The past five years have been pretty jam-packed for Markella Kavenagh. The 23-year-old Aussie actor kicked off her career in 2018 with TV shows likePicnic at Hanging Rock and The Cry,and has since starred in a bunch of local and international productions likeThe True History of the Kelly Gang and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Markella’s most recent role is that of Portia – a manipulative teen in Stan’s new four-part series, Bad Behaviour. Based on the memoir by Rebecca Starford,Bad Behaviouris a confronting and totally brutal exploration of high-school bullying, set in the wilderness campus of a girls’ boarding school. We recently caught up with Markella to chat about the show, as well as her hobbies, dream roles and mentors.
How do you feel about your character in Bad Behaviour, Portia? Oh, my goodness. She's obviously quite a complicated individual. I remember initially judging her, and then, while playing her, removing that judgment. It was really important for me to find ways that I could relate to her actions and the way she would treat others.
If I were to be quite generous with her, I think her knowledge that nothing is permanent is mature. She has an awareness that everything can be fleeting and temporary. But unfortunately, as a result, she projects a real fear of that onto others, and she just doesn't have the emotional maturity to deal with that yet.
Who do you think the villain in the storyis? I'm not sure if it's about villains. I think it's just about humans trying to navigate growing up. Adolescence is a really tricky time, and people are trying to figure out who they can trust, what trust looks like, and what caring for others looks like, when they're not sure what their morals and their beliefs are. They're so impressionable.
Do you feel like Bad Behaviour is an accurate representation of what it's like to be a teenage girl? It's a very specific story to those characters, so I don't think it would speak to everyone's experience. But I do think it's quite universal thematically, so I hope that people will be able to relate to that.
If you could time travel, what role would you audition for in any TV or movie? There’s one film called His Girl Friday. It's a screwball comedy, and the pace of the film was actually a reference for my character Nori inRings of Power. The actors just talked back and forth, back and forth, and I think it would be quite challenging. I'd love to be in something like that.
And then the other one… I would never touch this character’s performance because she's so amazing, but Sarah Snook’s Shiv from Succession. I love Succession, and I would love to play a role like that, but I would never touch Sarah’s performance because she is just so brilliant in it.
What excites you about the film and TV industry at the moment? I think it’s long overdue that different stories and voices be heard. I just hope that the industry becomes more inclusive and more representative of the world that we live in. That excites me – new stories and stories that people have wanted to be told but haven't had the opportunity to tell.
What was tougher – getting into the mindset of Portia, or getting into the mindset of your Rings of Power character, Nori? I never thought that I was going to end up in a fantasy role, as I've always really loved minimalist film, so I had to key into the fact that to get into the headspace of Nori, the approach to the work was the same, regardless of genre.
Both characters had their own set of challenges. Portia was really difficult because her actions are so degrading and she can be so horrible to all the characters. Nori had a completely different set of circumstances. It was the tonal shift that was quite different.
What do you get up to in your spare time? I love reading, spending time with friends and family, and spending lots of time outside in nature. Lots of people watching. Reading and listening to music are my top two things.
As an avid reader, were you familiar with Bad Behaviour before auditioning for the role? No, so it was quite cool to be able to explore that. The Cry was a book as well, and I just really loved that I could read it and then be a part of it on screen.
How do you feel about books being translated to screen? I definitely had the opinion of, “The book tells the story better!” when I was younger. But now, having been on the other side and having experienced how it goes from book to screen, I think I have a newfound respect for it. I can understand people's frustrations with it sometimes, but I love it.
What's one thing that most people don't know about you? I have a Greek background. The language and the culture are very much part of my life.
After a long day on set, how do you like to wind down? It depends on the set. If we’re working really long hours, sometimes all I have time to do is eat and go to sleep. Then repeat. Otherwise, I'll put on some TV or read. I'll often blast music on the way home to get it out of my system, and then hopefully I can go to sleep before an early start the next day.
What are some of the ways you’ve learnt to look after your wellbeing since entering the film and TV industry? I just get lots of sleep. You’ve got to make sure that you're really taking care of your health and prioritising getting some rest when you can, especially during a shoot week.
Also, if you're playing a character that challenges you in a specific way, or who incites a lot of fear and hatred in other characters, I think it's important to have time to debrief with yourself and decompress so that you can keep portraying them as truthfully as possible.
Of all your characters, who has been the most challenging? Nori, because there was just so much going on in regards to her character and I felt like I had to play a showreel of emotions; all these different extremes. Honestly, they all present their own set of challenges, and that's what really excites me.
Who’s your dream actor to work with? I would love to act with Saoirse Ronan. I think she’s just amazing and I really admire her choices. I'd also love to be in a film with Charlotte Rampling because I think she’s just really interesting.
I also loved working with the people who I've already acted with, so I would love to act with them again. Megan Richards, who I act with on Rings of Power is just brilliant to work with. And everyone I worked with on Bad Behaviour, I would love to act with again. I feel like I've been really fortunate.
Have you had any mentors in the industry? It's funny, I think that everyone that I've worked with has been a mentor in some way – especially starting out. Ewen Leslie from The Cry was really incredible, just to observe how he conducted himself or treated people on the set. It was great to be able to see someone who was playing such a challenging role, to then be laughing and treating everyone with respect.
There have been so many different people who’ve had an impact on how I would like to work and move through the industry. I just feel really grateful that I've gotten to work with them.
The Stan Original SeriesBad Behaviourpremieres February 17th, all episodes at once and only on Stan.
