The Stunning Transformation Of Thomasin McKenzie
Plenty of New Zealanders have shared their talent with Hollywood over the years — Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Peter Jackson, and Jane Campion, to name a few. Thomasin McKenzie is the latest Kiwi to make a splash in the industry. The actress, born in 2000, started young, taking roles here and there as a child so that she could have extra cash to spend on toys. As she signed on for more challenging gigs, she developed a genuine love for the craft. Her passion has taken her far: At only 23 years old, she's already racked up an impressive number of credits, including multiple blockbusters and Oscar winners, and scored 11 awards (not to mention 50 nominations) as of 2024.
On-screen, McKenzie has played everyone from a villager in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth to a Jewish girl during the Holocaust to a time-traveling fashion designer — but who is she off camera? Here, we chronicle her metamorphosis from hesitant hobbyist to bona fide movie star.
Thomasin McKenzie grew up around the industry
As a child, Thomasin McKenzie was no stranger to the entertainment industry. Her father, Stuart McKenzie, is a writer, director, and acting coach, while her mother, Dame Miranda Harcourt, is an actress who has been recognized for her "services to theatre and the community" by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of New Zealand. And that's not all — her maternal grandmother, Dame Kate Harcourt, is a national legend as well.
In a 2021 interview with Elle, McKenzie revealed that she seldom daydreamed about an acting career as a child. "I was more interested in being a vet or working at an animal rescue," she said. "In the beginning, I would do it just so I could get pocket money so I could buy myself Bratz Dolls and Sylvanian Families. That was my main incentive — and also to get time off school was a bonus. But the more I did it, the more I fell in love with it." She did voice-over work before making her feature film debut with a small role in "Existence," a post-apocalyptic drama.
Looking back on her upbringing, McKenzie isn't afraid to acknowledge her status as a so-called "nepo [nepotism] baby," or child of industry figures. "I've always been aware of how lucky I am ... I don't know if I'm proud to be a nepo baby, but I'm not not proud of it, if that makes sense," she told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023.
Her perspective on acting was transformed by one special role
Thomasin McKenzie gradually developed a fondness for acting. But she didn't understand that she also had the potential to truly make an impact through her profession until she took on a very special role at the age of 13 years old. "Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story," a TV movie produced for New Zealand network TV One, was the project that revolutionized her perspective. The film follows the story of Louise Nicholas, a woman who became an advocate for sexual assault victims after allegedly being raped by police officers twice in her youth. McKenzie played the teenage version of Nicholas.
In a 2019 interview with Flaunt, McKenzie reflected on how stepping into Nicholas' shoes affected her. Working with such serious subject matter, she "realized that [she had] such an amazing opportunity to make a difference and to tell important stories," she told the mag.
A role in a major franchise deepened her passion
Thomasin McKenzie was fortunate enough to land a small role in a major production when she was still in the early stages of her career. She played a young girl named Astrid in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," the final installment of the trilogy based on the J.R.R. Tolkien book.
Speaking to entertainment news outlet Collider in 2021, McKenzie took a nostalgic look back at her involvement with the picture. She fondly remembered the awe-inspiring sets, which were built in her native New Zealand. "It was filmed in Miramar in Wellington and for the longest time they had a huge green screen up and you couldn't miss it when you drove through," she remembered. She was particularly amazed by a certain village that had been designed for the film: "The river town that was at the base of the mountain ... it was so incredible, absolutely incredible to see a creation like that."
The young McKenzie had a blast in hair and makeup, where she was surrounded by items that inspired her: "The thing I remember most was sitting in the makeup chair and looking to my right and seeing multiple shelves filled with elf wigs, and ever since then, I've been obsessed with playing an elf or a fairy or something where I could wear ... a long platinum blond straight wig," she told Collider. We're keeping our fingers crossed for her.
Thomasin McKenzie ventured into the world of soap operas
"Shortland Street," a soap opera that follows the lives of the employees at an Auckland hospital, has long been an institution in the New Zealand television world. In early 2015, Thomasin McKenzie joined the cast as Pixie, a teenage girl who is diagnosed with cancer.
