Pool of talent
From feature films to the small screen, talented Sunshine Coast
performers are acting on their instincts.
MAIDEN VOYAGE
The hills of Hollywood can’t be too far away for Morgan Keavney-Rattue given his first gig, at just 15, is for a major blockbuster movie. Not many teens can list The Chronicles of Narnia as their first paying job, but that is how it has played out for the Kuluin resident, who got the call up for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third film in the series. And it all came down to his looks and measurements.
When filming started on the Gold Coast, the directors urgently needed a stand-in and photo double for new character Eustace Scrubb, who is a cousin to established characters Edmund and Lucy Pevensie. “I got a text one day from (Sunshine Coast talent agency) Vox asking ‘Can we get your measurements quickly?’ Luckily I matched him (teen actor Will Poulter) perfectly. I was the exact same height, size and weight. That same day I ended up going to the Gold Coast,” Morgan recalls.
The next four months were spent on set. “My role involved an awful lot of watching. I spent a lot of time just observing (the actors). There’s two parts of my contract, one was standing in, so the director told me where to go and I went and stood there, and then there was photo doubling, which was me doing exactly what the character does, only from a high shot,” he says. “We’re only allowed to work 10 hours on the set, and we need to incorporate a few hours’ tutoring. Lead actors need to be on set most of the time, so during those other times, that’s when we’re on.”
Although he thoroughly loved the gig, Morgan reveals the experience came with moments of high pressure. “Sometimes we were doing off-location work. So one month we (Morgan and his dad) were driving an hour a day just to get to the set, and we were doing something like 6000km over a month,” he says.” "At one point we were about two weeks behind schedule, and we couldn’t be that behind, because then the actors would have to be paid overtime. So if we were doing something wrong or silly or wild they’d get right into us. So we’d have to come back bigger, better and faster.
Director Michael Apted also had his moments. “Once it took them 30 takes to do one thing,” he reveals. But as Morgan points out, he was allowed to stay in a four-and-a-half star hotel for the entire four months, and the cast and crew were fed extremely well. The teen has studied at the Helen O’Grady drama academy (in New South Wales) but believes his technique has improved by working and mingling with professional actors.
“That was the other surprising thing being down there. The lead actor (Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund) came and sat with us and we didn’t know what to do. I’ve always known that you don’t go sit with the lead actors, but he came and sat with us. We got along really well with him, Will and Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy,” Morgan says. “I actually went out with Georgie to the shops a couple of times. Will was really nice. He was on something like a $4 million contract and we were on just $323 a week. He’s given me some acting training. It was mainly projection, like being able to maintain a high voice for a certain amount of time. He taught me how to speak in an English accent too, which I still can’t do properly but I’m getting there.”
Filming has now finished and the movie is scheduled for release next December. “If I’ve done my job right, I shouldn’t be able to tell which is me on screen,” Morgan says with a laugh. And, with the movie shrouded in secrecy, all he can suggest for people wanting insights is to read the book by series author CS Lewis. “It’s on a boat. It gets really dark in some places and it’s really fantasy,” he says.
Looking ahead, people can expect to see more of Morgan in the future, with the film’s extras casting agent, Bud Hopes, indicating the teen may get a few calls next year. Which fits perfectly into Morgan’s plan to one day emulate his favourite actor, Brad Pitt. “I found Will Poulter, the guy I was doubling for, he’s going to be big. He can act really well. I’d like to be a lot like him, but if all else fails I’ll just take Brad Pitt,” he says with a laugh.
LATE BLOOMER
For 57-year-old Robbie Harrison, or Robbie H as he normally prefers to be known, nothing beats hands-on acting experience, even if it involves standing on a poop deck with veteran Australian actor Gary Sweet. Seeing age as no barrier, the Noosa resident decided to pursue acting in 2001 when he noticed an ad in the local paper for talent agency V Talent, now known as Vox.
Having worked for companies such as TNT in managerial roles, and “having five breakdowns” and health problems, Robbie thought “Why not?” Especially when the agent at the time convinced Robbie he was highly marketable and could easily play a drug runner or businessman. After completing a series of courses through Vox, his big break came this year when he scored an extras role on both Australian film Subdivision and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The actor nominates the latter as his major break.
