Australian star Angourie Rice has found great success in the US, starring in Hollywood productions such as 2024’s “Mean Girls,” the “Spider-Man” films and “Mare of Easttown.” She’s now turned her sights to the UK, with her new romantic-comedy “Finding Emily” delighting audiences and critics alike.
When Variety Australia asks the young actor how it feels to have so many successful productions under her belt, she says it’s not what she focuses on. “I’ve been doing this longer than I haven’t,” Rice says. “I started acting when I was a kid, and so I feel like it’s just been my whole life, and I don’t know any different.”
Instead of chasing stardom and celebrity, Rice wants to tell stories she believes in. “I try to not think about it too much, because… I just want to keep going and keep making movies that I love and that I’m passionate about, and keep working with cool people.”
Of course, this includes her newest co-star, Spike Fearn. In “Finding Emily,” Rice plays the role of Emily, who gets mixed up with Owen’s quest to find his dream girl, also named Emily. The pair set out to find his one true love, but Rice’s character has ulterior motives that cause hurt and anguish.
The chemistry between the pair is so natural and believable, and according to the actors, it was easy to build. “We just spoke and I felt like, okay, yeah, this is gonna be good,” Fearn recalls. “I just felt like oh, this is someone who’s easy to be around and passionate about the work.”
According to Rice, a shared passion for creating a great film is key to getting along. “If people really care about the work, you care about the characters in the story [and] you’ve got the same goal in mind,” she says. “You just want to make it the best it could possibly be… and yeah, Spike’s not hard to be around.”
Filming in the UK was a little different from shooting in Australia or the US, but Rice didn’t get too homesick.
“I honestly loved Manchester so much I didn’t really feel that homesick. It reminded me of a lot of certain parts of Melbourne,” she says. “[And there were] a lot of tea and biscuits. I know it sounds like a cliche, but really, I ate a lot of biscuits.”
“Finding Emily” is proving popular with audiences who miss the classic rom-coms of the ‘00s, so it’s possible this will propel Rice into the spotlight even more. While she’s already won an AACTA, it would be fantastic to see yet another Australian star be nominated for an Oscar in the future.
“Finding Emily” will hit Australian cinemas on May 21, 2026.