Interview by Eddie on 16/12/2024

Recently I was lucky enough to coordinate a Q and A session with Australian born performer Julia Claire. 

Enjoying a successful 2024 period that included a key part in American indie film Con Job, Claire is a multi-talented actress that has a bright career ahead of her! 

Con Job is currently available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime in the United States – PLEASE CLICK HERE

An Australian release date will be announced soon.

Bio: 

Hailing originally from Melbourne, Australia, Julia Claire Schweitzer is now a New York based artist. She recently accomplished a significant milestone in her career by completing her Musical Theatre certificate at the esteemed AMDA New York, which further compliments her Bachelor’s degrees in both Business and Design.
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When she isn’t captivating audiences with her performances, Julia relishes her time exploring different corners of the globe, savoring diverse culinary delights, and crafting new songs. She’s also an avid skier, and shares an immense love for her adorable furry companions.

Julia can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing in Melbourne Australia and when you were first motivated to chase your dream of becoming an actress?

Definitely! Growing up I was always a dramatic child, so of course my parents thought it would be a good idea to enrol me in dancing lessons to get all that extra energy out. I started at the young age of 5 at Michelle Slater Performing Arts Studio which is where I honed my talents up until the age of 17.

Throughout that time, I competed in numerous solo and group competitions, musicals, recitals, gigs, pretty much you name it I did it when it came to the performing arts growing up. But I would say I would have been 21 when I first was really motivated to chase my dreams in the performing arts. I could tell something was missing in my life, and I had the chance to move over to New York City for 7 months and complete an intensive dance visa program at Broadway Dance Centre and realised how much performing truly meant me.

I then auditioned for a few colleges while I was there and was accepted at AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) and pretty much every day since I have been working towards my dreams.

Is there a particular Australian actor/actress who you’ve been inspired by over your career so far? With so many success stories hailing from Australia it must give you great confidence that with hard work and perseverance dreams can become a reality.

I mean I would be insane not to say Margot Robbie wouldn’t I?!

I think she’s had such an incredible career, definitely one to look up to. She has conquered so many impactful roles and handled them with such grace, but has also played some hilarious characters. She is a chameleon of an actress, and has had such varied experiences which is something I aspire to have within my career.

With so many amazing success stories from Australian Actors/Actresses, it definitely does put some of my fears at bay, and at the end of the day, I believe that you make your own luck. I truly think that if you put in hard work and persevere, you’ll make it. And if you deeply look into the successful people in the industry, they are also some of the hardest workers, so it goes hand in hand.

Having qualifications in theatre also, where do you see yourself future wise as an actress? Is there a pull towards a career in theatre or movies that you feel yourself gravitating towards more one over another?

I do get asked this question quite a lot, given my background growing up dancing and singing, and then moving more into acting later in life. But I honestly want to have a career that is full of as many different opportunities as I can get.

Whilst I have been focusing more on acting recently, theatre will always have a special place in my heart. I have always been a person who doesn’t want to limit my experiences or possibilities, so I want to embrace any opportunities that come my way.

The step from making the leap from Australia to basing yourself in New York can’t have always been an easy one to make. Were there some experiences there you could share with others who are desiring to take similar steps?

It was definitely a challenging experience, I’d by lying if I didn’t say it was probably the hardest thing I have done in my life – moving away from my friends and family to a completely different country where I knew no one, going into a college environment where there are definitely some cultural differences, and having to pretty much rebuild my life from scratch – But it was also the most worthwhile thing I have ever done.

What I would say to anyone desiring to take similar steps would be to make sure you’re always putting yourself out there, and to make connections with people who you can trust and lean on when you need to. I made some friendships while I was in New York that were so crucial in helping me through all the associated challenges of being away from home, and they ended up being my second family.

You also really need to keep at the forefront of your mind your reasons for being there and why you’re making those sacrifices, because at the end of the day if you truly believe you’re meant to be there for a reason, it makes everything a little more easier.

Recently Con Job held its world premiere and is now streaming on Amazon in the United States, that must make you super excited to start seeing projects like this that you’re apart of come together in such a way?

When I first auditioned for Con Job, I wasn’t entirely sure of what the projection of the film would be, and when I found out that it not only was entered into a film festival (let alone the Chelsea Film Festival), but was a finalist, I definitely had a pinch me moment.

Considering Con Job was one of the first film’s I had the chance to be a part of, and it was in The Chelsea Film Festival, just crazy! I was luckily enough to have one of my close friends attend the festival for me, and to see photos of me on the screen in a theatre was just insane. It is more than exciting to see projects I have been a part of coming together, and it just makes me feel so incredibly lucky and fortunate.

Con Job seems like it would’ve been a lot of fun to be on set while production was underway, was it hard to keep a straight face on set?

Con Job was probably the most fun I have had on a set! I got to work closely with the director Ian Niles, as he was my scene partner, and it was most definitely difficult to keep a straight face as he loved to throw some curve balls that were off script, some of them which even made the final cut.

Performance wise, it was really interesting being surrounded by such a hilarious cast as it gave me inspiration while trying to make my own comedic choices, and feeling so comfortable to do so. I originally auditioned for the part with an American accent, but introduced myself in my Australian accent, and once they found out I was Australian they were so keen to see me do the sides with my natural accent, which also in turn brought some of its own Australian humour to the words.

Some of the curve balls that were thrown to me during our takes were based around me being from Australia and really tested my ability to keep a straight face with some of the things Ian was bringing to the scene, and in result our banter through the performance.

Following the release of Con Job are there any projects you have underway that you can tell us about?

There are definitely some cool projects I was lucky to be a part of while still in the US earlier this year, which are set to come out in 2025, but unfortunately that is all I can say about them, but none the less, I am really excited to see them come to life as well!

Finally can you name your 3 favourite films? Films that have helped shape you as a creative or inspired you as a film fan?

Recently I had the opportunity to see Wicked the movie, and given that Wicked was one of the first musicals I ever saw that really sparked my love for performing arts, seeing it in movie form with such an amazing cast/crew and done to such a high calibre, really gave me a heightened sense of inspiration and motivation as an actress.

Seeing the tiny moments and emotions behind the actresses eyes, and seeing their connection on screen just lit a fire inside my heart. My other favourite movies that have shaped me as an actress include The Notebook, both Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling’s performances were just iconic, even their audition reels were incredible, and lastly The Hunger Games, purely because it reminds me to trust my instincts and authenticity as an actor, as Jennifer Lawrence had never taken any acting classes before.

Visit Julia’s official website here to keep up to date with all future projects and updates.