The young, fast-rising Australian actress talks her off-Broadway debut in “Days of Rage.”
Actress Odessa Young poses for portraits at the 72nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 2015. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
A couple of years ago, I caught up with a couple of friends who work in the Australian film industry. They were raving about a recent project, and the fast-rising Australian actress at the center of it—she had the quality of “a young Cate Blanchett,” they said.
In 2015, aged just 17, actress Odessa Young appeared in two Australian films, “Looking for Grace” and “The Daughter,” holding her own among such heavyweights as Richard Roxburgh, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie and Miranda Otto. Her performance in “The Daughter” earned her an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award.
Clearly, she’s one to watch, and, fortunately, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to do so. This year, Young appeared in “Assassination Nation” (with Suki Waterhouse and Bill Skarsgård), and will soon be seen in “A Million Little Pieces” (with Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton) and “Richard Says Goodbye” (with Johnny Depp).
Before then, Young is somehow finding the time to make her off-Broadway debut at the Tony Kiser Theater, in “ Days of Rage,” a new play by the Tony Award-winning writer of “Dear Evan Hansen,” Steven Levenson. Young plays Quinn, one of the more extreme members of a collective of 20-something political radicals who are plotting a revolution amid the tumult of 1969 America. She calls it “more fun than I’ve ever had.”
With an eloquence beyond her 20 years, Young shared her thoughts about the “liberation” of theater, the differences between working on stage and on screen, and life in New York.
Odessa, y ou’re on a roll with your screen career. What compelled you to tread the boards right now?
I think after a while of acting for a camera your view of the craft can become quite myopic. I went to a performing arts high school in Sydney so I did many theater productions as a teenager, and to remind myself how it feels to use your whole body, your voice, your entirety, as opposed to just the face—it’s the most soul-enriching form of acting that I can think of, having nothing but the words and the support of your team. We’re lucky enough to have Steven Levenson—esteemed living playwright Steven Levenson, as we call him—with us in the room, so it feels even more collaborative than I could have imagined.
“The Daughter” director Simon Stone said you had the quality of being old and young at the same time. Are you an old soul?
I think I was given a lot of credit as a kid and that’s unfortunately something not a lot of kids can say. I was treated as a peer by a lot of the people I was spending my time with, at work and in my family, and that gave me a sense of responsibility that I’m grateful for.
Odessa Young, second from right, and the ‘Days of Rage’ cast 2nd Stage Theater
What are your memories of your last time performing for a live audience, back in your performing arts high school?
There’s a freedom in the inability to hide, if you treat it the right way, and that’s what I can remember about acting in school. Your choices must be big to be seen, therefore you, yourself, feel bigger. You must relinquish yourself to the elevation of the truth—the theatrics. It’s liberating.
How have rehearsals been so far?
It’s been not only educational, but so much fun to be in the rehearsal room. More fun than I’ve ever had. To play around in a non-judgmental space, without any pressure of time or budget or the intricacies of a film set has taught me so much about confidence and freedom. Of course, it’s daunting to think about acting in front of an audience but it only becomes debilitating if you let your ego get in the way of doing the job, which is delivering this story to people. You are simply a piece of the puzzle.
Lastly, how are you spending your time in New York City when you’re not in rehearsals?
To be honest, there isn’t much time to spend outside of rehearsals, which is how I like it. But on my days off I live a very boring, domestic life. I went to the hardware store the other day to buy a drill bit. Super New York stuff.
I do love this city, though, and living here feels very right. Going home after a day’s work and walking through Times Square is a life I never thought I’d have and it’s the most pleasant surprise.
I am a freelance writer in New York, writing about art, design and pop culture.
