Actor Hugo Weaving spent his childhood obsessed with Shakespeare plays and playing Romeo & Juliet games with his friends and seemed almost destined to become an actor. Nowadays he's one of our most recognisable stars, featured in The Matrix, The Lord Of The Rings, The Dressmaker and many more. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Hugo about learning his trade at NIDA and the Sydney Theatre Company, being directed by Mel Gibson and why he's never moved to Hollywood. See omnystudio.com/listener...

Actor Callan McAuliffe didn't grow up dreaming of Hollywood but he did start acting at a young age. He was happy acting in commercials and local roles in Australia until a surprise audition at age 15, while on a family vacation in L.A., led to his big break in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age film, Flipped. This set him up for success with The Great Gatsby and The Walking Dead. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Callan about being inspired by Lord of the Rings as a kid, accidentally meeting Stephen...

Actor Naomi Watts has faced more rejections than most people face in a lifetime. Having moved to Australia at 14 (because her mother bribed her with acting lessons), Naomi shares with host Jenny Cooney how her move to LA in the 90's led her to having to face years of constant rejections before landing her big break in David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Naomi about her friendship with Nicole Kidman, her time starring in blockbusters like The Ring, King Kong...

Actor Travis Fimmel never dreamed of a career in Hollywood. He was destined for a life working on his family's dairy farm before he traveled to Los Angeles and enrolled in acting school. Since then Travis has landed roles in Tarzan, Vikings and Raised By Wolves. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Travis about working as a model to secure a visa, what he’s learned from working alongside director Riley Scott and why he hates being an actor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director Unjoo Moon was enrolled in a producing course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School before she realised directing was her passion. Since then, Unjoo has directed the documentary The Zen of Bennett about musical legend Tony Bennett and the Helen Reddy biopic I Am Woman. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Unjoo about transitioning from producing to directing, coming home to film I Am Woman in Sydney and meeting her husband Dion Bebe at film school. See...

Actor Eliza Scanlen sprung onto our tv screens playing Amy Adam's troubled teenage sister of in the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects. We then saw her portray Beth in Greta Gerwig's Little Women and she recently made her feature film debut at  Venice Film Festival alongside Ben Mendelsohn in the film Babyteeth. Eliza shares with podcast host Jenny Cooney; how COVID-19 has affected her acting projects, why she decided it was important to shave her head for her role in Babyteeth and how the...

Actress Geraldine Viswanathan made her mark on Hollywood as Kayla in the 2018 film Blockers. Since then, she has starred in Hala, Bad Education and Miracle Workers. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Geraldine about growing up in Newcastle, the diversity of acting roles available in the United States and reading scripts with Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman.

Screenwriter, producer, director and actor, Leigh Whannell, made a name for himself in Hollywood as the writer and producer of the Saw franchise. Since then, Leigh has written and performed in the Insidious franchise and most recently wrote and produced an adaption of H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Leigh about what he learned about directing from his university classmate & collaborator James Wan, the attitude towards horror in Hollywood and the...

Actor Ben Lawson is known for his roles in Modern Family, Designated Survivor, 13 Reasons Why and The Good Place, but when he first arrived in Hollywood, he struggled to land his big break. Host Jenny Cooney speaks with Ben about persisting in Hollywood in spite of setbacks and meeting his childhood hero, Michael J Fox.  

Cinematographer Dion Beebe grew up watching subtitled films at a small foreign cinema in South Africa before moving to Sydney and studying at the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS). Since then, Dion has made a name for himself working on Chicago, Green Lantern and Memoirs of a Geisha. Host Jenny Cooney chats with Dion about the pivotal people in his career and what it was like working with his wife, Unjoo Moon, on their upcoming film I Am Woman.

Actor Damon Herriman certainly has a type. He simultaneously played Charles Manson in both Quentin Tarantino's "Once upon a time in Hollywood" and the hit series "Mindhunter Season 2". Host Jenny Cooney chats with Damon about what it was like to work with the famous director and how he managed to play the same character in two different projects.

Actor Dacre Montgomery landed the dream role of anyone growing up in the 90’s. He played the Red Power Ranger and now stars in the unmissable 80’s sci-fi horror TV series – Stranger Things. Host Jenny Cooney talks with Dacre about his upbringing in the industry, whether fame shapes who you are and his process on creating an emotionally layered villain.  

Actress Jacki Weaver, is a national treasure in Australia, known for her decades of theatre, TV and Aussie movies. At the age of 72 she became known worldwide after she played the matriarch of a crime family in the Aussie film Animal Kingdom and this earned Jacki her first Oscar nomination. Host Jenny Cooney caught up with Jacki, in West Hollywood, to talk about her favourite types of roles to act in, what it was like to find worldwide fame later in life and her upcoming work.

Actor Elizabeth Debicki shot to fame after her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. Elizabeth shares with Jenny Cooney the unconventional audition that got her that role, how difficult it was hiding the details of her Guardians...

Actor, film-producer, law-degree holder, film-memorabilia collector and former lolly-stand owner Rebel Wilson is so much more than what you see on screen. Having been a comedy staple on Australian TV, Rebel broke into Hollywood with her hilarious role in Bridesmaids and has now successfully stepped into film-production too. However, her road to fame was not straight-forward, it involved a lot of hard work, self-belief, a law-degree as a back-up pland and oddly enough...a fever induced...

4-time Costume Design Academy Award winner speaks to host Jenny Cooney about her process of choosing costumes and doing production design on Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby and Australia. Catherine describes the unconventional interview she had, with her now husband, Baz Luhrmann which led to her first film job, Strictly Ballroom, and why they’ve collaborated on every creative project since from Chanel ads to Broadway shows.

Screenwriter Stuart Beattie came up with the idea for the blockbuster franchise Pirates of the Caribbean, while still in school in Australia, and dreamt up Collateral Damage during a taxi ride in Sydney. He chats to Jenny Cooney about where he gets his inspiration, how screenwriting is rarely a one-person job and how his directorial debut lead his to be a better screenwriter

Actor Eric Bana managed to make it in Hollywood without ever having to relocate to the US. His success story is unusual, especially when you find out that he started as a comedian. He caught up with Jenny Cooney, the day after he finished...

Actor Jai Courtney got his big break filming in New Zealand on Spartacus and since then has acted alongside Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger . After he wrapped filming Storm Boy he caught up with Jenny Cooney to chat about...

Actors and golden couple Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness sit down with their longtime friend Jenny Cooney to discuss the big roles that defined their careers, how a fortune-teller led Deborra-Lee to Hugh and how they've kept their...

Writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann is a creative powerhouse. He is known for writing and directing visually stunning films like Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby as well as turning his hand to directing an opera...not bad for a kid from a town in Australia so small, that he is willing to bet you it's smaller than yours!

Actor and model Luke Mitchell shot to fame in Australia as Romeo Smith on Home and Away but nowadays he lives between New York and LA with his actress wife Rebecca Breeds. Luke speaks to Jenny Cooney about how a failed tennis career led him to acting and how a beard led his to roles in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Blindspot.

Stuntman, film director and music video director Nash Edgerton, speaks to Jenny Cooney about how he got into stunt work and how a $80 film he made for Tropfest made him realise that he wanted a career in film making.

Actor Emilie de Ravin is best known for her roles in the tv shows Roswell High, Lost and Once Upon a Time as well as the film Remember Me with Robert Pattison. She chats to Jenny Cooney about striking gold with a string of hit shows and how she has made Hollywood her home ever since.