Elizabeth Debicki: The Next Big Thing

Onto the list of 'great Australian actresses you probably didn't know were Australian' after the likes of Judy Davis,  Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, with a certain degree of previsioning I find I can quite comfortably add near-breakthrough star Elizabeth Debicki to the list. Though her onscreen credits have been limited in both quantity and arguably, substance of the roles themselves, within these margins she's crafted herself into quite the remarkable screen presence. Like Watts, and other renowned Australian actors like Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, one of Debicki's greatest assets is her unique brand of old-school movie star presence. There's of course the appearance which helps as her tall physique and classical good looks help make her quite the standout figure onscreen, but also, like Watts showed in 'Mulholland Drive' and 'King Kong', and all too rarely gets to show in other work, an intelligent, stylish quality to her old school screen presence that's refined to a most naturalistic degree.

A great example of this is in the recent adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby' by Baz Luhrmann. The character of Jordan Baker is already limited by the nature of the source material, and even more so by the film cutting away many of her scenes, but Debicki finds a way round this by making an incredible impact with not necessarily the most substantial material. She delivers her lines with such vibrancy and allure fitting for the vibe and time of the film, and her every physical movement makes her both stand out as an enigmatic and energetic presence, and also fit perfectly into the setting of the film. It's marvellous small work by a big talent.

This excellent debut in Hollywood roles soon landed Debicki in the spotlight, and she hasn't disappointed since. Heck, in 'Macbeth' where she has a tiny role as Lady Macduff she still manages to be the highlight of one of its best scenes. As the wonderfully named villain, Victoria Vinciguerra in 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E', she displays a similar sort of exotic charm in her portrayal of a high society girl, and also some extremely compelling and entertaining menace in portraying the more brutal, incisive side of the Nazi sympathizer. I thoroughly loved every moment of her playful and intriguing Bond villainess of sorts, as I was impressed by her portrayal of effectively a Bond villain's moll in 'The Night Manager'.

As Jed Marshall, Debicki once again brings flair and class to the style the the pampered girlfriend of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). She could've been easily by overshadowed by the rest of the fantastic class, including Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hollander and Olivia Colman, but manages to stand out effortlessly by her moving portrayal of a young woman plagued by secret demons, which gradually take their toll on her over the series, and makes the redemptive arc of her character, aided by some marvelous chemistry with Hiddelston, resonate very well. I do hope she continues getting good roles, as she stands, along with Barkhad Abdi (who I'll be covering soon), as two of my new favourite breakthrough and unique screen performers.