Since making her movie debut in the 2011 comedy A Few Best Men, Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki has been an unmissable presence in film and television. Cast as a secretary, Debicki may only have said a line in A Few Best Men, but her acting brilliance quickly caught the attention of several filmmakers. Almost a decade later, she would play the female lead in one of Christopher Nolan’s high-budget science fiction thrillers, Tenet.
Although she’s yet to receive an Oscar nomination, her young, growing, and already successful career is a testament to the fact that Elizabeth Debicki is poised to become one of Australia’s legendary actors. While she’s mostly known and recognized for her work on the big screen, Debicki has also raked up credits in television and stage. Here are 7 surprising facts about Elizabeth Debicki.
Elizabeth Debicki Has European Ancestry
Although known as an Australian actress, Elizabeth Debicki has European ancestry from both her father and mother. Debicki’s father is Polish, with her original last name spelled as Dębicki. However, although her mother is Australian, Elizabeth Debicki was born in Paris, France, on August 24, 1990. When the actress was five, she and her family moved to Glen Waverley in Melbourne, Australia. As the oldest of three children (having a younger sister and brother), her parents raised them in Australia.
She Graduated Top of Her Class In High School
Having moved to Australia, Elizabeth Debicki spent all her growing years there. When it was time for High School, the actress attended Huntingtower School in eastern Melbourne. Debicki showed great intelligence in school and reportedly graduated as the school’s dux (the term for a best-graduating student in Australia). While in school, she attained perfect study scores in Drama and English, two subjects that would ultimately play a crucial role in her future career.
Elizabeth Debicki Initially Believed She Would Have A Career As A Professional Ballet Dancer
Acting wasn’t remotely Elizabeth Debicki’s first career choice. She was born into a home where both parents were professional ballet dancers. Interestingly, it was while performing at a ballet show that her parents first met. All of Debicki’s younger life was spent learning and training to become a ballet dancer. However, around age 12, she slowly fell out of love with ballet and soon began to grow a passion for acting. After graduating High School in 2007, 17-year-old Elizabeth Debicki was caught between applying for Drama school and Law school. Debicki had been offered a scholarship to Law school, a career path her parents greatly favored. Convinced she was destined to have a career in acting, Debicki chose to leave Law school and enroll in Drama school.
Elizabeth Debicki Studied At The Prestigious Victorian College of the Arts
Opting for Drama school, Elizabeth Debicki easily got into the University of Melbourne’s art school, the Victorian College of the Arts. Elizabeth Debicki graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2010 with a degree in Drama. Debicki isn’t the only prominent Hollywood star who attended the University. Actor Jason Clarke and filmmaker Patrick Hughes are also notable alumni of the college.
She Was Naturally A Tall Child
Elizabeth Debicki is known for her statuesque height, but it was something she has always had, even as a child. It was one of the reasons Elizabeth Debicki lost interest in pursuing professional ballet as a career. At age 12, Debicki was already taller than her ballet teachers. At such a towering height, especially compared to friends and classmates her age, Debicki struggled to accept her age. To blend in, she would often slouch on one hip to give her a shorter appearance. Although she isn’t certain if it affected her acting career in her early years, she knows whatever roles she got, the director didn’t mind the character having her height. Today, Elizabeth Debicki stands at a towering height of 1.90 meters.
Elizabeth Debicki Learned To Drive On A Movie Set At Age 23
Elizabeth Debicki made her Hollywood debut in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby movie. Luhrmann was so impressed by Debicki’s audition reel that he flew her over to Los Angeles to audition and had her screen test with Tobey Maguire. Debicki delivered a breathtaking performance as Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby (2013). However, her next big Hollywood movie required her character to drive. Although Charlize Theron and Rose Byrne were initially considered for the role, Elizabeth Debicki was cast as Victoria Vinciguerra in Guy Ritchie’s spy movie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Since she was unable to drive during the filming of the movie, Debicki had to take driving lessons on the movie set. She perfected it enough in time for her scenes. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was filmed from around September 2013, putting Elizabeth Debicki’s age at 23 at the time.
Elizabeth Debicki Insisted She Auditioned For Tenet After Landing The Role
By the time Christopher Nolan was casting for Tenet, Elizabeth Debicki had already made a name for herself. Besides The Great Gatsby and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Debicki had played other notable roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), and Widows (2018). Nolan had offered Debicki the role of Kat, but she insisted she also needed to audition for it. Elizabeth Debicki chose to audition for the role, not because she doubted her talents but because she wanted Nolan to be certain she was the right casting he was looking for. Christopher Nolan reportedly admitted her audition was far better than he had envisioned. If anything, she was more confident landing the role. If you’re a fan or admire Elizabeth Debicki’s acting talents, here are other top 10 Australian actors in Hollywood.
