For the second season of BBC’s critically acclaimed series The Tourist, Sydney-born actor Danielle Macdonald changed scenery from her homeland, where Season 1 was filmed, to the gloomy and cold Irish soil. Alongside fellow cast member and lead Jamie Dornan, she brings to life the role of Aussie cop Helen Chambers, a nuanced and complex character she holds dear to her heart — and which earned her the Breakthrough Actor award at the Edinburgh TV Festival’s TV Awards.
“It was really challenging,” she reflects on Season 2, “taking a character I know so well and throwing her completely outside of everything she knows, putting her through some really intense situations.” But the bird never seems to stray too far from its nest. When she connects with Wonderland, she’s just back in her home in Los Angeles after spending some time filming in Australia, now gearing up for the release of the upcoming Aussie drama series produced by Nicole Kidman, The Last Anniversary, alongside Teresa Palmer and Miranda Richardson. Here, Danielle discusses her artistic upbringing, the second season of The Tourist, and what’s next for her. Keep reading…
And watch the trailer for The Tourist Season 2…
Hi Danielle, thanks so much for chatting with us. How’s 2024 treating you? What have you been up to these days?
2024 has been good so far! I started the year filming a mini-series in Australia which I had a great time on and it was shooting in my home city so I also got to spend time with my family too, so it was ideal. Just got back to LA a couple of weeks ago and its been great to see The Tourist find a home here in the US and its just been really nice getting back into a routine here and spending time with my friends and animals and what not.
Tell us a bit about your artistic upbringing. What drew you to pursue acting, and how did your journey from Sydney to Los Angeles shape your approach to the craft?
I don’t really know what drew me to art, film and television, it’s just always been a given in my mind. Like I don’t remember a time not loving it, not being inspired by or drawn in by movies or an amazing show or creativity in general, it’s kind of always been a part of my life. I started performing arts classes when I was in eighth grade which seemed like a natural progression from playing make-believe as a kid. My sister, cousins and I would put on shows for our family and everything. I don’t think I really got serious about acting though until I was about 16. At that age I just knew I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
Moving to Los Angeles was the final piece though. I think up until that point I knew all I wanted to do was act but I had never actually been on a professional set before or worked and I did have a minor freak out of “what happens if I hate the reality of this industry?” I remember my first day ever on a professional set and it was a short film directed by Rachel Weisz and Joel Edgerton was in it, and I was so nervous and then I just had the greatest day and adored working with them and from that moment I knew I would never do anything else. So, really the move just confirmed everything I knew and allowed me to really get a chance to do it and I continue to learn and shape how I approach jobs still to this day.
Speaking a bit about your role in The Tourist, how was the overall experience, and what aspects of the character challenged you the most?
I loved everything about filming The Tourist. Season 1 we were in Australia and it had been lockdown but there were no cases where we were so it was a very surreal experience getting to film and live normally and get to create something fun and wild with a group of people I adore. Season 2 was again a whole other amazing experience, getting to be in Ireland for the first time and meet new people and make new friends and get to challenge myself with the character developments for Helen. It was really challenging taking a character I know so well and throwing her completely outside her element of everything she knows and she gets put through some really intense situations. But that’s also the fun of acting, pushing yourself and getting to discover different facets of people, so it was a fun challenge.
How do you see your character and artistic growth from Season 1 to Season 2? And how do you connect most with Helen Chambers?
I mean Helen goes through major changes this season and as an actor you just really want to try and find the honesty in the situation. The truth is we are all flawed individuals, we all have hypocritical moments, we’ve all made mistakes, and I think in Season 1 Helen really was the moral compass of the show, she was insecure but she always stuck to her resolve. I think in Season 2 she has really worked through her insecurities but now she really is doubting her gut and what she knows to be true, she is finding she can be hypocritical at times and she’s emotionally in turmoil. So we get to see a whole other side of her. I connect most with Helen in her effort to just try and be a good human being, respectful of others and morally centred. She’s flawed like me, she’s clumsy like me, but she also tries like me.
What do you think sets this series apart from other thrillers, and what attracted you to the project?
This show is genre-bending, I think that’s the main thing that sets it apart. It is part thriller, part dark comedy, part oddball romance, and you never quite know what they’re going to throw in next. It keeps you guessing, it’s fun, but you also care for the characters and their fate and that hooks you in. It’s unique in all these ways and that’s what attracted me to it. I couldn’t put down the script and I desperately wanted to know what happened next.
You’re set to star in The Last Anniversary, alongside Nicole Kidman, Teresa Palmer, and Miranda Richardson. What can you tell us a bit about your character and expectations for the release?
I actually don’t know yet when it will be released, we literally just finished shooting not even a month ago so it will be a little while I’m sure. But this is a large ensemble story and there’s so many talented and funny actors attached and it was just a joy to film. My character is different than anything I’ve played before, she’s very stubborn and brash and it was fun to get to explore that side of a character.
What does it mean to you to be working on Australian grounds again?
I LOVE working in Australia. It’s my home, it’s where I’m from and it’s so exciting to get to work there. It’s fun to be around Aussies and their sense of humour, and to have cultural references that I grew up with and understand, I really only get that there.
Speaking of Bird Box, what was your experience like working on such a high-profile project, and what did you take away from that experience?
Bird Box was my first really big budget project and it filmed in LA and we got to do stunts and we had this amazing cast and it was a blast. I think the thing I took away from that after doing indies for years was, the bigger the budget, the more time you have and that’s the most crucial thing in production I feel like, time is gold. So it was amazing because it was a really low stress set, people got along, we all got to go home at night, and we actually achieved everything we set out to for the day and that is truly is a blessing on a film set.
Looking forward, is there a specific type of character or story you’d love to explore in the future that you haven’t had the chance to yet?
Oh so many kinds of characters, I love getting to explore anything new, I like to challenge myself and I also want to try every genre. I’d love to do a horror film and an action movie because I haven’t yet done those, but truly I will always really love indies and you get some really amazing characters to explore in the indie world and I would love more of that.
What excites you most about what’s coming next? Any projects in the pipeline you would like to share with us?
There’s a certain unknown to this industry and that’s one of the most exhilarating parts of it, like I think I will be home in LA next month, but I could be in a foreign country, it always keeps you guessing. As for projects, I have The Last Anniversary which I’m excited for once they have a release date and I also did a film called If I Had Legs I’d Kick You which was a really cool script and amazing project I got to be a part of. I’m not sure when it will be released yet either, but excited for the world to see it.
Season 2 of The Tourist is available now in the UK on BBC.