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Ashleigh Cummings

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Ashleigh Cummings
Cummings at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
NationalityAustralian
OccupationActress
Years active2007–present

Ashleigh Cummings is an Australian actress. She became known for her role as Robyn Mathers in Tomorrow, When the War Began. The film, based on the book of the same name, earned Cummings a nomination for Best Young Actor at the 2010 Australian Film Institute Awards. Cummings is also known for her roles as Dorothy Williams in ABC1's Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, as Debbie Vickers in Puberty Blues, and Vic McQueen in NOS4A2.

Early life

Cummings was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where her Australian parents lived and worked. She moved to Australia with her family when she was 12 years old.[1][2][3] From the age of two, Cummings trained as a ballet dancer. When she was 14 she joined the Brent Street School of Performing Arts, where she learned dance and acting.[2][4] Cummings then attended Wenona School in North Sydney, where she graduated in 2010.[5] She also attended the film and television school Screenwise.[6] Cummings studied philosophy at university between acting roles.[1]

Career

Cummings appeared as a dancer in Darren Ashton's Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance in 2007.[7] She went on to star as Ally Sheppard in Green Fire Envy a project that was produced by the Participate Film Academy.[4][8] Cummings' next projects were a role in the television film Dream Life and a guest stint in soap opera Home and Away.[9]

In September 2009, it was announced Cummings had joined the cast of Tomorrow, When the War Began, a film based on the John Marsden book of the same name.[5] Cummings learned how to ride dirt bikes and operate AK-47 assault rifles before filming began.[5] She also sat her Year 11 exams early and missed the first part of Year 12, while shooting the film.[5] Cummings earned a nomination for Best Young Actor at the 2010 Australian Film Institute Awards for her portrayal of Robyn Mathers.[10]

From September 2010, Cummings appeared in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Our Town.[1] The actress went on to appear in episodes of Rescue Special Ops, Underbelly: Razor and Dance Academy in 2011.[7] She was then cast as Dorothy "Dot" Williams in ABC1's Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, a drama series based on Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher historical mysteries.[11] Dorothy is "a conservative working-class Catholic" who becomes Phryne's assistant and companion.[9]

In March 2012, it was announced that Cummings had been cast as Debbie Vickers in the television adaptation of Puberty Blues.[12] Cummings read the novel before her audition and she revealed that she was surprised at the content. Cummings stated: "In terms of the sexual nature of it, I wasn't aware of a lot of that and I've learnt so much (doing this movie)."[13] To prepare for the role of Debbie, Cummings took surfing lessons.[13] Cummings went overseas for three weeks to work as a volunteer in South-East Asia, before she returned to film the second series of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.[13] For her roles in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Puberty Blues, Cummings received a nomination for Most Popular Actress at the Logie Awards.[14]

Cummings recorded vocals for Dan Webb's debut album Sandstorm, released in 2014.[15] She also starred in Rhys Graham's first feature film Galore as Billie.[16][17] Cummings received a nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for her role in Galore.[18] In 2015, Cummings appeared in the television miniseries Gallipoli as Celia.[16] She also stars in the remake of the 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie.[19] In 2016, Cummings won the Heath Ledger Scholarship awarded by Australians in Film to study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles.[20] Cummings has a lead role in Hounds of Love. She was also cast as Cheryl Miller in Westside, the prequel series to Outrageous Fortune.[21]

Cummings plays Pippa in The Goldfinch, a film adaptation of Donna Tartt's novel of the same name.[22] She also appears in the lead role of Vic McQueen in AMC horror series NOS4A2.[23]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance Dancer
2008 Green Fire Envy Ally Sheppard
2010 Tomorrow, When the War Began Robyn Mathers
2013 Galore Billie
2013 My Mother Her Daughter Gabrielle Short
2013 Greg's First Day Erica Short
2014 Snowblind Paige Short
2016 Hounds of Love Vicki Maloney
2017 Pork Pie Keira Leigh-Jones
2019 The Goldfinch Pippa
2020 Vide Noir Lee
2020 Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears Dot Collins née Williams

