As an Australian Netflix series continues to swallow in fans across the world, a Sunshine Coast actor has shared her immense “pride” for being part of the project.
Jane Larkin plays Penny in the Netflix television series Boy Swallows Universe, the screen adaptation of Brisbane author Trent Dalton’s book of the same title.
The series has taken off across Australia, and the world, since hitting the streaming service on January 11.
According to Mediaweek, as of Wednesday the show had already reached fifth most watched show on Netflix worldwide and second most watched in Australia, with more than 3.6 million views.
Set in 1980s Brisbane, the series follows the story of Eli and his brother August as they embark on a suburban odyssey of love, redemption and retribution after their family is torn apart by a drug lord.
Speaking with Sunshine Coast News, Jane said she was “so proud” to be part of the successful Australian television story.
“It’s so amazing when you see a project come to life,” she said.
“I filmed it about 18 months ago and you get on a real high when you audition, get the part and get on set. The world’s your oyster – and then you wait.”
Jane plays the role of Penny alongside Australia’s Phoebe Tonkin, who is known for her roles in the Aussie teen series H2O: Just Add Water and hit US show The Vampire Diaries.
“I had just finished filming my own film when I heard Boy Swallows Universe was being adapted into a Netflix TV series,” Jane said.
“At the time I thought it was just incredible. I’m a massive fan of Trent Dalton and he is a beautiful writer and I called my agent and said I wanted to get on the series.
“I play a troubled young woman who is in a similar position to Phoebe Tonkin’s character.
“Something I love is that (Dalton) really humanises every character. They are not just good and bad people, they are really three-dimensional.”
Jane met Dalton on set and again at the series premiere in Brisbane last week, finding a commonality between a mutual friend and lecturer at the University of Queensland, and both having a love for writing.
“He had so much time for everyone, even though he was in such high demand,” she said.
The former Immanuel Lutheran College student has also featured in Spiderhead, staring Chris Hemsworth, as well as Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives plus Australian-filmed productions Young Rock and the Australian road-trip mystery series Darby and Joan.
The writer, producer and actor is also doing crew work on the upcoming Ron Howard film Eden starring Jude Law and is nearing the release of her own film, The Edge, which was made on the Sunshine Coast.
“I’m really proud of the work I have done and hopefully my film will be released this year as we are in our very final stages,” she said.
“We’ve completely finished the edit and it’s now in the conform process, which means they ready the film for streaming services and/or a theatrical release.”
Jane said she was still meeting with streaming services to secure a deal but said it was her “dream” to have the film on Stan.
Crediting the international success of Boy Swallows Universe, Jane said she was excited to see the local film industry continue to grow.
“We’ve brought Hollywood to Queensland, and Australia, and we are filming amazing projects here,” she said.
“I used to think the dream was to move to Hollywood or LA but things are happening here.
“Boy Swallows Universe is proof that Australian’s have these incredible stories to tell.
“There is a want out there from the general public to watch them and we can make them so let’s keep going straight ahead with these amazing stories.”
Jane appears as Penny in episode two, Boy Gets Chop.
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