Email: neill@outloudculture.com
Born and raised in Brisbane, Ella has had the acting bug since she was little, starting out in commercials and then joining the Queensland Theatre Youth Ensemble at age 10. Alongside theatre, Ella grew up as a competitive gymnast and won State Champion for Artistic Gymnastiscs at age 11, as well as joining the state team for aerobic gymnastics from ages 15 to 16. Her first television role would come from Netflix’s Mako Mermaids(the sequel to the beloved H2O: Just Add Water), starring in an episode on Season 2 as ‘Patty,’ the little girl who sees the trio transform into mermaids.
Ella currently attends the University of Queensland where she studies Journalism and Arts, majoring in International Relations. She has additionally joined the Liveris Academy with their Associate Scholarship that focuses on the intersection between major human rights and sustainability crises. Ella has previously been studying law but has decided to focus on journalism because of her passion for investigative storytelling. Last year, Ella won a grant to start ‘Press Magazine’ that tells global stories in a print magazine geared towards younger generations. She is also actively building an online tool to help detect the transparency and accuracy of news stories, and even hopes to bring her loves of acting, film and journalism together as the magazine continues to grow.
Ella has been passionate about leadership within social justice causes since high school and continues that drive by serving as the Regional Leader for Girl Up Australia and New Zealand, a United Nations Foundation striving for gender equality. This work is a continuation of Ella’s passion for the human rights group and breakfast drives in which she participated in throughout school and presents exciting opportunities to connect with leaders throughout Oceania. Ella is currently doing a running challenge to help the UNHCR raise money for Ukraine with her university—this involves running every day for 30 days, starting at 1km and adding 300m every day until she reaches 10km!
Now, Ella makes her film debut in The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay, directed by Christine Luby and produced by The Steve Jaggi Company. Ella stars as ‘Daniela,’ the best friend of Izabela Rose (Upside-Down Magic).
Ella, welcome to OLC! It’s a pleasure to have a fellow Aussie here. So, tell us all why you decided to choose this particular career path?
Thanks so much for having me, and I’m always happy to be in the company of another Aussie! It’s been quite a road to the career path I’ve landed on, and I’m definitely still at the beginning.
However, I suppose the very start was when I started acting in grade 1. It was instantly the highlight of my week. Drama genuinely stayed like that all throughout my school years and I started to look for roles in plays, small film roles, advertising – wherever I could do work really. I eventually auditioned to be part of the Queensland Theatre Company youth ensemble. That program quickly became the highlight of my week, just like it had when I was 8 years younger.
One mistake I made was at the end of school, when I kind of convinced myself that I shouldn’t act and should take up something more ‘serious’, so I studied to get into law school instead. When I got in, I was so excited, but it quickly wore off. I didn’t feel that same sense of passion that I do with acting. I think it took that kind of empty feeling for me to realize that whilst I like study, acting and storytelling is what I’m really passionate about. So, I made a switch to journalism and really put more focus on acting. Pretty much as soon as I made that switch and let go of any sort of expectation, things started to change for me, and I landed the role for Dolphin Bay. Although I call it a ‘mistake’, I think that period of time makes me feel that much more grateful for every opportunity I have to act.
You now make your film debut in ‘Curious Case of Dolphin Bay’, now in select cinemas and Disney+. Can you tell me a bit about the film and who you play?
Yes of course! The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay is about four teens from around the world who come together in Australia for biology internship. I play Daniela, who moved from the US to Australia before the internship and made a best friend there, called Jennifer, played by Allegra Teo. Quinn, Daniela’s best friend from the States, is the lead played by Izabela Rose and comes to Australia for the internship and notices Daniela has changed a bit from when they last saw each other, causing some friendship issues. Quinn turns to Teddy, the fourth intern, played by Jayden McGinlay, and they embark on a treasure hunt, while also trying to resolve their friendship issues.
What was the experience like for you being on your first feature film?
This is the biggest project I’ve done so far, and definitely the longest shoot, so I was quite nervous before we kicked off production. When we were filming, the cast and crew all had a really welcoming charm, so although I was a bit intimidated at first, they made set such a fun and warm place to be. Christine Luby, the director, made sure we felt like we could play around with our characters and relationships, so it ended up being a safe and exciting environment.
How did you prepare for your role of “Daniela”?
Because Daniela can come off as a bit of an abrasive character, I had to try not to judge her and instead embrace her point of view. This included a bit of journaling from her perspective, trying to understand what her family would have looked like and the changes that have happened in her life. I also began listening to my playlists from when I was 16 to remember what I was personally feeling at the time.
What was your most memorable moment from being in this film?
The fact that I was on a real, legit set for three weeks straight! It felt like a dream. The cast made every day so much fun as well, it was truly unforgettable.
Your very passionate about social justice, can you talk to me about your role as regional leader for Girl Up Australia and New Zealand, and what it means to you?
Girl Up is a United Nations Foundation initiative, aiming to promote advocacy for female rights. Basically, it works through youth led clubs (in schools, unis, colleges, and communities) all around the world. There are more than 5000 clubs in 130 countries. Each club works to raise money to support female rights, mainly donating back to UN women, UNESCO and other UN agencies that support adolescent girls. As the co-leader for Australia and New Zealand I oversee how all the clubs are working and connect with other clubs in other countries. Doing this has allowed me to meet so many incredible girls all around the world, which has shaped my interest in storytelling.
Do you have any more roles coming up you can tell us about?
I have a couple of small things in the works, like a role in the short film ‘The Bathroom in Apartment 22’ and small role in the film ‘The Edge,’ which are both in post-production. I’m working on creating a play at the moment with a company in the US, which has been a dream of mine, so I’m really excited to get into more depth with that.
Who’s someone you’d love to work with and why?
Florence Pugh for sure! Her acting style is just stunning, and she seems like a hilarious and lovely person alongside that. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to work with Florence Pugh?
Your all-time favourite movie and what do you love about it?
Going off the back of that last question, I’m going to have to say Little Women. The cast is insane and Greta Gerwig’s direction is stunning. Definitely a comfort movie for me.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors who are trying to get their big break?
Keep finding the joy in acting and experiment with everything you can. Something I’m trying to work on now is letting go of getting it ‘right,’ and just trying to create a character and some form of connection. I think that is where my best (and most enjoyable) work has come from.
