I was 15 when I first discovered Angourie Rice. While the more age-appropriate answer would probably be the film Jasper Jones, it was actually The Nice Guys – the chaotic comedy starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling – where I first saw her on screen. Amidst the mayhem of two detectives investigating the disappearance of an adult film actress, Rice completely stole the show as Holly, the endlessly perceptive daughter of Gosling’s character. At 15, I was captivated.
Like any budding cinephile discovering an actor for the first time, I immediately went down a research rabbit hole. When I realised Rice was not only my age, but Australian too – a young girl who had made it all the way to Hollywood – something about it suddenly felt tangible. For another teenager quietly dreaming of making it in the creative world, she became proof that it was possible.
In the years since, we’ve both grown up. Her on-screen roles have spanned from the Spider-Man franchise to Mean Girls the Musical. Rice has moved effortlessly between blockbuster franchises and coming-of-age comedies, all while maintaining a grounded charm that makes her so compelling to watch.
Now, she stars in Finding Emily, a romantic comedy from the producers behind Bridget Jones's Diary. The film follows Owen (played by Spike Fearn), who meets a girl on a dance floor and instantly falls for her, only to find her phone number is missing a digit when she gives it to him. What follows is a heartfelt wild goose chase that leads him to psychology student Emily (played by Rice), who helps him track her down. Without giving too much away, Finding Emily is less about the destination and more about the strange, messy beauty of connection itself. It’s a romantic comedy that feels refreshingly self-aware while still delivering the warmth and promise of the – genre that we’ve all been craving.
As Rice tells me, “If you know how it’s going to end, how do you keep people engaged? How do you still tell a compelling story? It takes true craft to do that.” And that they did.
Below, I speak with the endlessly loveable Angourie Rice about Finding Emily, finding inspiration in Manchester, embracing cringe, and working alongside Spike Fearn.
Samantha Corry: Congratulations on Finding Emily coming out. I was reading your director's notes on the film, and how she really wanted to capture that 90s nostalgia, just in a more modern context, and I think, like, without saying too much, you really just hit the nail, on the head. And that leads me to my first question, opening the scene with a quote from Sigmund Freud, it kind of alludes to the reoccurring themes of misconnections, along with the idea that we often fall for our own perception of someone rather than who they truly are. Do you think these themes around love have become more prevalent today.
Angourie Rice: Yes, yes. I think with like the digital world and the internet, we're all kind of dealing with, who we are on an one to one kind of level, and in an intimate space with friends and family, and then how we represent ourselves online. I think that's coming up all the time, especially, if you meet someone, and then you like them, and then you find them on Instagram, and you can find out so much about them,
Samantha Corry: Or through emails, haha.
Angourie Rice: Or through emails – exactly. I like how this movie really interrogates the idea of – 'Okay, you meet someone and you have a magical moment, what sustains a relationship? Is it this, moment of magic, or is it spending time with someone?' I like how the film explores that.
Samantha Corry: Another big theme – was where Finding Emily was filmed. Manchester became such a music hub in the 80s, 90s, shaping genres of film and music. And I read your director Alicia MacDonald shared that the city influenced key themes of resilience and culture diversity in this film. When you were learning about Emily, your character, did you find music to be a key into unlocking her?
Angourie Rice: Absolutely. I put together a playlist that kind of worked double duty. I wanted to make a playlist that, I felt followed her journey throughout the film, and also music that she would listen to. I would listen to it every morning on the way to work, and Spike (Fearn) shared music with me too.
Samantha Corry: Was Oasis on it?
Angourie Rice: Oasis was on the playlist, don't you worry, and actually Oasis announced that they were getting back together for the tour while we were in Manchester, so it was a big moment – Spike also introduced me to Jake Bugg. I'd never listened to Jake Bugg before.
Samantha Corry: Speaking of Spike, I know he isn't here, but flowers are given where they're due, and he brought such an incredible warmth, honesty and humour to the film. And with a romantic comedy like Finding Emily, do you find that there's an extra pressure to over portray your onscreen chemistry to your audience?
Angourie Rice: I don't feel that pressure. I think chemistry is there or it's not, and you can't force it, and I think it's also something you can't self analyse. I mean, gosh, I saw the movie, and I was like, "Oh, this is so fun. It looks, it looks like how it felt to make it." So, I don't know, in terms of chemistry, I think that's up to other people to decide. I mean, it's so easy to work with Spike, and the characters are there on the page. It's really well written. Also, those big sweeping romantic feelings are also generated by like lighting and costume, and how the shots are set up. Like Rachel Clark, the DOP, she had this amazing set of camera lenses that were adapted from photography lenses, and there was one particular lens that we nicknamed the 'Love Lens', because it had this amazing, depth of field that would kind of make everything in the background, blurry and misty.
Samantha Corry: A line from the film that I loved was, 'True freedom is knowing your cringe and doing it anyway. What was the last true act of freedom you did that at least felt free to you, if not, like it's general.
Angourie Rice: Oh God, yeah. I feel like I'm being cringe and doing it anyway all the time.
Samantha Corry: Was that something that drew you towards the script when you first saw it? The idea of being cringe and all in?
Angourie Rice: Absolutely. I mean, I love rom-coms, because what a fun challenge to have a genre that is predicated on the idea that a couple will get together at the end. If you know how it's going to end, how do you keep people engaged? How do you still tell a compelling story? It takes true craft to do that.
Samantha Corry: And you've done that very well here. I really loved the film. I think your whole team truly nailed it.
Angourie Rice: It's an amazing team of people, and with Working Title as well. I mean, they know how to do a rom-com. They know what they're doing, absolutely.
Samantha Corry: Oh, incredible – and also, another line from Finding Emily that I also loved was, "Do you think time should rush by or stand still when you're in love? And I pose that question to you.
Angourie Rice: I think both. I know that's a cop-out of an answer, but I do genuinely believe that I think there are times, I guess, maybe if you're in it with the person, then it feels like time has stood still, and then when you come afterwards, it's like, oh, that rushed by, I wish we had more time.
