Julia Savage talks 12-day filming schedule on new Aussie miniseries Mix Tape
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Aussie actress Julia Savage is just 18 years old, but already she has marked more than a decade in the industry.
The teenager has a Best Actress AACTA nomination under her belt for her incredible performance in the 2022 psychological drama Blaze, and has starred opposite leading Australian actors Simon Baker and Guy Pearce.
Savage will now appear alongside fellow AACTA nominee Teresa Palmer and British actor Jim Sturgess in the upcoming four-part Aussie miniseries Mix Tape, which premieres on BINGE on June 12.
And even though she began acting at seven years old, starring on hits such as The Clearing and Mr Inbetween, the young star doesn't take any of it for granted and is always ready to give it her all.
Julia Savage stars in the upcoming Binge Original Series Mix Tape. Picture: LisaThe 18-year-old has been in the acting industry since she was seven years old. Picture:'Every time I'm on a set and I'm lucky enough to be invited to come on, I'm so grateful,' she told news.com.au from the Sydney set.
'I've been very lucky to grow up in an environment surrounded by adults who are validating me in my craft and following creative physics pursuits and my passions. But sets are my favourite place in the world. It's something I'm very lucky to be able to do at the level and with the people that I do.'
In Mix Tape, Palmer and Sturgess play former 80s high-school sweethearts Alison and Daniel who are now living in Sydney and Sheffield, respectively, but reconnect in the modern world through songs from their shared past.
Stream Mix Tape on BINGE from June 12, available on Hubbl.
The cast of Mix Tape (from left to right) Ben Lawson, Julia Savage, Teresa Palmer, Jim Sturgess, Chika Ikogwe and Jacqueline McKenzie filmed for 12 days in Sydney and the Southern Highlands. Photo credit BINGE
Savage plays Alison's daughter Stella, who triggers her memories about Daniel. And when a chance encounter brings the former flames together after 20 years, they are forced to confront their past.
Savage and Palmer filmed intensely for 12 days in Sydney and the NSW Southern Highlands before production on the Lucy Gaffy-directed film moved to Dublin, Ireland.
The filming schedule was intense, but Savage was ready to do the hard work on the miniseries, which is based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by Jane Sanderson.
Filming of the flashback scenes then took place in Dublin with Rory Walton-Smith and Florence Hunt playing the younger versions of Palmer and Sturgess' characters. Photo: Binge
'It has been a whirlwind, but it's been amazing. I just take it one day at a time every day and do the best I can do,' Savage said. 'I think in an industry where the projects you create can't go forward without every single person giving their 100 per cent, it's so important to remember that this really is the most collaborative kind of art you can make and it's the most labour-intensive art you can make.
'I think remembering that and remembering that everyone here is doing a job and they're all here to make art and make something beautiful.'
Sturgess and Palmer play high school sweethearts Daniel and Alison who reconnect through songs from their past. Picture: Binge
Young Alison (Hunt) and Daniel (Walton-Smith) fall in love as teenagers before life takes them in different directions. Picture: Supplied
Naturally, Palmer – a soon to be mum-of-five – took Savage under her wing on set and the young star can't sing her praises enough.
'Teresa is one of the most beautiful people inside and out. She's really a ray of sunshine. She always makes me laugh on set,' Savage said.
'In terms of having to play mother-daughter, it's always felt very easy with Theresa. It's never felt there was anything forced and there was always just this amazing sense of trust between us and I'm really grateful to have had that.'
Savage puts on an incredible performance as Palmer's troubled daughter Stella in the miniseries. Picture: Binge
Palmer's Alison is triggered by Stella's circumstances and grows nostalgic of her life with Daniel. Picture: Binge
And it's not just Palmer who has given Savage some sage advice on set. The rising star says Simon Baker was a great father-figure three years ago when they filmed Blaze, where she played a young girl who, after witnessing a violent event summons an imaginary dragon to help her process her trauma.
'When I worked with him on Blaze, he was very nurturing as my father,' she said. 'I've learned a lot of amazing things from the actors I've worked with. They've given me lots of life lessons, especially to do with my craft. I really take with me things like pause, take your time and to not think about what's going on around me and just do what I'm here to do.'
Savage and Simon Baker in the 2022 film Blaze, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the AACTAs. Picture: Causeway films
'It's been very validating, especially in an industry where I'm usually the youngest person on set, to have older actors trusting me and trusting what I'm doing and helping me to do the work.'
Despite her success at such a young age, Savage says she has faced her fair share of criticism. But she drowns out the noise by surrounding herself with the right people.
'I'm younger, so there's obviously a little bit of scepticism regarding whether I'm happy doing what I'm doing,' she said. 'I can attest to the fact that I definitely love this job, but it's definitely something that you learn to deal with.