He plays one of the first mates on a ship under the guidance of captain Lord Drinian, a good guy played by Gary Sweet. “It’s very, very exciting when you’re actually on set,” Robbie says of the two and a half months he spent down on the Gold Coast filming. “It’s similar to a Harry Potter film. The children have grown with it.” And he says working with high-profile stars does not unfold as most people might expect.
“Of course you’re not allowed to speak to the stars. It’s just protocol. Having been on this set, and even with Subdivision, they really are normal. Gary Sweet came up to me and asked me for a cigarette,” he points out. Director Michael Apted also had his moments. “Once it took them 30 takes to do one thing,” he reveals. But as Morgan points out, he was allowed to stay in a four-and-a-half star hotel for the entire four months, and the cast and crew were fed extremely well.
The teen has studied at the Helen O’Grady drama academy (in New South Wales) but believes his technique has improved by working and mingling with professional actors. “That was the other surprising thing being down there. The lead actor (Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund) came and sat with us and we didn’t know what to do. I’ve always known that you don’t go sit with the lead actors, but he came and sat with us. We got along really well with him, Will and Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy,” Morgan says.
“I actually went out with Georgie to the shops a couple of times. Will was really nice. He was on something like a $4 million contract and we were on just $323 a week. He’s given me some acting training. It was mainly projection, like being able to maintain a high voice for a certain amount of time. He taught me how to speak in an English accent too, which I still can’t do properly but I’m getting there.” Filming has now finished and the movie is scheduled for release next December. “If I’ve done my job right, I shouldn’t be able to tell which is me on screen,” Morgan says with a laugh.
And, with the movie shrouded in secrecy, all he can suggest for people wanting insights is to read the book by series author CS Lewis. “It’s on a boat. It gets really dark in some places and it’s really fantasy,” he says. Looking ahead, people can expect to see more of Morgan in the future, with the film’s extras casting agent, Bud Hopes, indicating the teen may get a few calls next year. Which fits perfectly into Morgan’s plan to one day emulate his favourite actor, Brad Pitt. “I found Will Poulter, the guy I was doubling for, he’s going to be big. He can act really well. I’d like to be a lot like him, but if all else fails I’ll just take Brad Pitt,” he says with a laugh.
PRINCESS PAIGE
At home in Maroochydore, Paige Maddison’s life is like any other teen — studying and escaping to the surf when she has a spare moment. But on the Gold Coast, her world is a different reality. In October Paige scored her first lead role, in Channel 10’s teenage fantasy series Elephant Princess. “I couldn’t believe it. When I auditioned I was nervous walking in there, but when I did it, (the lines) flowed. This was the first audition for acting that I’ve ever done. But my agent (Vox) had prepped me on what to expect,” she says.
Shortly after landing the role of Holly, the 18-year-old had to submit all her assignments early to finish her fashion certificate at Nambour TAFE, and then commute to the Gold Coast for some very long days of filming at locations such as Warner Bros. Movie World. “There are some days where I have to get up early and be in make-up by 4am and sometimes we don’t finish (shooting) until 5.30pm. But the food is so good, there are huge buffets. With filming there are a few tricks, like if we’re at one particular location we’ll shoot all the scenes, not in sequence,” she says.
In the first series the main character, Alex, discovers she is the princess of a mystical kingdom. And although she cannot reveal too much, Paige says the second series will be quite different. “Where we’re at now, it’s a new school. It’s still definitely a fantasy world, there’s magic, but it’s for an older age group. In the real world Alex is in a band, but then in an alternate world there’s me, Holly, and two other girls and we’re like the mean girls. So we’re in a band as well. We sing and dance and it’s a battle of the bands. It’s fun,” she explains.
Despite having to cut her hair for the part, Paige reveals she loves her new role and working with the crew, even helping the wardrobe assistants. “They’ll sometimes ask me for advice and I’ll tell them what colours look good,” she says with a laugh. Filming for the 30 episodes will finish in April.
“It’s meant to be released next June. When H20 finishes then Elephant Princess will come on. I think it’s going to be on Channel 10 Saturday mornings. But it’s also going to be on all the airplanes. It’s sold to over 70 countries around the world,” she says. Depending on whether her contract is extended once filming has finished, Paige hopes to continue studying fashion. “If you just believe in yourself and stay positive, the right thing will come along,” she says with a smile.
