Phoebe Tonkin has been levelling up. The Chanel ambassador and Australian actress has continued her evolution with recent, bold roles in Boy Swallows Universe and Kid Snow, and is now starring in and producing a new Australian crime drama series. At what feels like a pivotal moment in her career as she takes on more intense projects and backs herself, we caught up with Tonkin at the Chanel SS25 show in Paris:

You’ve played some very raw and vulnerable roles this year. What have you taken from these roles?

I feel like working in Australia always feels like such a collaborative experience. It doesn't matter the scale of the project, specially with Boy Swallows Universe, as heavy as the subject matter was, it was such a beautiful, inspiring experience. And so even though the roles are dark, the experiences have just been really positive.

Have you connected with people who have reached out to you that have been through similar experiences that have appreciated how you've taken on that role?

Yeah, for sure. Obviously Trent Dalton was so imperative to the experience and getting to meet his mom, who Frankie is based on. It's such a delicate subject matter and even in the writing they did a really beautiful portrayal of the struggles of addiction and the struggles of the choices that you make for your family. For me, forFrankie, I just kept saying she is just trying to be the best mum that she can be. Sometimes those decisions aren't necessarily the best ones but in the moment the best decisions for her to make for her family.

Who would you love to work with, in terms of directors?

Well, here at the Chanel show, I was sitting across from Greta Gerwig and I just adore her. Sam Taylor-Johnson, too. When I was in high school she was a photographer and did a series called The Crying Man. I would sneak out of school and catch the ferry to go see it at the museum by the harbour. There’s some great Australian directors, too, like David Michôd, Kitty Green, Natalie Erika James. There are so many I’d love to work with.

You’ve been an ambassador for Chanel for many years. What's been the best part of this association?

I was just feeling quite emotional sitting here [at the show] because I feel so lucky. I don’t know what number show this is but you see the same girls at these events, you know, Whitney [Peak], Margaret [Qualley] and Caroline [de Maigret] sitting opposite me and it really feelies like a family. This show was unbelievable, there was something really special about being back in the Grand Palais.

Which looks did you love from the collection today?

There were so many fantastic looks. In particular I loved the sheer open knit crochet dress with a bow. The sunglasses with the feather detailing and the Peter Pan collars made of feathers on relaxed suiting really stood out. Everything was wearable and fresh, while still feeling as though it innately represented the Chanel woman.

You were recently part of the Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program. How was that experience?

Yeah, I went to the lunch while I was in New York, and it was such an intimate lunch. Sitting there with Maggie Rogers who is such a beautiful artist, and Olivia Wilde, who's another director who I adore and think is so talented, it was so inspiring. Chanel does a really good job at providing that. Exciting, creative minds.

The music today at the show was great. What’s on your playlist at the moment?  

The music was amazing, and when Riley's sang her cover of When Doves Cry, I was dancing in the front row. What have I been listening to? I love Alex G. Just by default, Sabrina Carpenter is playing all the time on the radio. I let my Spotify go and shuffle and it can be anything from Radiohead to Alt J to Taylor Swift. It’s a mix.

What's something you're passionate about? Something not related to film or fashion that you want to use your platform for?

So I've recently become an ambassador for Plan Australia. They are incredible and the work that they do for equality for girls is so powerful, in the way that they're able to reach parts of the world. I feel really honoured that I get to work with them. On October 11th it’s the Day of the Girl which I'm really excited about, to help share their messaging and advocate for all the work that they're doing because it's really, really important.

What's next? What are you working on?

There's a couple of things that I'm interested in. There's a show that I'm producing with Troy Lum at Brouhaha [Productions]. That’s based on a book called The Dark Lake. We're kind of in the early stages of that. It’s in the genre that I like, in the world of Sharp Objects, crime, small town. It’s quite dark so I’m really excited. Other than that there's a few things that I kind of have been reading and looking at.

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