Australian Actor Angourie Rice Has Worked With Tom Holland & Zendaya On Three Films—She Has One Thing To Say About Them
Angourie Rice is wise beyond her years—that much is clear no matter if you’ve seen her on-screen or met her in real life.
The 20-year-old actor first broke into Hollywood when she was just 15-years-old, scoring a role in the 2015 film The Nice Guys alongside Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.
Barely a year later, she secured the role of a lifetime in the Spiderman franchise, playing Betty Brant alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Zendaya’s MJ.
Born in Sydney (and named after the New South Wales town where her grandmother lived) Rice had always had an interest in being on the big screen. Her father, Jeremy Rice is a director and her mother, Kate Rice is a writer. The family moved her to Melbourne at a young age, then to Perth, then back to Melbourne where she currently resides (when she’s not filming in various locations across the world, that is).
From Australia to Hollywood, Rice’s whirlwind journey of success is nothing short of astounding, but Angourie couldn’t be more humble.
ELLE spoke to the actor ahead of the release of Spiderman: No Way Home—her third appearance in the cult Marvel franchise.
“I was 15 when we filmed the first one, I feel like I’ve grown with Betty—I’ve grown with her. We’ve had parallels in our lives as I’ve filmed it,” she explains.
Of course, the film has been globally hyped not just among the comic book fanbase, but also among die-hard fans of Zendaya and Tom Holland, who are dating in real life.
But Rice reveals that despite their global fame, the pair are sweet as ever in a professional setting—something she, as an actor herself, truly admires.
“When I did the first film, [Holland and Zendaya] were like three or four years older than me. I really looked up to them and I still look up to them,” Rice explains.
“They were young actors at the top of their games and they were just really professional and really kind. That’s been such a wonderful thing.
“You always want to work with people like that—people who are really good at what they do and are dedicated to their craft so passionate about filmmaking, and they’re kind and considerate—Tom and Zendaya definitely are. That makes them a joy to work with.”
Given the most recent Spiderman films are based around Peter Parker’s high school experience, most of the ensemble cast is made of up younger people—something Rice was particularly grateful to be a part of.
“When you’re working with a young cast, it’s just like a bunch of kids and having fun.
“On the second film [Spiderman: Far From Home] we felt that a lot because we were traveling and filming in different locations across Europe—that had an impact on the dynamic we had. it felt like a school trip all of us together!”
“That is always one of my favourite things about working with the Spiderman cast. We just have a lot of fun together, and because I’m one of the youngest, I’ve always looked up to everyone in that cast.”
As we continue chatting to Rice in our interview, it becomes clear that she’s just as bewildered with her success now as she was at the start of her career.
It makes us wonder—how has she dealt with the challenges that undoubtedly come for someone trying to make it in Hollywood?
“One of the main challenges—and this goes for any actor you’d ask—is dealing with rejection. Every actor faces rejection,” she explains.
“You’d be surprised—for every role I get, there are 150 positions I didn’t get. It’s a lot, and it takes a toll.”
However, in more proof the 20-year-old is wise as ever, she says she learned to accept that this part of the industry is something that simply cannot be controlled.
“It could be your looks, or your energy, or your age, or your location. That lack of control in why you might not get [a role] has been a huge challenge for me… but I’ve learned to try and let go of that control. A lot of the reason why I might not get a job is has nothing to do with things I can change or work on.”
Before we leave her, we have one more pressing question for Rice—any and every detail she had on working with mega star Ryan Gosling.
Laughing, she replies: “It was such a crazy experience—I had done one Australian film before [The Nice Guys]. This was unlike anything I’d ever done before.”
She adds of Gosling: “I think Ryan is a very good improviser and comedian—what I learned from him in particular is that he has this incredible ability to see everything fresh and he brings new energy to things—it would be different and exciting. Just watching him work is amazing.”
She no doubt learned a lot from the experience. Along with Spiderman, Rice worked on the hit HBO drama, Mare Of Easttown, as well as Australian film, Ladies In Black.
Her next big film, Senior Year will star screen legends Rebel Wilson, Justin Hartley and Alicia Silverstone, to name a few.
There’s no denying this is just the beginning for Rice—and her infectious attitude and positivity is only going to bring her bigger and better things. Watch this space…
