Girl Of The Moment: Jessica De Gouw

Jessica de Gouw. Photo: Getty Images

There’s a well-worn path that Australian actresses tend to tread en route to stardom. A sun-drenched prime-time soap opera stint, a turn in a local indie film and then straight on a plane to Hollywood and, hopefully, fame and fortune.

Not so for Jessica De Gouw. With only a handful of local performances to her name (including Underbelly and the Kath & Kim movie), the 27-year-old starlet got her big break in 2012 after being cast in the action-packed American TV series Arrow. Over the course of three seasons, the big-budget production built up a cult following. “I get loads of really great drawings and stories [from fans],” laughs De Gouw. “[It] is unlike anything I have ever experienced before.”

Now, following the success of Arrow and a bodice-ripping rendition of Dracula opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers, De Gouw is returning to local screens in Foxtel’s Deadline Gallipoli. The miniseries, commemorating 100 years since the Anzacs landed on the Turkish peninsula, follows four war correspondents (Sam Worthington plays Phillip Schuler).

De Gouw is Vera, a nurse who strikes up a friendship with Worthington’s charming journo. “When I first read the script I was in tears,” says De Gouw. “Vera was such a strong character that I begged to be a part of the project. Thankfully, they said ‘yes’ straightaway!”

Deadline Gallipoli airs on Foxtel's Showcase in April.

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