Danielle Macdonald
Macdonald in 2019
Born
Danielle Louise Macdonald

(1991-05-19) 19 May 1991
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Alma materAustralian Institute for Performing Arts
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present

Danielle Louise Macdonald (born 19 May 1991) is an Australian actress, known for her lead roles as Patricia "Patti" Dombrowski in the drama film Patti Cake$ (2017), and Willowdean Dickson in Dumplin' (2018). She is also known for her roles in the post-apocalyptic thriller film Bird Box as Olympia, the film Skin (2018) as Julie, the Netflix series Unbelievable as Amber, and the BBC One/Stan/HBO Max thriller series The Tourist as Helen.

Early life

Macdonald, who is of Italian and Scottish heritage,[1] was born in Sydney in 1991.[2][3] She attended the Australian Institute for Performing Arts in Artarmon, New South Wales.[4]

Having taken performing arts classes in grade 8, she moved on to improv and screen classes when she was in grade 10.[5] When she was 17, Macdonald took some acting classes in Los Angeles and was encouraged to move to the United States to pursue things further. After deciding that acting would be her life, Danielle moved to Hollywood at age 18.[5]

Career

At the age of 18, Macdonald moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.[4] She was originally booked for the role of Becca Huffstatter in the ABC drama series Huge, but her visa did not come in on time and she was unable to fill the role.[6] Her first feature film was The East, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Macdonald is known for her starring role as Alice Manning in the 2014 crime film Every Secret Thing, alongside Dakota Fanning, Diane Lane, and Elizabeth Banks.[7][8] Regarding Every Secret Thing, Katherine Pushkar from the New York Daily News wrote, "The film actually belongs to Danielle Macdonald, effective as cruel, jealous Alice."[9] Macdonald also had a supporting role in the film Trust Me.

In 2016, she appeared in the season finale of American Horror Story: Roanoke as Bristol Windows.[10] The following year, Macdonald starred opposite Bridget Everett and Cathy Moriarty in the drama film Patti Cake$ as the titular aspiring rapper in New Jersey.[4] After working agentless for the first six years of her career, Macdonald signed with her first Hollywood agent after the success of Patti Cake$.[10]

In December 2017, Macdonald appeared in the Netflix comedy series Easy,[11] playing the role of a teenager who retaliates against her wealthy parents when they force her to go to church every week.

In 2018, Macdonald appeared in two Netflix films, opposite Jennifer Aniston in the adaptation of young adult novel Dumplin', by Julie Murphy;[12] and Bird Box as Olympia, a pregnant woman who tries to survive the arrival of supernatural beings that make people want to kill themselves once they see it.[13] She also portrayed Christa in the Academy Award-winning short drama film Skin.

In 2019, Macdonald appeared as Lillian Roxon in I Am Woman, the biopic of singer Helen Reddy, which showcased her Australian accent.[14] About the role she said "I love that these are two Australian women that decided to go to the States by themselves in a time where that didn't happen, and have a commanding presence and say 'this is what I want to do, this is a career that I want to have.' I obviously moved from Australia when I was 18 to come and pursue a crazy career, so I could understand and relate.".[15]

In 2021, Macdonald starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in French Exit.[16] In the same year, Macdonald starred in the Ben Lewin-directed movie, Falling for Figaro. Macdonald plays Millie, a woman who quits her job to fulfill her dream of becoming an opera singer. She moves to Scotland where she is tutored by fearsome teacher, Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley).[17]

Macdonald starred in the series The Tourist alongside Jamie Dornan and Alex Dimitriades, in 2022. Macdonald plays the character of Helen Chambers, a police officer from a country town who is sent to investigate a man who suffered amnesia after a car crash.[18]

Personal life

Danielle has Italian heritage on her mother's side.[19]

Macdonald was personally affected by the catastrophic summer bushfires in Australia over 2019-20 when her cousin's house burnt down.[20] While staying with family in Bateman's Bay NSW over Christmas, Macdonald and her family fled to safety in a car journey that would normally have taken three hours but took 13 hours through the fire-ravaged region.[20]

