Jillian Nguyen
Born
Nguyen Tran Huyen Dieu

1992 or 1993 (age 30–31)
Sungai Besi, Malaysia
NationalityAustralian
OccupationActress
Notable credits

Jillian Nguyen is an Australian actress. She has played main roles in the 2022 film Loveland and the 2022 ABC television series Barons, as well as supporting roles in the 2020 SBS ensemble drama Hungry Ghosts and the 2022 film Millie Lies Low.

Early life and education

Nguyen was born Nguyen Tran Huyen Dieu in a camp for Vietnamese refugees in Sungai Besi, Malaysia.[1][2] Her parents had fled Vietnam separately, met in the camp in 1990 and were married, then stayed in the camp until the family was granted refugee status in Australia in 1994. Nguyen was 14 months old when the family arrived in Australia.[3] She grew up in Melbourne, graduated from the University of Melbourne, and pursued additional acting training at Melbourne's 16th Street Actors Studio.[1]

Career

After acting on stage in a 2018 production of the Daniel Keene play The Serpent's Teeth,[4] Nguyen began her screen career with a brief appearance in the 2019 film True History of the Kelly Gang.[1] In 2020 she appeared as Sophie Tran in Hungry Ghosts, a four-episode ensemble drama about the lives of Vietnamese families in Australia that was written by Vietnamese-Australian screenwriters and starred several Vietnamese-Australian actors.[5]

Her first larger roles came in 2022. In the science-fiction film Loveland, Nguyen played April, a nightclub singer who forms a mysterious relationship with the protagonist Jack.[6] The New York Times called Loveland, which was released under the title Expired in the US, "an art-house fugue disguised as a genre flick".[7] In the ABC television series Barons, about the early days of a fictional Australian surfwear company modeled after Quiksilver, Nguyen played Tracy Dwyer, the fiancée, and later wife, of the company's founder.[8] Louise Rugendyke of the Sydney Morning Herald noted that in comparison to the rest of the main characters, Tracy is "smarter than all of them".[9] In the film Millie Lies Low, directed by Michelle Savill, Nguyen played Carolyn, the duplicitous best friend of the main character, who was played by Ana Scotney. In a review for Screen Daily, Tara Judah noted that Nguyen was "tasked with playing a two-faced bestie in too little screen time" and criticized the director for focusing too much on the main character rather than the supporting cast.[10]

Nguyen joined the voice cast of the animated film Scarygirl in the lead role of Arkie, with the film scheduled to be released in 2023.[11] She also joined the cast of Shayda, directed by Noora Niasari,[12] with whom Nguyen had previously worked on the short film Tâm.[13] A supporting role as a journalist in the Emily Ballou-written Paramount+ mystery drama One Night followed later that year.[14]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ a b c d Quigley, Genevieve (April 24, 2022). "From refugee camp to television star: The inspiring life of Barons' Jillian Nguyen". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Nguyen, Jillian (September 26, 2018). "Meet the Asian-Australian filmmakers here to change the narrative, part one". i-D. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Albert, Jane (January 20, 2021). "An actor's remarkable family journey leads to making movie history". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Blake, Jason (November 16, 2018). "The Serpent's Teeth". Audrey Journal. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Quinn, Karl (August 13, 2020). "Chapter and diverse: SBS's Hungry Ghosts goes all out for authenticity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Buckmaster, Luke (March 21, 2022). "Loveland review – Hugo Weaving sci-fi flick is big, bold and ponderous". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (March 18, 2022). "Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Buckmaster, Luke (April 24, 2022). "Barons review – sunkissed 70s surfing series is all about aesthetics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Rugendyke, Louise (April 16, 2022). "Best mates turned bitter rivals: ABC's Barons takes on '70s surf culture". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Judah, Tara (March 13, 2022). "'Millie Lies Low': SXSW Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Slatter, Sean (August 16, 2022). "Jillian Nguyen, Sam Neill, Anna Torv lead voice cast of 'Scarygirl'". IF Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  12. ^ Ritman, Alex (May 21, 2022). "'Holy Spider' Star Zar Amir-Ebrahimi to Lead Noora Niasari's 'Shayda' for Origma 45, Cate Blanchett's Dirty Films (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Barraclough, Leo (July 13, 2021). "Krasnoff/Foster, Sister Partner on 'Raya,' Noora Niasari to Adapt Novel, Direct". Variety. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Buckmaster, Luke (August 31, 2023). "One Night review – Jodie Whittaker is a highlight in this lacklustre series". The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  15. ^ Linden, Sheri (January 19, 2023). "'Shayda' Review: An Iranian-Australian Filmmaker's Affecting Drama of Maternal Strength". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
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