Introducing Mia Healey: Rising Aussie star

“Hollywood’s next generation of Aussie stars” – Sydney Morning Herald

Late last year, Sydney Morning Herald released its list of Hollywood’s next generation of Aussie stars – with Mia Healey named amongst a prestigious line-up of 10 rising talent. Likened to Margot Robbie, 2020 was the year in which Mia’s leading role opposite Rachel Griffiths in Amazon’s The Wilds was set to be released. But then Covid hit, and with it a new release date yet to be announced.

But despite this, and plans of moving to LA having to be put on hold, Mia is looking at the silver lining of it all – and so are we. With no Covid, Husskie wouldn’t have been lucky enough to call on Mia as the muse and model for our recent Terry Edit collection. The silver linings.

While we have absolute certainty that it won’t be long before the name Mia Healey is one familiar in all Australian households, we thought we’d use this time to do a little introduction of our own…

Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Sydney and spent the first 12 years here, but then I moved to rural NSW when I was 13 and finished school there in Burradoo.

Did you always want to be an actress or did you just fall into it?
I always knew I wanted to be an actor. My mum had been enrolling me in classes since I was 4 and I was constantly performing at school and any chance I got, really. As soon as I graduated and had the chance to audition for acting schools, I did. NIDA was always my first choice and studying there really felt like a dream come true at the time.

You’re starring in Amazon’s upcoming series The Wilds. Can you tell me a bit about this?
Yessss, I’m really excited about The Wilds. It has been a project that has been in my life for a few years now so I’m excited for everyone to see it. It’s a series about a group of young women from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds coming together to survive on an island after a plane crash. Every girl has a different story and the story takes place across three timelines for each of the characters, life before, on and after the island.

When and where did filming take place? Was this an incredible experience?
We filmed it in New Zealand, which was so epic because it’s obviously a beautiful country and I had never been there before. The experience as a whole was incredible, I made so many beautiful friendships and learnt a lot. Fu@*ing cold though!

Are you working on any other acting projects at the moment?
I have something exciting coming up in early 2021 but I can’t say too much about it at this stage.

What affect has Covid had on your career this year?
When COVID first hit, it definitely threw a massive spanner in the works. I was getting my Visa in order to move to LA, but like a lot of things, that had to be put on hold. It’s okay though, a lot more projects are coming to Australia now which has been and hopefully will continue to be amazing for our industry here. I love staying busy, but this break has been a good time to re-strategise and think about what kind of stuff I really want to be involved in.

On a day off, can you talk us through what we’d normally find you doing?
I’m pretty chill – I don’t play a sport or have a bunch of hobbies. Usually on my days off I’m reading scripts or just spending time with friends and family. I love visiting the country and hanging out with animals – that’s where I feel most relaxed. I love a drink and good food, so when restaurants and bars started opening back up, I was definitely hanging out there with friends, haha. I have had a lot of time off this year due to COVID and one thing I have started doing is… nothing! It’s been nice!

Are you a beach or city girl?
I wish I could sit here and say that I’m a beach girl, but I’m just not, haha. I LOVE the ocean, being in it and near it feels amazing, but it’s the sand that turns me off. So I guess the city.

How would your friends describe you?
The people that know me know that I am a fiercely loyal person. Ride or die kinda gal. I’m optimistic, passionate and just love a laugh… often at my own expense.

You’ve just modelled in Husskie’s Terry edit drop. What is your favourite piece from the collection and why?
Yaaaayyyy! Ahh, my favourite colour has always been yellow – so the Terry sweater and shorts in lemon for sure!

Five years from now… where are you and what are you doing?
Hopefully 5 years from now I’ll be just as happy and confident as I am now.