With Australian actress Maeve Dermody’s school grades she could’ve been a doctor. She also thought of being a journalist. But it was her love of acting which grew throughout school at Mosman High that won her over.
“I just wasn’t completely sure about it until maybe four years ago and I kind of went ‘I do want to put energy into this’,” the 25-year-old Sydney actress tells IF magazine in sunny Circular Quay.
At age five, she appeared in her first feature film Breathing Under Water although she doesn’t credit it as her first "job" because she “was unconscious of the camera”.
After performing in various school plays, she came to the conclusion that it was something she wanted to do professionally.
Sporting a beaming smile before her latest film Griff The Invisible’s NSW premiere tomorrow night, Dermody is relaxed and excited about Leon Ford’s debut feature film.
“It’s generally funny, it’s a really moving story – it’s just a fun film,” she says.
“It’s a romantic comedy; as much as people deny they like them, I reckon they all like them.”
Even men should see it?
“I think so, why not, it’s good for them,” she says with a grin.
“It’s unusual and intelligent and it’s kind of not sentimental in a mushy way.”
The film itself follows office worker Griff (Ryan Kwanten) who lives a secluded life, but by night assumes his other identity. He falls for young scientist Melody (Dermody) who shares his passion for the impossible.
Dermody, who earned critical acclaim for her performances in Beautiful Kate and Black Water, says it was the quality of the writing that drew her to the project back in February 2009.
“[It had] the mixture of comedy and drama,” says Dermody, who knew Ford and producer Nicole O’Donohue prior to the film.
“It’s a really unique story and film; I read it and was amazed and moved by it and I was laughing all the way through it – I think that combination is wonderful.”
Pre-production on the movie was quick due to the film needing to be ready for Kwanten in October of that year in between shooting HBO series True Blood back in the US.
Although touted as a “superhero film”, Dermody – who is open to the idea of directing and producing further down the line – disagrees, saying it’s more of a parody of the genre.
Following a successful screening in Berlin last month with about 1000 movie-lovers, it’s hopeful the film has universal appeal when it opens in the US in June.
Also in that month, Dermody will star alongside Judy Davis, Emily Barclay, Gareth Davies and John Gaden in The Seagull at the Belvoir Street Theatre. Rehearsals begin next month.
A screening and Q+A with the cast and crew of Griff The Invisible will be held tomorrow night at the Ritz Cinema, Randwick, from 7pm. The Paramount/Transmission film will officially be released on March 17. The trailer can be seen here.