Johnny Diaz Nicoladis
The wind is howling and Geraldine Hakewill is standing on a cliff in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, covered in fake blood. “That was a pinch-me moment,” says the actress of the most intense scene she filmed with Rebecca Gibney for the new season of Wanted. “It was a crazy situation. We were in the most beautiful place with a 360-degree view of the Ranges, dodging fake bullets, and I thought to myself, ‘How did I get here?’”
It’s a good question. Hakewill was born in France – “It’s a cool thing to have on my Wikipedia page,” she says – and grew up in Europe with her doctor father and meditation-teacher mother. Her “eclectic” parents championed her creativity and passion for acting – and music. Hakewill, 31, is also a dancer and singer/songwriter who released an EP called You’ve Never Seen This Smile earlier this year.
Right now she’s best known for her role in the aforementioned series Wanted, playing Chelsea Babbage, an uptight accountant on the run from authorities after intervening in a fatal carjacking. “I was attracted to Chelsea’s complexity. She’s not a superhero, she’s just an ordinary person. She’s a fragile, frightened woman who is thrown into a precarious situation and finds her strength,” says Hakewill, who auditioned for the role five times before landing it. What got her the gig? “Bribes under the table.”
It was worth it. Wanted, now in its third season, has attracted a local cult following and some major attention from industry judges. “Being nominated for an International Emmy and [personally] the [Most Outstanding Newcomer] Logie was extraordinary,” says Hakewill, who recently scored a lead role in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries [four telemovies set in the ’60s]. “But the loveliest thing has been having my grandma see someone come up to me in a shopping centre for an autograph.”
WATCH IT: The third season of Wanted is airing on SevenPlus now.
This article originally appeared in the December issue of marie claire.
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