NZ flag flying high in Hollywood big time as Kiwi actress cracks the big time!

Publish Date
Thursday, 7 September 2017, 5:09PM
Photo / Getty Images

Photo / Getty Images

Young Kiwi actress Stefania LaVie Owen has joined A-listers Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Amy Adams and Bill Pullman in a biopic about former US Vice President Dick Cheney.

Backseat, which was written and directed by Adam McKay and is currently in pre-production, chronicles Cheney’s rise to becoming “the most powerful vice-president in history”. With McKay’s previous work including The Big Short and Anchorman, we’re pretty sure it will be a spoof.

Shooting starts next month and is being produced by Plan B’s Brad Pitt and Dede Garner, alongside McKay, Will Ferrell and Kevin Messick. Bale will star as Cheney.

It’s the latest in a great run for LaVie Owen, 19. She landed the lead role in Sex in the Cityspin-off, The Carrie Diaries and more recently, starred as Hugh Laurie’s daughter in the Hulu series Chance (screening in NZ on Lightbox).

Her stellar US trajectory is partly thanks to New Zealand acting stalwart and renowned acting coach Miranda Harcourt, 54, who worked with LaVie Owen in her first role on Sir Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, and recommended her to top Kiwi talent agent Imogen Johnson of Johnson & Laird Management.

“When Miranda introduced me to Stefania she had that indescribable x-factor quality which prompted me to sign her up immediately. She’s just a divine person and genuinely charismatic,” said Johnson.

She’s been working closely with the best in the business since, and last year received rave reviews playing Katie Holmes’ daughter in Holmes’ directorial debut All We Had.

New cut for a new season 💇🏻 #chanceonhuluseason2

A post shared by Stefania Owen (@stefanialavieowen) on

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