According to an interview with New Zealand outlet Stuff, McKenzie did Pixie justice by conducting copious amounts of character research. She spent hours watching videos about the chemotherapy process and speaking to nurses about how treatment tends to affect patients. While shooting, she lived with family friend Deborah Smith of Cloud Workshop, which provides support to bereaved children as well as children who have relatives suffering from life-threatening illnesses. All of these experiences helped her develop her character. "Pixie is very tough. Or she acts tough on the outside, but I guess on the inside, she's quite vulnerable still," she told Stuff.
"Shortland Street" broke new ground when it showed Pixie getting treated with cannabis, just days after New Zealand's associate health minister approved its use for a teenager in a coma. Unfortunately, it failed to heal her — in August 2015, the character died after catching pneumonia. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, McKenzie disclosed that it had been difficult to keep her character's fate a secret: "There were a lot of people asking, 'Are you going to die?' and I'd just say, 'If I tell you, I'm going to have to kill you,'" she said.
She also starred in a children's show
"Shortland Street" isn't the only time Thomasin McKenzie has played a character with a medical condition. In 2016, she starred in a children's web series called "Lucy Lewis Can't Lose," about a teenage girl with hip dysplasia. The show, which aired for two seasons, follows the titular Lucy as she juggles her responsibilities as school representative and tries to foil the plots of her tyrannical principal (who, incidentally, is played by McKenzie's mother, Miranda Harcourt).
McKenzie opened up about the significance of Lucy's character in a 2018 interview with Matt Fagerholm of RogerEbert.com. "[I]t's so awesome to see her stand up for herself and not care about the fact that she's got a disability," she said. "She's just another normal teenage kid who says what she believes in, even though she's terrified of public speaking. There's so much bullying and peer pressure in high schools, and I love that Lucy fights for what she believes in, against the wishes of her crazy, mean principal ... The most important theme of the show is that a generation of young people, represented by Lucy, are speaking up for what they think is right."
Thomas McKenzie took on her first lead role in a feature — and blew critics away
In 2018, Thomasin McKenzie took on her biggest role yet in "Leave No Trace," a feature directed by Debra Granik. Granik is best known for "Winter's Bone," the film that helped launch Jennifer Lawrence to superstardom. Granik's choice to cast McKenzie indicated to critics that she was an actress to watch.
"Leave No Trace" was adapted from Peter Rock's novel "My Abandonment." It follows a PTSD-stricken war veteran, played by Ben Foster, and his loving daughter, played by McKenzie, as they navigate a life of isolation in the wilderness. Eventually, a jogger comes upon them, challenging their way of existence. McKenzie prepared for her role by scaling trees and keeping a journal, just as her character does in the film. She felt at home shooting in Forest Park, a nature preserve in Oregon, because of her time spent in New Zealand nature.
Just after the film's screening at Cannes, McKenzie shared her take on the film with Women's Wear Daily, addressing the bond between Tom and her father Will in particular: "It wasn't an unhealthy relationship, they were just two people who truly loved each other; it's a love story between a dad and his daughter in a completely appropriate way. ... I often say that Tom, my character, acted as a medicine, almost, for Will. There's a lot of maturity that comes with that, and a lot of growing up fast."
She continued to shine on the silver screen
Following the critical success of "Leave No Trace," Thomasin McKenzie went on to perform in several other blockbusters. One of these was 2019's "Jojo Rabbit," directed by Taika Waititi. The film, which garnered the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, follows Jojo, a member of the Hitler Youth who learns his mother is secretly sheltering a Jewish teenager named Elsa (played by McKenzie). McKenzie spoke about her approach to the role in an interview with Deadline: "[S]he is of course a victim, but that is not what her life is defined by. She's lived a life before the Holocaust, before World War II. She could have been the popular girl at school. She really could have been anything."
In 2021, McKenzie starred in another theatrical hit — Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho." This one was also a period piece, albeit a fantastical one — a thriller following a fashion student named Eloise (McKenzie) who finds herself transported to the Swinging '60s in her dreams, where she has a special connection with a lounge singer (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). In her 2021 interview with Elle, co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns pointed out that McKenzie's own experiences helped her embody the role perfectly: "Thomasin brought a journey of her own to it — coming from New Zealand to live in the middle of London to make a film with a bunch of people she doesn't know ... that vulnerability is the key to why the audience goes with Eloise."
