Photo Credit Carrie McLeod
Brodie is an Australian actress. Her most recent credits being the horror film Sophie’s Turn (Crypt TV, over 300k views across social media), and Thor: Ragnarok opposite Idris Elba. She recently won multiple awards for acting, including Best Actress at Virgin Springs Cinefest, and Certificate of Highest Achievement in the Australian Screen Industry Network Awards.
Growing up on a nature reserve in country Queensland, feeding chickens, camping and catching snakes, the bright lights of LA and Vancouver are very much new to Brodie. She loves the culture shock and atmosphere on the other side of the world! Also, Brodie balances acting between looking after my younger brother with Aspergers and Autism, who she advocates for and one day hopes to start a charity that helps get more teacher aides into schools to assist kids who think outside the box like him.
Check out our amazing interview with Brodie. She’s an awesome person with a beautiful soul.
Hi, Brodie! Thank you for granting the interview. You recently appeared in a horror film called Sophie’s Turn. Tell us about your role.
Hi! Thanks for having me! Sophie’s turn was such a wonderful experience. The film is about a young girl wanting to fit in with the popular kids at school. The popular girls drive her to a forest where she has to prove her loyalty. I played Sophie, she has a longing desire to fit in and be accepted, which the others take advantage of. The tables turn and Sophie ends up the top dog once the evil forces come to play.
When I first read the script, I adored Sophie because we’re basically the same person, minus Sophie’s terrible friends. My best friend was visiting from America during the auditions and callbacks, we hadn’t seen each other for two years so she came to all my auditions with me! The textbook definition of a best friend, right?! She was with me when I got the call saying I’d booked Sophie, it was really wonderful having her there to celebrate with me.
You also had a role on Thor: Ragnarok. Tell us what it was like starring in a huge production.
Working on Thor was such an incredible experience! I only had a small part, but I learned so much from watching the main cast work. Thor was one of my first experiences on a blockbuster film, it’s very different to local Australian content – the crew on Thor was huge and there were people running around in what seemed like organized chaos. Australian shows tend to be a lot smaller and a tad more laid back. My favorite part would’ve been the costumes and makeup. I spent three hours in hair and makeup because the hairstyle was extremely intricate. We were shooting a really long day in the sun, so the poor makeup ladies kept having to douse me in sunscreen and cover it with fake dirt to stop me from burning because I’m a redhead. Everyone on set was so kind and caring!
That’s so good to know. Thank you for sharing the behind-the-scenes with us. Well, your film career is taking off! It must be exciting. Is there a role you would like to star in?
One role I’d trip over to play would be Mackenzie Keene from the Archie Comics spinoff Katy Keene. I love the Archie Comics, and the paper dolls from Katy Keene were my favorite! People I’d like to work with eventually are Emma Booth and Sydney Sweeney. I can’t wait to see Sydney in The Handmaids Tale later this year.
I really love homegrown Australian content and there are so many incredible shows happening here now. I’d love to work with Hoodlum. They’re telling some incredible stories and creating outstanding content! I’ve loved their work since SLiDE in 2011. I constantly get cast in dramas and supernatural thrillers as the underdog or the wide-eyed, innocent teen. I really love working on those kinds of projects at the moment, so I’m going to keep exploring that! If I could work on any show, I’d love to jump on a gritty HBO series or a teen drama from The CW.
You are our hero! You balance acting between looking after your younger brother with Aspergers and Autism. How do you do it?
It’s definitely difficult balancing his care alongside studying and acting. I’m really good at keeping a planner so I know what things are happening when. My mum does the majority of the care work, but my dad and I also have different roles with my brother. During school, when he’d have meltdowns it would be my responsibility to find him, calm him down, and take him back to class. We have a really special bond, he talks to me about things he can’t tell mum and dad, normally about his girlfriend! Whenever I’m interstate or overseas, we FaceTime almost every day. I’d be lying if I said that his autism hadn’t impacted on my career. I’ve turned down roles because he was going through rough patches and needed 24hr care, and I can never have my full family at events or premieres because he doesn’t handle large crowds well. My parents are the true stars, though. They’ve done such a wonderful job of adapting our family unit to revolve around his care, while still letting us grow and become independent successful young adults. A lot of neurotypical siblings feel like the ‘other kid’ when their sibling is atypical and requires more attention and care, but my parents made sure I never felt that way. My mum never missed a dance recital, and always took time to hang out with me and made sure I was coping well. It can be a struggle and emotionally draining at times, but as a family unit, we make it work. He is such a loving,
intelligent, kind-hearted boy. He is making massive improvements all the time now; he recently passed
every subject at school for the first time ever. I couldn’t be more proud of him.
