When it comes to film and TV actors, Australia punches above its weight. From starring in big Hollywood hits down to small indie productions made at home, there’s no shortage of Australian actors who can deliver stellar performances, nailing everything down to their characters’ body language and vocal tics. SBS On Demand’s Aussie Icons Collection features some of our greatest exports and talents, including Nicole Kidman, Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Joel Edgerton, Leah Purcell and David Wenham.
Some of these films represent award-winning peaks of their actors’ careers; others are hidden gems and lesser-known (but still iconic) deep cuts from earlier in their filmographies — and all of them deserve your attention. Here are eight highlights.
Nicole Kidman – To Die For
While many might associate our Nicole with prestigious Hollywood flicks such as Eyes Wide Shut, she can also deliver a delightfully campy cult film performance, as her role in indie director Gus Van Sant’s To Die For proves. Kidman plays fame-craving, ruthlessly ambitious TV weather presenter Suzanne Stone. When she realises her husband Larry is holding her career back, she lures a pair of off-the-rails teens to “solve” that problem, unleashing a violent yet darkly hilarious chain of events. Kidman’s performance is sociopathic in the best way as she flips from a charming and composed TV presenter to a bloodthirsty, unhinged careerist.
To Die For is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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To Die For
Comedy drama • thriller • 1995
Comedy drama • thriller • 1995
David Gulpulil – Walkabout
This iconic outback film follows two Sydney teens abandoned in the outback and taken in by a young Aboriginal man, played by David Gulpilil. Director Nicolas Roeg cast Gulpilil, then with no experience, after meeting him while scouting locations in around Gulpilil’s Arnhem Land home, long before he become one of Australia’s most famous Indigenous actors with roles everywhere from Crocodile Dundee to Rabbit Proof Fence. The three embark on a saga of survival and find themselves bonding closely, despite having no language in common. This isn’t your typical lost-in-the-wilds story, thanks to Roeg’s nearly hallucinogenic cinematography, capturing the stunning beauty of Arnhem Land while waxing poetic about the divide between urban and wilderness, and it all hinges on Gulpilil’s magnetic onscreen charisma.
Walkabout is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Walkabout
adventure • 1971
adventure • 1971
Toni Collette – Clockwatchers
Although it was released a couple of years after Toni Collette’s breakout role in Muriel’s Wedding, this indie gem in her filmography flew under the radar. In this razor-sharp workplace comedy, Collette is the painfully shy Iris, one of four outcasts who’ve taken temp jobs at a soulless credit card company. The quartet band together to navigate the indignity of ‘90s office cubicle life. It’s a formidable ensemble cast as the other women – wannabe actress Paula (Lisa Kudrow), world-weary Margaret (Parker Posey) and simple-minded, marriage-mad Jane (Alanna Ubach) – help Iris come out of her shell and find an identity for herself, in spite of the daily drudgery. Collette delivers a wonderfully angsty performance that perfectly fits the coming-of-age style in play here: it’s truly one of her most underrated roles.
Clockwatchers is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Clockwatchers
comedy • 1997
comedy • 1997
Heath Ledger – Two Hands
Heath Ledger stars as strip club security guy Jimmy in this quirky twist on the classic gangster movie, set in Sydney’s underworld. A mob boss approaches him to make an important cash delivery across the city; he promptly loses the cash, sparking a series of questionable schemes as Jimmy tries to recoup the money. Ledger embodies the chaotic Jimmy in a multidimensional way, flipping smoothly between his smooth-talking sides and absolute panic. It’s made all the more realistic by its setting in grittier parts of Sydney, skipping glitzy harbourside suburbs in favour of places like Bankstown. As Ledger’s first lead feature role, it’s also a chance to see him in a much more Aussie context, as he quickly leapt to major Hollywood roles after Two Hands.
Two Hands is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Two Hands
action • 1999
action • 1999
Cate Blanchett – Song to Song
In between her Oscar-nominated roles in films such as Tár and Carol, Cate Blanchett popped up in this more experimental romance from the acclaimed Terrence Malick. Set in Austin, Texas, it flits between fictional members of the city’s iconic music scene, exploring the knotty and ever-shifting relationships between them, from aspiring musician Faye (Rooney Mara), who strikes up a connection with modestly successful BV (Ryan Gosling), who also ends up in a fling with NYC transplant Amanda (Cate Blanchett). Blanchett is more of a supporting actor in this ensemble cast, but her position as an elegant, older out-of-towner stands out, bringing a quietly intense wisdom to this twisting tale. The film’s vibe is very slice-of-life, and it was quite divisive as a result — some critics found it marvelously contemplative and philosophical, while others found it a little too abstract.
Song to Song is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Song to Song
drama • music • 2017
drama • music • 2017
Hugh Jackman – The Son
One of the most emotionally heavy entries in Hugh Jackman’s filmography is this 2022 drama, a dark yet thoughtful meditation on intergenerational trauma. Jackman plays Peter, who grew up with an at-turns abusive and absent father. Peter’s ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) unexpectedly announces that their teen son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) is severely depressed, partly as a result of Peter’s earlier infidelity. Peter agrees to take him in despite the distant relationship between the two, and Nicholas’ mental health spirals, dredging up Peter’s own memories of his past. Jackman’s acting is superbly raw here as he tries and fails to patch things up with his son and strives not to be like his own father: A truly vulnerable performance.
The Son is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Son
drama • 2022
drama • 2022
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife
A sort-of Aussie Western but with an Indigenous and feminist twist on the Henry Lawson text that inspired it, in The Drover’s Wife Leah Purcell is a force of nature as the titular drover’s wife, Molly. She lives on a Snowy Mountains farm, where she’s regularly forced to fend for herself and her four kids as her husband Joe is away herding sheep for long periods. When an Indigenous man, Yadaka (Rob Collins) helps her in a moment of weakness, Molly takes him in – but when Joe fails to return from droving, chauvinistic local townspeople start to pay unwanted attention to the two, making this survival tale into a thriller. Purcell channels a wonderfully hard-edged and steely demeanour into her performance as Molly, which perfectly fits the beautiful yet harsh cinematography of rugged Alpine farmland and bush – in that sense, it’s a similar atmosphere to her past roles in Lantana and Jindabyne, although it’s a more intense film overall. Purcell can take credit for those visuals, too: she also served as the film’s director and producer.
The Drover’s Wife is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Drover's Wife
drama • 2021
drama • 2021
Yvonne Strahovski – The Handmaid’s Tale (season 6)
Yvonne Strahovski is a powerhouse throughout the entire six-season run of The Handmaid’s Tale as Serena Joy, wife to a powerful leader of Gilead, the male-dominated theocracy that overthrows the U.S. But as her character finally starts to open her eyes to the oppressive nature of Gilead in its final season and makes steps to help rebels attack it, she shines more than ever. Strahovski conjures up a marvellously nuanced persona of someone who knows they’ve made serious errors and wants to repent, yet is still a little too proud to fully commit. Plus, her on-screen banter with her long-running frenemy June (Elizabeth Moss) is superb, too.
Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Explore the AUSSIE ICONS COLLECTION for more movies, TV series and documentaries featuring Australian stars.
