After working non-stop in Hollywood since she was 15, Mia Wasikowska reveals why she chose to step back from the spotlight.
The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ actress, who made her mark in films like ‘The Kids Are Alright’, ‘Map to the Stars’ and ‘Blackbird’, spoke with IndieWire of his decision to return to Australia.
“I’m pretty happy,” she said. “If I can have the best of both worlds, which is to dive in and out of it once in a while, I would be really happy, but I would never be in this place where I was just on a treadmill. .I want to do more things in life than being in a trailer.”
Wasikowska explained that there are “a lot of good things” about Hollywood, but “it didn’t sit well with me as a person.”
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“You can really get lost because you’re treated quite strangely,” she added. “When that’s your only reality, it’s pretty weird.”
Speaking from her home in Sydney, Australia, Wasikowska told the online publication that a number of back-to-back projects have left her wondering if life in the industry is leading to burnout, noting the mistreatment of rising female artists.
“I didn’t really like the lifestyle of going back to back. I felt really disconnected from any larger community,” she said. “I had been doing this since I was 17 – well, more like 15 – but I really worked a lot from 17. I spent 10 to 15 years completely like, new city, new country all three months, and it’s like starting school all over again every few months.”
The 33-year-old explained that it’s “really difficult” not having a home base at a young age and being constantly on the move. She noted that the Hollywood lifestyle might work for some who think “earning is good,” but it didn’t work for her.
In a December 2022 interview, Wasikowska said The Sydney Morning Herald that “playing the game” and being pressured to be a certain way to get an acting role “isn’t worth it”.
“At some point, you’re like, ‘Who is this for? Is this for me, or is this for the company that’s releasing the film?’ All the weird things you have to do seem stupid,” she said.
Since stepping down, Wasikowska said she has focused on staying grounded.
“I wanted to establish that for myself on a personal level and feel more of a place where I belong, not just on a film set that wraps up every few weeks,” she told Indie Wire.
However, she did not completely give up acting. After moving back to Australia in the late 2010s, the actor continued to work on a variety of independent projects. Her latest film, “Blueback,” where Wasikowska plays an oceanographer trying to save a rare fish from poachers, is in theaters now.