As of September 2020, Macdonald lives with roommates and a menagerie of rescue pets in Los Angeles.[21] Animal welfare is important to Macdonald and she lived as a pescatarian for five years, choosing to convert to veganism at the beginning of 2020.[21]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Director
2010 The Thief (Short film) Cashier Rachel Weisz
2013 The East Tess Zal Batmanglij
Trust Me Delia Clark Gregg
2014 Every Secret Thing Alice Manning Amy J. Berg
2015 Tortoise (Short film) Terry Jean Lee
2017 Patti Cake$ Patricia "Patti" Dombrowski Geremy Jasper
Lady Bird Olivia Greta Gerwig
2018 Skin Christa Guy Nattiv
Skin Julie Price
Bird Box Olympia Susanne Bier
Dumplin' Willowdean Dickson Anne Fletcher
2019 Paradise Hills Chloe Alice Waddington
Extracurricular Activities Becky Wallace Jay Lowi
I Am Woman Lillian Roxon Unjoo Moon
2020 French Exit Madeleine Azazel Jacobs
Falling for Figaro Millie Ben Lewin

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Glee Girl #1 Episode: "Born This Way"
2013 Newsreaders Pam Bell Episode: "Fit Town, Fat Town"
2014 Pretty Little Liars Cathy Perez Episode: "Whirly Girly"
2014 Toolies Sarah Craig 5 episodes
2015 2 Broke Girls Ashlin Episode: "And the Knock-Off Knockout"
2015 The Middle Amy RA Episode: "Cutting the Cord"
2016 American Horror Story: Roanoke Bristol Windows Episode: "Chapter 10"
2017 The Rachels Ashley Movie
2017–2019 Easy Grace 2 episodes
2019 Unbelievable Amber Main role
2022–present The Tourist Helen Main role, won Edinburgh International Television Festival Breakthrough Award[22]
2023 Poker Face Mandy Boyle Episode: "The Stall"

References

  1. ↑ Tate, Gabriel (17 December 2021). "The Tourist's Danielle Macdonald: 'I love roles where weight isn't mentioned – it's not the focus of who I am'". i. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (22 January 2017). "Hollywood's Next Big Thing: 'Patti Cake$' Star Danielle Macdonald Goes From Lost TV Role to Sundance Breakout". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Limbachia, Dixie (27 July 2017). "'Patti Cake$' Star Danielle Macdonald on Learning to Rap for Sundance Film". Variety. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Utichi, Joe (16 May 2017). "'Patti Cake$' Star Danielle Macdonald On Tackling Her First Lead Role Without Killa P's Self-Confidence – Cannes Ones To Watch". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  5. 1 2 Lehava, Noah, ed. (7 September 2019). "Danielle Macdonald Is On the Rise". Coveteur.com. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Fugs and Fabs: The East premiere Danielle Macdonald". gofugyourself.com. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  7. ↑ West, Kelly (7 February 2013). "Dakota Fanning And Danielle Macdonald To Play Convicted Murderers In Every Secret Thing". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Berlin: Dakota Fanning And Danielle Macdonald Board Amy Berg Pic 'Every Secret Thing'". Deadline Hollywood. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Pushkar, Katherine (13 May 2015). "'Every Secret Thing' review: Dakota Fanning in labored drama". New York Daily News. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  10. 1 2 Patten, Dominic (21 February 2017). "CAA Signs 'Patti Cake$' Star Danielle Macdonald". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  11. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (5 October 2017). "Netflix Anthology 'Easy' Sets New and Returning Cast for Season 2 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Harmon, Steph (15 June 2017). "Danielle Macdonald: up-and-coming Australian to star with Jennifer Aniston in Dumplin'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "Bird Box: Translating the Unseen to the Big Screen". View From the Dark. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "I Am Woman star Danielle Macdonald talks representation and why Hollywood still has a long way to go". The Independent. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Lodi, Marie (21 September 2020). "How to Be Best Friends With Danielle Macdonald". Allure. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  16. ↑ Gray, Peter (18 March 2021). "Interview: French Exit actress Danielle Macdonald on the specificity of the script and witnessing masterclass acting with Michelle Pfeiffer". The AU Review. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  17. ↑ Falling for Figaro | Discover the best in independent, foreign, documentaries, and genre cinema from IFC Films. | IFC Films, retrieved 8 February 2022
  18. ↑ Cohen, Sam (11 March 2022). "Danielle Macdonald Discusses The Filming Process Of The Tourist - Exclusive". TheList.com. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Nugent, Annabel (16 October 2020). "I Am Woman star Danielle Macdonald talks representation and why Hollywood still has a long way to go". The Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  20. 1 2 Knight, Claire (2020). "Danielle Macdonald breaks down in tears over bushfires at G'Day USA event". celebrity.nine.com.au.
  21. 1 2 Lodi, Marie (21 September 2020). "How to Be Best Friends With Danielle Macdonald". Allure. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  22. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (26 August 2022). "'Sex Education,' 'Pachinko,' Jodie Comer, Channel 4 Triumph at Edinburgh TV Awards". Variety. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
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