We can feel the love you have for your brother and family. It’s so heartfelt. You have an awesome movie coming up. Tell us more.
I’m not allowed to talk much about the film itself but it’s such a great script and the people involved are incredible! I’m quite lucky because some of my closest friends are working on it too. There’s a little girl playing my sister and we got on like a house on fire! We catch up regularly now and we go on lunch dates and road trips together. It’s quite cute. She’s like my little sister now. My character is super hilarious and such a dork, just like me. She really just wants to be a part of a normal family. I can’t wait for the film the premiere to see the rest of the cast and crew again. It was a really fun shoot.
Keep us posted! Sounds like a cool flick! Why is acting important to you?
Performing arts has always been a part of my life. As a kid, I always took dance and drama class. They offered acting classes at the studio, so my mum signed me up. The teacher at the studio was an agent, so I auditioned for commercials and things while I was in school. I excelled at dance and won a few bursaries. I always thought I was going to be a professional dancer until I hurt my hip a few years back and wasn’t able to dance anymore. It was pretty scary but it gave me the chance to focus on acting which helped me realize that’s where my passion truly lies. I’ve always loved the self-expression that dance and acting allows. It’s emotionally freeing and fun. It gives me a chance to step into someone else’s shoes and live like them for a while. I also like being able to make people happy and performing is a way to do that. I still dance for fun, but I definitely focus on acting more now. I really love it.
You continuously hone your craft. What keeps you inspired?
I use that gummy bear hack to remember lines. The one where you place gummy bears down the page and eat them as you go! Gummy bears and Fruchocs (a South Australian delicacy) are my go-to for instant motivation.
Nah, my primary motivation is wanting to show my little brother that anything is possible for anyone. He faces a bunch of challenges and while he doesn’t let that get in his way, I never want him to feel less than, or like he can’t achieve something because of his differences. If I can create a career doing one of the most competitive professions there is, if I can continue to achieve my goal of working on major productions then it’s an example for him that you are more than your circumstances. I just want to make my family proud, continue doing what I love, and show my little brother that anything is possible if you work hard. I still love my Fruchocs, though.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
The best experience would still be walking on to a set for the first time. I was thirteen, and working on The Inbetweeners 2. It was my first acting job and I was entranced with the set and learning how everything worked. I remember seeing all the equipment and wondering how it all worked, together with the cast and crew to produce a finished production.
I remember being amazing with how much effort and time went into making sure every little detail was perfect. I also remember meeting Freddie Stroma, he was really down to earth and the makeup assistant, Rebecca, giving me extra sunscreen because we were shooting in the sun and we weren’t allowed to have hats. I was excited to find out she worked on a few of the same projects as me since then, too.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
I’ve just been picked up on an Australian series. It hasn’t been announced yet, so the details are still under wraps, but it centers on a teen girl who is graduating high school and the decisions and pressures that come with it. The series has a massive focus on cyber-bullying and the effect it has on teens and young adults. I’m really excited to be a part of a project that’s highlighting topics like this.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
Right now, I’m just chugging along doing my own thing and creating opportunities for myself. I don’t really have a dream of working as an actor for the rest of my life because I know it will happen. If you put in the work, make those connections, stay humble, and be a kind person it will happen. Audrey Hepburn has a saying “You have two hands: one for helping yourself, and one for helping others.” I am helping myself now so I can help others later. I know the opportunities and advantages I’ve been given shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Currently, my brother and I are doing the groundwork to start a charity for autistic and Aspergers kids and teens in our neighborhood. We’re planning to hold community events so that families like ours can interact and support each other. We can create a strong community so nobody feels like they’re doing it alone. Eventually, we will grow it to a larger scale, but for the moment, we are content with starting small with manageable pieces. The rest will fall into place as our outreach grows.
Thanks for chatting with me today! I’m very grateful!
Featured Image Credit: Carrie Mcleod
Connect with Brodie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brodiecornish/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrodieCornish/
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6750622/
About Author