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Dream Life Sal TV film
2009 Home and Away Ali Edmonds Guest role (3 episodes)
2011 Rescue: Special Ops Britney "The Intervention"
2011 Underbelly: Razor Gracie "Blood Alley"
2012 Dance Academy Trilby "Faux Pas De Deux"
2012–2014 Puberty Blues Debbie Vickers Main role
2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Dorothy 'Dot' Williams Main role
2015 Gallipoli Celia Houghton TV miniseries
2017–2018 Westside Cheryl Miller Regular role (series 3 & 4)
2019–2020 NOS4A2 Vic McQueen Main role

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2010 AACTA Awards Best Young Actor Tomorrow, When the War Began Nominated
2013 Logie Awards Most Popular Actress Puberty Blues and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Nominated
AACTA Awards Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama Puberty Blues Nominated
2014 16th St Tropez Antipodes Film Festival Best Actress (co-winner, with Lily Sullivan)[24] Galore Won
2015 Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Performance by a Young Actor Galore Nominated
AACTA Awards Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama Puberty Blues (season 2) Nominated
2016 Australians in Film Heath Ledger Scholarship — Won
73rd Venice International Film Festival Best Actress (Venice Days)[25] Hounds of Love Won
2018 Australian Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Hounds of Love Nominated
Ozflix Independent Film Awards Best Actress Hounds of Love Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b c Kalina, Paul (9 August 2012). "Blues sound for a new generation". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b Sams, Christine (12 August 2012). "Blues sisters shine". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Feature: Ashleigh Cummings". Sydney Theatre Company. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Cast – Ashleigh Cummings". Participate Film Academy. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Sams, Christine (13 September 2009). "Young guns shoot to thrill in Aussie film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Screenteens Acting Classes – May Intake". Screenwise. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Debbie played by Ashleigh Cummings". Network Ten. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Feature Film Production Synopsis and Credits". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Dorothy Williams". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  10. ^ Joyce, James (11 December 2010). "War begins for AFI honours". The Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  11. ^ Meade, Amanda (2 February 2012). "Teaser: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries". The Australian. News Limited. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Cummings and Harding play Debbie and Sue". Yahoo!7 TV. Yahoo!. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  13. ^ a b c "Confronting role a real eye-opener for Ashleigh". The Gold Coast Bulletin. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2021 – via PressReader.
  14. ^ Byrnes, Holly (11 March 2013). "Comic duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee to battle each other for Gold Logie". The Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  15. ^ "Exclusive Single Premiere: Dan Webb ft. Ashleigh Cummings "Sleep" (2014)". The AU Review. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  16. ^ a b Roach, Vicky (16 June 2014). "Puberty Blues star Ashleigh Cummings travelled solo to the Big Apple at 14". news.com.au. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  17. ^ Hawker, Philippa (25 July 2013). "Galore a moving story of first love, loss and betrayal set against Canberra bushfires". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  18. ^ Maddox, Garry (3 February 2015). "Water Diviner and Babadook go head-to-head again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  19. ^ Baillie, Russell (27 March 2016). "Say Hello to Goodbye Pork Pie's new Blondini gang". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  20. ^ Johnson, Travis (2 June 2016). "Ashleigh Cummings Wins This Year's Heath Ledger Scholarship". FilmInk. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  21. ^ Daniell, Sarah (29 July 2017). "Australian Ashleigh Cummings to play Cheryl West in Westside". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  22. ^ Kroll, Justin (18 December 2017). "Ashleigh Cummings Joins Warner Bros.' 'The Goldfinch' Adaptation (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  23. ^ Petski, Denise (13 September 2018). "'NOS4A2': Zachary Quinto & Ashleigh Cummings To Star in AMC Horror Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  24. ^ "2014 edition". Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma des Antipodes. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  25. ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (9 September 2016). "The Venice Days Award goes to The War Show". CinEuropa. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
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