Interview with Danielle Cormack: actress, director and producer
STAFF EDITORIAL
INTERVIEW | Goyi Martín-Albo @gmartinam
PHOTO | David Boon @davidbboon
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER | Vernard Luvngrace Productions @vernardluvngrace
Danielle Cormack, a successful actress with an extensive career in film and theater that she has been able to combine with other facets such as director, producer and NGO ambassador, with the same passion and professionalism she puts into everything she does.
Your characters in series such as Wentworth and Xena, Warrior Princess are iconic. What attracted you most to playing such disparate characters?
Even after all these years I am still gobsmacked that these shows are still referenced!There is no doubt they iconic. I certainly had no idea that the stories and my roles in them would have, and continue to have, such a wide appeal. I guess my attraction to any role is the agency the characters have. If they are well formed, showing all the facets of the human condition, in whatever situation or world the character inhabits, then it’s a joy to jump into their shoes. Both Ephiny and Bea Smith were formidable, but they were also grappling with what it meant to lead others but maintaining their own moral code. The challenge of that created internal conflicts that was fun to play.
The character of Bea Smith in Wentworth was very complex, was there any part of her that you found particularly difficult or rewarding to play?
For me, Bea Smith had the perfect character arc. A woman who ended up incarcerated even though she had been the victim of extreme domestic violence. Being subjected to the emotional and physical brutality on a daily basis was incredibly challenging after a while, but that was the role. There is so much reward in serving a story and character that requires rigorous investigation and stamina.
Is there a role or character that you consider your favourite? Why?
I have had the opportunity to play some brilliant characters. Each and every one of them has been challenging and rewarding in their own way. Kate Leigh in Underbelly Razor was a highlight, she was a crime matriarch in Sydney during prohibition. Her ruthlessness and entrepreneurial acumen landed her in charge of a group of male gangsters – she was formidable. But she was also a mother and continued to practice her Catholic faith, which was a delectable double standard to play.
What project or role would you like to play or perform that you haven’t had a chance to explore yet?
I would love to play Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire would be another wish. Two iconic, exceptional and flawed characters.
What do you look for in a script before accepting a project?
Firstly I look for how well drawn the character is, and if they have a purpose. There has been a huge push over the past few years for creating female protagonists in their entirety, rather than serving a male characters self realisation. I want flaws, active choices, vulnerabilities and the allowance of ugliness. That is beautiful to me.
How do you balance your work as an actress with your work as an ambassador for Shine & Childfund charities?
The work/life balance is an ongoing ‘work in progress’ for me! I am terrible at time management. But that certainly doesn’t get in the way of helping others. I truly believe that if you have a passion for something it is easy to create time towards that commitment.
If you weren’t an actress, who do you think you would be now?
I am not an actress all of the time, I am co-partner in a production company (Four One One Productions), a script consultant and have been producing and directing my own projects – so that keeps the creative cogs spinning. I did have dreams of being an architect or working in Fashion.
