Elizabeth Debicki: The Great Gatsby’s Breakout Star

She’s the Australian actress who stars alongside A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire in The Great Gatsby, getting rave reviews along the way.

Director Baz Luhrmann cast her as the sexy professional golfer Jordan Baker in his adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, despite her inexperience, and called her “a discovery”.

But Paris-born, Melbourne-raised Elizabeth Debicki, 22, says playing the glamorous character of Jordan helped her as she rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest stars in the world.

“Jordan has a kind of fake confidence,” says Debicki. “She’s spent a lot of time constructing a façade that’s quite impenetrable. I think, in a funny way, playing that character allowed me tohave a fake confidence on set.”

“Baz’s set is like a roller-coaster!” adds the actress. “I just jumped on the roller-coaster. And I had a really, really good time.”

Luhrmann’s $105 million 3D Gatsby debuted at Cannes on May 15, and had a star-studded Sydney premiere on May 22 ahead of its national release on May 30.

The 1.86m star, who turned her attention to acting after she grew too tall to be a ballet dancer, says her experience shooting the film – especially the huge party scenes - was every bit as fabulous as it looks on the big screen.

“[The parties] really were crazy, full of life and loud, and people were jumping in the pool, and we were dancing on the podium,” Debicki says.

“I mean, I feel like that may be my pinnacle party experience, and it was acting.”

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