Story: Michelle French
From feature films to the small screen, talented Sunshine Coast
performers are acting on their instincts.
MAIDEN VOYAGE
The hills of Hollywood can’t be too far away for Morgan Keavney-Rattue given his first gig, at just 15, is for a major blockbuster movie. Not many teens can list The Chronicles of Narnia as their first paying job, but that is how it has played out for the Kuluin resident, who got the call up for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third film in the series. And it all came down to his looks and measurements.
When filming started on the Gold Coast, the directors urgently needed a stand-in and photo double for new character Eustace Scrubb, who is a cousin to established characters Edmund and Lucy Pevensie. “I got a text one day from (Sunshine Coast talent agency) Vox asking ‘Can we get your measurements quickly?’ Luckily I matched him (teen actor Will Poulter) perfectly. I was the exact same height, size and weight. That same day I ended up going to the Gold Coast,” Morgan recalls.
The next four months were spent on set. “My role involved an awful lot of watching. I spent a lot of time just observing (the actors). There’s two parts of my contract, one was standing in, so the director told me where to go and I went and stood there, and then there was photo doubling, which was me doing exactly what the character does, only from a high shot,” he says. “We’re only allowed to work 10 hours on the set, and we need to incorporate a few hours’ tutoring. Lead actors need to be on set most of the time, so during those other times, that’s when we’re on.”
Although he thoroughly loved the gig, Morgan reveals the experience came with moments of high pressure. “Sometimes we were doing off-location work. So one month we (Morgan and his dad) were driving an hour a day just to get to the set, and we were doing something like 6000km over a month,” he says.” "At one point we were about two weeks behind schedule, and we couldn’t be that behind, because then the actors would have to be paid overtime. So if we were doing something wrong or silly or wild they’d get right into us. So we’d have to come back bigger, better and faster.
Director Michael Apted also had his moments. “Once it took them 30 takes to do one thing,” he reveals. But as Morgan points out, he was allowed to stay in a four-and-a-half star hotel for the entire four months, and the cast and crew were fed extremely well. The teen has studied at the Helen O’Grady drama academy (in New South Wales) but believes his technique has improved by working and mingling with professional actors.
“That was the other surprising thing being down there. The lead actor (Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund) came and sat with us and we didn’t know what to do. I’ve always known that you don’t go sit with the lead actors, but he came and sat with us. We got along really well with him, Will and Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy,” Morgan says. “I actually went out with Georgie to the shops a couple of times. Will was really nice. He was on something like a $4 million contract and we were on just $323 a week. He’s given me some acting training. It was mainly projection, like being able to maintain a high voice for a certain amount of time. He taught me how to speak in an English accent too, which I still can’t do properly but I’m getting there.”
Filming has now finished and the movie is scheduled for release next December. “If I’ve done my job right, I shouldn’t be able to tell which is me on screen,” Morgan says with a laugh. And, with the movie shrouded in secrecy, all he can suggest for people wanting insights is to read the book by series author CS Lewis. “It’s on a boat. It gets really dark in some places and it’s really fantasy,” he says.
Looking ahead, people can expect to see more of Morgan in the future, with the film’s extras casting agent, Bud Hopes, indicating the teen may get a few calls next year. Which fits perfectly into Morgan’s plan to one day emulate his favourite actor, Brad Pitt. “I found Will Poulter, the guy I was doubling for, he’s going to be big. He can act really well. I’d like to be a lot like him, but if all else fails I’ll just take Brad Pitt,” he says with a laugh.
LATE BLOOMER
For 57-year-old Robbie Harrison, or Robbie H as he normally prefers to be known, nothing beats hands-on acting experience, even if it involves standing on a poop deck with veteran Australian actor Gary Sweet. Seeing age as no barrier, the Noosa resident decided to pursue acting in 2001 when he noticed an ad in the local paper for talent agency V Talent, now known as Vox.
Having worked for companies such as TNT in managerial roles, and “having five breakdowns” and health problems, Robbie thought “Why not?” Especially when the agent at the time convinced Robbie he was highly marketable and could easily play a drug runner or businessman. After completing a series of courses through Vox, his big break came this year when he scored an extras role on both Australian film Subdivision and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The actor nominates the latter as his major break.
