Danielle Macdonald Won’t Be Put in a BoxWhen people approach Danielle Macdonald on the str
Danielle Macdonald Won’t Be Put in a Box
When people approach Danielle Macdonald on the street, she always knows which of her two Netflix movies they have seen. If they’re smiling and want to give her a hug, they’re likely fans of the heartwarming Dumplin’. But if they approach while looking at her as though they hate her, they’ve definitely seen the terrifying thriller Bird Box. “They’re like, ‘Why’d you open that door?’” Danielle tells Teen Vogue.
The two dramatically different roles prove the 27-year-old Aussie is an actor who refuses to be typecast. In early December, she starred in the movie adaptation of the YA novel Dumplin’ as the bold, Dolly Parton–obsessed Willowdean Dixon. The coming-of-age story follows Will as she plots a Texas beauty pageant protest; along the way, she repairs a broken relationship with her beauty-queen mother (Jennifer Aniston), falls in love with a boy who adores her (Luke Benward), and challenges fatphobic beauty standards. A few days after the release of Dumplin’, audiences got to see Danielle in a whole new light as the maternal, sweet-to-a-fault Olympia in the post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box alongside Sandra Bullock.
Danielle’s burgeoning career — which began with a guest role on Glee back in 2011 — continues with upcoming films such as the dystopian sci-fi Paradise Hills and I Am Woman, an Australian biopic about singer Helen Reddy, in which she plays a rock journalist in the 1970s. She’s not content to be pigeonholed into roles that position her as a side-character stereotype or as the insecure big girl who realizes she’s beautiful inside and out.
As part of Teen Vogue’s Young Hollywood Class of 2019, Danielle opened up about how she first fell in love with acting, the inspiring reaction to Dumplin’, and the state of plus-size depictions in movies and on TV.
Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:00:09