'But everyone's been super supportive. It's amazing to have such a strong foundation of support, be it on crew, be it your family, be it your friends. It's a very valuable thing to have.'
Mix Tape premieres Thursday, June 12 at 8:30pm on BINGE, available on Hubbl and watch On Demand on Foxtel
Originally published as Rising star Julia Savage talks 'whirlwind' 12-day filming schedule on new Aussie miniseries Mix Tape
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"For a young person, especially a young Aussie artist trying to get out there, I'd be terrified. Where do you start?" she said. Despite building an inter-generational audience over decades, the Darwin-based musician can no longer rely on album sales, and even solid streaming figures don't add up to a viable income. "There's no income from streaming. It looks good on paper and you think, well, I should be making a few bucks, but you don't see anything," said Storer. "All my money is made through live performance. I rely heavily on ticket sales, which is like a roller coaster." The contradiction between listener sentiment and behaviour could be the basis of a campaign for actively discovering local music - a bit like the 'Life. Be in it' health campaign of the 1980s - suggested Music Australia director Millie Millgate. "We can remind Australian audiences what these bands are doing overseas and encourage them not to miss out - like, don't miss out on your own party," said Millgate. "There's no one single bullet, but if audiences can be mobilised to do their part and really seek out Australian new music, it would go an incredible way." And the Music Australia research suggests we could potentially Aussify Spotify: listeners like the idea of a dedicated Australian music streamer, with 42 per cent saying it's something they would pay for. Melbourne rock band Amyl and the Sniffers are one act making it big on the global stage, and when the band appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon recently, singer Amy Taylor's top was made from two classic Aussie thongs. It's a big effort to demonstrate a sense of national pride - but it seems many Aussie musos are actually getting more love overseas, with more than 80 per cent of royalties for local musicians coming from international listeners in 2024, according to figures from Spotify. The research also found radio still plays a role. A quarter of music fans still tune in to discover new music, with ABC station triple j a popular source. An economic snapshot of the local sector showing a direct contribution of almost $3 billion to the national economy was part of three industry research reports released on Thursday. Aussie music lovers feel a sense of pride when they hear Australian music, but their playlists are actually dominated by pop from the US and Britain. While 71 per cent of listeners love to hear Australian tunes, and two thirds want to hear more, only one in three music fans make an effort to seek out new Australian music. It's a big contradiction revealed in landmark research by Music Australia, the federal government's music development and funding body. A massive 98 per cent of local listeners discover musicians via streaming, but more than half (51 per cent) don't think about whether an artist is Australian when they are looking for new tunes. Of the top 10,000 artists streamed in Australia during 2024, just eight per cent were Australian, while more than half were from the US, according to entertainment analytics firm Luminate. It seems the sheer convenience of personalised playlists delivered via an algorithm might be stopping music fans discovering Australian artists - and that's a problem for musicians like Sara Storer. The ARIA-award winning country musician is releasing her eighth solo album titled Worth Your Love, and says the music industry has completely transformed since her first release back in 2001. "For a young person, especially a young Aussie artist trying to get out there, I'd be terrified. Where do you start?" she said. Despite building an inter-generational audience over decades, the Darwin-based musician can no longer rely on album sales, and even solid streaming figures don't add up to a viable income. "There's no income from streaming. It looks good on paper and you think, well, I should be making a few bucks, but you don't see anything," said Storer. "All my money is made through live performance. I rely heavily on ticket sales, which is like a roller coaster." The contradiction between listener sentiment and behaviour could be the basis of a campaign for actively discovering local music - a bit like the 'Life. Be in it' health campaign of the 1980s - suggested Music Australia director Millie Millgate. "We can remind Australian audiences what these bands are doing overseas and encourage them not to miss out - like, don't miss out on your own party," said Millgate. "There's no one single bullet, but if audiences can be mobilised to do their part and really seek out Australian new music, it would go an incredible way." And the Music Australia research suggests we could potentially Aussify Spotify: listeners like the idea of a dedicated Australian music streamer, with 42 per cent saying it's something they would pay for. Melbourne rock band Amyl and the Sniffers are one act making it big on the global stage, and when the band appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon recently, singer Amy Taylor's top was made from two classic Aussie thongs. It's a big effort to demonstrate a sense of national pride - but it seems many Aussie musos are actually getting more love overseas, with more than 80 per cent of royalties for local musicians coming from international listeners in 2024, according to figures from Spotify. The research also found radio still plays a role. A quarter of music fans still tune in to discover new music, with ABC station triple j a popular source. An economic snapshot of the local sector showing a direct contribution of almost $3 billion to the national economy was part of three industry research reports released on Thursday.