He plays one of the first mates on a ship under the guidance of captain Lord Drinian, a good guy played by Gary Sweet. “It’s very, very exciting when you’re actually on set,” Robbie says of the two and a half months he spent down on the Gold Coast filming. “It’s similar to a Harry Potter film. The children have grown with it.” And he says working with high-profile stars does not unfold as most people might expect.
“Of course you’re not allowed to speak to the stars. It’s just protocol. Having been on this set, and even with Subdivision, they really are normal. Gary Sweet came up to me and asked me for a cigarette,” he points out. Director Michael Apted also had his moments. “Once it took them 30 takes to do one thing,” he reveals. But as Morgan points out, he was allowed to stay in a four-and-a-half star hotel for the entire four months, and the cast and crew were fed extremely well.
The teen has studied at the Helen O’Grady drama academy (in New South Wales) but believes his technique has improved by working and mingling with professional actors. “That was the other surprising thing being down there. The lead actor (Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund) came and sat with us and we didn’t know what to do. I’ve always known that you don’t go sit with the lead actors, but he came and sat with us. We got along really well with him, Will and Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy,” Morgan says.
“I actually went out with Georgie to the shops a couple of times. Will was really nice. He was on something like a $4 million contract and we were on just $323 a week. He’s given me some acting training. It was mainly projection, like being able to maintain a high voice for a certain amount of time. He taught me how to speak in an English accent too, which I still can’t do properly but I’m getting there.” Filming has now finished and the movie is scheduled for release next December. “If I’ve done my job right, I shouldn’t be able to tell which is me on screen,” Morgan says with a laugh.
And, with the movie shrouded in secrecy, all he can suggest for people wanting insights is to read the book by series author CS Lewis. “It’s on a boat. It gets really dark in some places and it’s really fantasy,” he says. Looking ahead, people can expect to see more of Morgan in the future, with the film’s extras casting agent, Bud Hopes, indicating the teen may get a few calls next year. Which fits perfectly into Morgan’s plan to one day emulate his favourite actor, Brad Pitt. “I found Will Poulter, the guy I was doubling for, he’s going to be big. He can act really well. I’d like to be a lot like him, but if all else fails I’ll just take Brad Pitt,” he says with a laugh.
PRINCESS PAIGE
At home in Maroochydore, Paige Maddison’s life is like any other teen — studying and escaping to the surf when she has a spare moment. But on the Gold Coast, her world is a different reality. In October Paige scored her first lead role, in Channel 10’s teenage fantasy series Elephant Princess. “I couldn’t believe it. When I auditioned I was nervous walking in there, but when I did it, (the lines) flowed. This was the first audition for acting that I’ve ever done. But my agent (Vox) had prepped me on what to expect,” she says.
Shortly after landing the role of Holly, the 18-year-old had to submit all her assignments early to finish her fashion certificate at Nambour TAFE, and then commute to the Gold Coast for some very long days of filming at locations such as Warner Bros. Movie World. “There are some days where I have to get up early and be in make-up by 4am and sometimes we don’t finish (shooting) until 5.30pm. But the food is so good, there are huge buffets. With filming there are a few tricks, like if we’re at one particular location we’ll shoot all the scenes, not in sequence,” she says.
In the first series the main character, Alex, discovers she is the princess of a mystical kingdom. And although she cannot reveal too much, Paige says the second series will be quite different. “Where we’re at now, it’s a new school. It’s still definitely a fantasy world, there’s magic, but it’s for an older age group. In the real world Alex is in a band, but then in an alternate world there’s me, Holly, and two other girls and we’re like the mean girls. So we’re in a band as well. We sing and dance and it’s a battle of the bands. It’s fun,” she explains.
Despite having to cut her hair for the part, Paige reveals she loves her new role and working with the crew, even helping the wardrobe assistants. “They’ll sometimes ask me for advice and I’ll tell them what colours look good,” she says with a laugh. Filming for the 30 episodes will finish in April.
“It’s meant to be released next June. When H20 finishes then Elephant Princess will come on. I think it’s going to be on Channel 10 Saturday mornings. But it’s also going to be on all the airplanes. It’s sold to over 70 countries around the world,” she says. Depending on whether her contract is extended once filming has finished, Paige hopes to continue studying fashion. “If you just believe in yourself and stay positive, the right thing will come along,” she says with a smile.
Story: Michelle French