Thomasin McKenzie played a part in another Oscar winner
"Jojo Rabbit" isn't Thomasin McKenzie's only Oscar-winning film appearance. Shortly after wrapping that production, she worked with Jane Campion on "The Power of Dog," released in 2021. Campion, a fellow New Zealander and family friend of McKenzie's, brought home the best director Academy Award for the film.
"The Power of the Dog" is adapted from Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same name. It follows a hardened rancher who has a complicated relationship with his brother's new wife and her teenage son. Thomas McKenzie shared a few scenes with Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays the son, as a young woman named Lola. Although the role was small, McKenzie was happy to be on set with someone so dear to her heart — especially given that she's such an iconic figure in Kiwi cinema. "I've known Jane my entire life," she told Elle. "She's my little sister's godmother, and she's always been someone that I've looked up to. She's been such a magical figure in my life with her silver hair and her wonderful presence."
She became an ambassador for a nonprofit
Given that Thomasin McKenzie has spoken about acting as a means of making a positive impact on society, it makes sense that she would get involved in some charitable causes. And she has: In December 2020, she became an ambassador for the nonprofit So They Can, which aims to offer resources to children in Tanzania and Kenya so that they can receive a robust education.
Announcing her partnership with the nonprofit via a Facebook video, McKenzie spoke about the importance of the work So They Can is doing. "In an ideal world, we'd all have access to quality education and be able to walk through life with a feeling of empowerment," she said. "I think So They Can is leading us toward that world, and I'm really excited to join them on that journey."
McKenzie frequently posts about her involvement with So They Can on Instagram. In 2021, she shared on Instagram a screenshot from a Zoom call with some of the children served by the nonprofit. "It was incredible to see how joyful these kids are and the passion they have for learning," she wrote. "I can't wait to meet them all in person one day." In 2023, she got her wish. "I'm so lucky to be in Kenya to meet these kids and to see how @sotheycan is empowering them through education, community support and health care," she wrote in another Instagram post showing photos of the children she had visited.
Thomasin McKenzie returned to the small screen with a lead role on a new show
In 2023, Thomasin McKenzie returned to the small screen with a front and center role on "Totally Completely Fine." The Australian show, which was a partnership between streaming service Stan and Sundance Now, starred McKenzie as Vivian Cunningham, a jaded party girl who moves into her deceased grandfather's cliffside home. When she realizes that the cliff is a popular spot for those aiming to commit suicide, she takes on the responsibility of trying to talk down potential jumpers. As she begins to open her heart to these people, she makes new friends and possibly even warms up to the idea of romance.
McKenzie was happy to jump into the world of television once again. "[I]t was such a dream working on this for me," she told The Wrap in an interview. "I absolutely loved it. I love doing series because it really gives you a chance to get to know the character even more than you otherwise would be able to in a feature film format. It allows you to develop the character a bit more slowly."
McKenzie was also glad to see that the show was calling attention to important issues: "The response in Australia has been really heartwarming. And I feel like it's opening up that conversation around mental health and trying to push through the stigma and encouraging people to reach out and connect and ask for help."
She pivoted toward indie film with a Sundance standout
Coming out of the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomasin McKenzie decided to be more selective with her projects. Instead of choosing three or four films to shoot per year, she and her team chose to narrow it down to two. One of the recent releases to make the cut was "Eileen," in which McKenzie plays the titular character. The thriller, based on the debut novel by cult favorite author Ottessa Moshfegh and directed by William Oldroyd, premiered at Sundance in January 2023 and hit theaters in December. It chronicles Eileen's obsession with a co-worker (played by Anne Hathaway) at a boys' prison, which culminates in a bloodcurdling climax.
Eileen lives in her own world, fantasizing constantly and squirreling away candy. To get into the character's mindset, McKenzie annotated the novel, calling attention to every passage that served as a window into her psyche. Then she sent her notes to a clinical psychologist and asked her for a diagnosis. "At the time, I was going through my own mental health journey, and I'm the kind of person who really likes receiving diagnoses," she told i-D in an interview. While on set, she journaled constantly in the persona of Eileen. Outside of the role, she met regularly with a therapist to ensure that the character didn't bleed too much into her real life.
McKenzie's methods were a success — she received praise from outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.