Australian actor Izzy Stevens is currently living in LA, pursuing her dream of acting, however, while most of Australia is finding a sense of normalcy, the US is still in the thick of the global pandemic.
Fortunate enough to have an American father, Stevens feels lucky to be able to work in both countries, but being away from home during this time has made her appreciate Australia more than she could have imagined.
“I’m so lucky to be able to have that freedom,” Stevens told The Latch about living between two countries. “But being out here [LA], it makes me realise how much we have as people and how far we have to go in many ways. In Australia, there’s a camaraderie and it’s a togetherness feeling, which I think is actually at the core of why COVID sort of worked itself out in Australia in that way. I do think that there is a little bit of a different feeling of what being patriotic means and I’m so proud to be Australian.”
As for her career, Stevens said that it would be the “dream” to continue working in both countries.
“I think all Australians wants to ultimately be embraced by the Australian industry,” she said. “I have been lucky that I have worked in Australia for years. But it is definitely my goal to be able to work in both places. I want to be able to build a career that has longevity, and has that structure.”
Stevens, who has just finished filming Him which will be released in October 2021, has been fortunate enough to find work in some of our country’s most popular TV shows including Underbelly and Puberty Blues, but her turn as Bella Bartlett in Occupation and Occupation: Rainfall on Netflix, have easily been her most notable to date.
“There’s a lot of explosive action and it’s a really fun ride,” Stevens said of Rainfall which is about to see a worldwide release. “It feels like an American blockbuster but it’s an Australian film, so there is a really cool middle ground.”
While Occupation (2018) saw Bella and a group of misfits form a homegrown resistance army after their small Australian country town was enslaved by an extraterrestrial force, the second film takes place two years after these events and Stephens’ character has significantly changed.
“I think what has actually happened is she’s really settled into her assertion of who she is and how strong she is, and how much she looks after the community,” Stevens said.
“She’s much stronger, much more in her body. Being physical is a big one for her. At the beginning of the first film, she’s a teenager and has those qualities of a young woman that’s misunderstood and doesn’t really engage with the community. Towards the end of the film, she’s completely different. She’s a fighter. And that was amazing to play.”