“When I was kid I was really shy, so my parents sent me to speech & drama after my grade three teacher told them nobody could hear me when I spoke. That’s where my passion for acting began.”
Lucy Fry is one Australia’s most talented rising stars. Judging by her ability to delve into the characters she plays on screen, you’d never guess she was at all shy. However, her ability to strive through tough times isn’t an unusual prospect for her. The beginning of her acting career stems from theatre in Brisbane, and branched off into roles in Australian TV shows such as Lightning Point. Now the roots of her talent have expanded into the heights of stardom, scoring lead roles in the popular Australian TV show Wolf Creek, the Stephen King mini series 11.22.63, and now Bright.
Bright stands as her biggest role yet, and a testament to her dedication to the art of film. Starring alongside megastars such as Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, as well as David Ayer on directing duties, Bright serves as Fry’s true introduction into Hollywood. You would think with the pressure on this film as Netflix’s biggest blockbuster yet, as well as it’s revolutionary stance as the first movie of this caliber to premiere on a streaming service, she would be nervous. But really she’s just excited to be here.
“It’s been a big journey since I starred in Lightning Point six years ago, and it’s been up down and around. Now I’m just happy to be where I am. When I was studying theatre in Brisbane, never in my wildest dreams would I be living in L.A doing Will Smith movies.”
Bright is a buddy-cop drama with the dark undertones of a mythical world. Humans, Orcs, and Elves all co-exist in this rendition of downtown Los Angeles. It mirrors the grittiness of David Ayer’s previous projects, but combines it with a fantasy aspect reminiscent of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The sheer ambition of the premise isn’t the only thing that won Lucy over in the script, but also the film’s allegorical take on social and diversity issues in the world today.
“I loved how grounded and real the script was. David Ayer has done movies like End Of Watch and Training Day, and Bright embodies that grungy, downtown Los Angeles setting; just with orcs and elves. It’s an action-packed thriller, but the metaphor that these species represent about equality is really important to me. I had to fight for the role over four auditions and when I finally got it I was so happy.”
Fry plays the role of Tikka, a young elf who finds herself in possession of a magic wand. To prepare for the role, Fry had to fully immerse herself not only in the character, but the world of Bright. Learning a fictional elvish language for the film, as well as committing to hours of prosthetics and costumes made for Lucy’s most challenging role yet.
“Everyday I would come to work, go into my trailer as Lucy, and came out crawling as Tikka the elf. I had to learn how to fight physically and emotionally, as I ran around downtown Los Angeles with Will Smith as a cop, and Joel Edgerton as an orc. Working with a director like David helped me learn to not abandon myself in confrontational stations. It’s a lesson I learnt as Tikka, that I’ll carry over into my own life.”
Other than the strenuous attention to detail and physical labour that went into the character, Fry also had to find the purity and light in a character that exists in dark environments. By playing into the faint shyness of Tikka, Lucy had to search not only deep into the character, but deep into herself to project innocence, vulnerability, and humanity in the movie. The methods Lucy used to channel her inner elf epitomise why she is one of Australia’s most in-demand actresses today.
“For the role, I had to go really deep into myself and find a child-like place to project into Tikka. She almost has these tentacles of light that shoot out of her, and feel everything she experiences. So to prepare, I would do a little ritual in my trailer in where I would light candles, set up crystals and ask Tikka to just come into my psyche and take over. After I would do that, I would feel like Lucy wasn’t in me anymore, and I was just Tikka.”
So now that Bright is ready for its release, Lucy only now has time to reflect on the experience and prepare for future roles to come. As of now though, she is just incredibly excited that the movie is seeing the light. The way she’s continuing to solidify herself as one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood right now shows how ambitious and dedicated she is to the art of acting. On her shining journey to this film, the girl who was once never heard, is now louder than ever.
“Bright is about going into the darkest places, and standing up yourself despite what confronts you, with the aspirations of creating change. It was one of the most challenging, yet exciting roles I’ve ever had to face as an actress, and a person. This was such a peak life experience, and trying to find a character as challenging as TIkka is not easy. Nonetheless, I’m excited to delve into new roles very soon.”
