Fresh drama school graduate Elizabeth Debicki has scored the debut role of a lifetime and will play Jordan Baker in Baz Luhrmann‘s upcoming (probably 3D) adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s “The Great Gatsby.”
She’ll now star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher and Carey Mulligan as the love interest of Maguire’s Nick Carraway in Luhrmann’s adaptation, which is set to begin filming this August in Sydney, with the production already kicking into gear with the very expensive purchases of several classic cars.
Debicki is evidently a highly touted prospect having won scholarships during her attendance at the Victorian College of the Arts, already starred in stage productions at the Melbourne Theatre Company and also featured recently in a Daily Telegraph profile of young up-and-coming actors alongside Sarah Snook (the thesp who tested to the end for David Fincher‘s “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo“).
“It was a surprising result, but Elizabeth’s grasp of the material and her chemical connectivity to Tobey Maguire, in addition to her striking, athletic appearance, had us in a place where we were fully confident and ready to take the leap of giving the role of Jordan Baker to what, I guess, people would term ‘a discovery,’ ” Luhrmann said. “We are thrilled.”
Our only concern? She looks fairly tall in the image that accompanies that profile piece (she’s dead center) and we’re interested how she’ll stand next to Maguire — though we guess that’s all part of Baker’s athletic prowess. And, in the case of Luhrmann, when your muse is the 5′ 11″ Nicole Kidman, you’re probably used to it now.
You can get a little more insight into Debicki from this interview with Performer’s Hub.