-coming Australian talent who makes it in the big time. Just look at Margot Robbie and the Hemsworths doing our country proud.
Young actress Molly Grace may just be on track to join the Hollywood line-up. After all, she’s already sharing a screen with some big names. is already sharing a screen with some big names.
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In 2020 and 2021, she starred in the To All the Boys franchise alongside Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. Now, she’s acted alongside some of Australia’s biggest names, including Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, in the Stan Original, Poker Face.
For Molly, working alongside the Last Song actor was a dream come true.
“He’s lovely. He’s amazing. He’s a very like, gentle person,” she tells WHO exclusively. “I think that was what shocked me the most; he’s a very gentle, just a good-natured person. I had a little bit of a fan girl moment.”
Considering Chris Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataky also stars in the film, it wasn’t a stretch to think that the Thor actor himself would rock up to set to visit both his partner and little brother. But, unfortunately for Molly, this wasn’t the case.
“He didn’t (visit set). I had an eye out, trust me. I love both of them.”
In the film, Molly plays the character of Rebecca Foley, the daughter of Russell Crowe’s character, Jake Foley. The 58-year-old both directed the film and wrote the screenplay.
“When the producers came to me, the idea of me taking over the movie, my dad had just died,” Russell tells WHO.
“I was in the beginning of that cycle of trying to understand that grief, you know, and the fellow that they had on board to direct the film, the guy who prepped it and everything, he had a family health situation. He had to go home.
“They came to me and said: ‘Look, it’s five weeks to go, do you want to take over this feature film that hasn’t been fully set up yet, and hasn’t been actually cast yet? The sets aren’t built; most of your budgets already been spent, but you got five weeks before you shoot; what do you reckon?’”
Production was due to commence right before COVID lockdown, and Russell knew that the crew may lose their jobs.
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I found myself making a decision that my father would’ve made, and that is prioritising, keeping people in the world. And I can deal with the embarrassment of not really knowing what I’m doing on this until I work out what I am doing.”
According to the Gladiator star, the script “became a bit of a mess” due to “too many hands on it”.
“People get with it and they start about with it, and they think they’ve got an idea, but they never complete it. So I looked at that, went, ‘Hmm, can’t deal with that. Better write it again’.”
Those eventually faced more bumps in the road. First, production had to temporarily shut down due to the pandemic; then, the New South Wales floods destroyed a roof of one set.
“What it becomes is an actual test of resilience,” Russell says. “It’s the perfect example of the Australian film industry.
“If there’s a message for young people watching, it’s that art is never created in a perfect environment. You have to be ready to move with it and just get the thing done that you have set out to do.”
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