Full of Grace

Like some other notable Australian actors, Grace O’Sullivan started her screen career on Neighbours.

After landing a guest role on the show shortly after finishing high school, she went on to star in the spin-off series Erinsborough High, playing Olivia Lane, a closeted teenager navigating life at high school.

In the past couple of years, Grace has starred in Amazon MGM Studios' Ice Road: Vengeance, alongside Liam Neeson and Fan Bingbing. She also appeared in NCIS: Sydney, guest starring as Celeste Lazar in season two.

Most recently, she appeared in Sweet Milk Lake, Harvey Zielinski's directorial debut, which premiered at the 2026 Melbourne International Film Festival, and wrapped filming on an untitled Amazon project on the Gold Coast, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson and Joe Cole.

After spending a year in France, Grace returned to Australia, and splits her time between Melbourne and her parents’ farm on the Mornington Peninsula. She sits down with us to discuss the life of a thespian, and some of her current projects.

Rather than a conscious decision, for Grace acting was always the ultimate goal.
“My mother would say I came out of the womb dramatic. But truthfully, I don’t think it was a decision I ever made. It was always something I was going to do.”

That’s not to say the life she’s chosen isn’t without challenges. “I’m lucky that I’m not necessarily someone who needs certainty - which is handy in the life of an actor,” Grace says. “I kind of love not knowing what’s coming next. That uncertainty leaves room for anything and everything.”

But she admits the “precariousness can be uncomfortable”, so when she’s not on set, she tries to create a routine, that gives her a semblance of a normal life – “sleeping, eating, working out …” When she is working, she’s keen to wring every last drop from the experience, learning from her cast mates, directors and crew members.

Her first major film was Ice Road: Vengeance with Liam Neeson, filmed in the Victorian village of Wahalla (filling in for Nepal), and she was excited for the opportunity.

“I remember someone asking me if I was thrilled or terrified before filming,” she recalls. “I probably should’ve been terrified, but I only remember being thrilled. I started filming straight after several months of backpacking around Europe, where I had been sharing hostel rooms with 18-year-old boys who sprayed far too much Lynx Africa. Coming off that, I think I had no fear left in me. I was simply so chuffed to be there (and beyond grateful to have my own room again).”

The film taught her so much, especially from the star Liam Neeson. “Regardless of budget, filmmaking is all about the intimacy between people,” she says. “Liam speaks in a rather soft, deep growl. It necessitates that you lean into him to listen. As a result, it always feels like he is sharing secrets with you. Imparting his wisdom - of which he had a lot. But mostly, I was impressed by his attention to detail. Even after making many, many movies, Liam never missed a moment and questioned even the smallest of things if they didn’t make sense.”

The reaction when the film was released – it was big hit on streaming services and number one in Australia – is still hard to comprehend. “I don’t know if that kind of thing ever feels real,” she admits. “Though my dad’s favourite activity for the entire first month of the film’s release was to list, every morning at breakfast, which countries Ice Road: Vengeance was number one in. He took to it like a town crier. The whole family got a good giggle out of that.”

Her most recent projects have taken her off that bus in Nepal, and placed her into the Vietnam War and small-town Australia – and in each one, she’s learning more about her craft.

Earlier this year, she filmed a Mike Thorton bio pic on the Gold Coast. “It’s a big Vietnam war film and there aren’t many female characters,” Grace says. “When I arrived, the hair and makeup girls embraced me like a long-lost friend. They were stoked to have a girl in their chair after months of ‘big stinky men’ (their words, not mine!).

“This film was also my first time playing a real person, French photojournalist Catherine LeRoy. What she accomplished, at such a young age, still baffles me. I hope to have done her justice.”

She also joined the cast of the Australian film Sweet Milk Lake, which screened at the Melbourne International Festival, a movie she describes as “a real heart warmer”. “The director, Harvey Zeilenski, who also stars in the film, twice, (spoiler, he plays twins) is incredibly captivating both on and off screen.”

With her eyes firmly on the future, who is on her wish list of directors to work with? “I’m constantly discovering new directors and don’t think I’m capable of giving a concrete answer. Though I have always said Joe Wright when people ask me this question, because I love the worlds he creates. I recently watched the behind the scenes of Bugonia and Yorgos seems like a hoot. Oh and Olivia Wilde - I think she’s brilliant.”

As for the roles she’d like to attract, it’s fiery female characters who hold the most appeal. “Someone with a real temper or a bit of attitude is great fun to play. I think I’m quite polite in real life, so I always appreciate the chance to play the opposite.”

My Top 3 favourite films:

Atonement (dir Joe Wright). There’s just so many things I love about this film. The romantic and hazy way in which it’s shot. Kiera Knightly in that green dress. The blue of James Macovy’s eyes. Baby Saoirese Ronan. THAT scene where Kiera tells James to “come back to her”. Ugh. I find it hard to go past a doomed love story.

Papicha (dir Mounia Meddour). This film struck a deep chord in me. A story about young women in 1997 Algeria during the push for an archaic Islamic State. I love that the film is half in Arabic and half in French. Your heart breaks for these girls as they attempt to resist increasing oppression. The lead actress, Lyna Khourdi, is a force of nature.

Sentimental Value (dir Joachim Trier). I saw this at Cannes Film Festival last year where it won the Grand Prix. It explores, among many things, the idea that not all stories should be told in English; a pertinent thought at a festival screening films in many languages. I remember thinking at the time, ‘this is the best film I’ve ever seen.’ I haven’t been able to watch it since.