Olivia DeJonge: Leading Lady - ELLE April 2020

Part of a new generation boldly tackling tough roles and taboos, Baz Luhrmann favourite Olivia DeJonge says it’s time to be taken seriously

Olivia DeJonge skipped the usual Aussie-soap-star step on her way to Hollywood, but that’s not to say it’s because it would have been a wrong move (who could deny the success of Margot Robbie and Naomi Watts?). Instead, DeJonge made the small jump from after-school acting classes into radio and TV ads, then a giant leap into the Netflix universe with a starring role in The Society, before skidding – eyes closed and fingers crossed – into Hollywood, landing on her feet in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic in the not-so-small role of Priscilla.

“I put myself down on tape for the audition and didn’t hear anything for a couple of months,” DeJonge says of how she scored the role. “[When] I got a phone call saying that they wanted me, it completely blindsided me. Not in a million years did I think this would be my next project.”

DeJonge may not have seen such an iconic character so immediately in her future, but watching her in her previous roles, it’s clear that something big was coming. There was talk Lana Del Rey had been given Priscilla’s blessing for the role, but whether there’s any truth to that no longer matters. Luhrmann has a gift for spotting up-and-coming talent and, in DeJonge, he’s struck gold.

The film, which also stars Tom Hanks as Elvis’ manager, will span 20 years of Elvis’ life as he goes from poverty to incomprehensible levels of fame. He met Priscilla when she was just 14 and he was 24. They were married for six years and had one daughter, Lisa Marie, before divorcing in 1973. The relationship was rife with scandal, rumours of affairs and a reported threat from Priscilla’s dad to have Elvis charged under the Mann Act, a law designed to prevent women and girls from being transported across state lines for “immoral” purposes.

Perth-raised DeJonge is no stranger to playing a complex teen. She’s one of the many young stars (and Aussies) in the cast of the Lord Of The Flies-esque supernatural series The Society (including former ELLE cover star Natasha Liu Bordizzo), which has been lauded as a welcome addition to the current teen drama genre that delves deeper than the popular-versus-nerd tropes of yore – alongside the likes of Sex Education, Euphoria and Riverdale. DeJonge plays Elle, a social outcast who, while trying to navigate the new social constructs of her post-apocalyptic world (socialism, democracy and anarchy, with a side of partying and sex), is also stuck in a cycle of abuse at the hands of her psychotic boyfriend – something that has gone on to strengthen the direction of her choice in roles.

“For so long, the concepts of sex, drugs, violence and politics and how they relate to youth have been sugar- coated in mainstream film and television, ignoring the fact that they’re so embedded in real-life youth culture,” DeJonge says. “[In these new shows], we get to see characters with flaws and who are navigating real-life issues. It makes us feel less alone, in a way.

“It’s really important for young adults to have proper representation in television and film,” she continues, “and it’s important to depict these concepts accurately because young people are smart and deserve to be taken seriously. Social media has meant our voices are starting to be taken more seriously and it’s exciting and fun to be part of something that puts those ideas in the centre.”

When we talk, the cast and crew of the Elvis biopic are in the very early stages of pre-production. “Baz has created this really incredible canvas for play and creativity, where you’re free to find [your character] within the confines of the script,” she says. “There’s a lot of pressure given that Elvis Presley is so iconic, but being given the canvas to explore is really freeing.”

As she finds her inner Priscilla, a film she worked on more than two years ago has just been released. The Australian film Undertow is a powerful drama in which DeJonge plays Angie, a troubled teen who finds herself pregnant and caught up in the psyche of an older woman who has just lost her pregnancy.

“Undertow weaves complex storylines and themes of femininity, life, death and female sexuality. It’s probably my favourite film I’ve worked on so far,” she says. “It was a very strong female team: directed by Miranda Nation, our deputy producer was a woman, our producers were women — it was a really powerful set to be on. Some of the content was a little explicit, there are some sex scenes, so it was quite empowering.”

As for her future and that of her industry, DeJonge has her sights set on “projects that are honest and tell important stories”, as well as systemic change in relation to the diversity on our screens and in the crews behind the camera. “Joaquin Phoenix’s speech at the BAFTAs sums up my hope for the generations [coming into film],” she says. “He said, ‘It is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones who dismantle it. So that’s on us.’ I hope we keep telling stories about humans through myriad lenses and perspectives.”

This story originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of ELLE magazine. Images: Jess James.