Meet Ella Proberts. The budding actress and advocate is chatting with HOLR about the latest major milestone in her career, as well as her passion for leadership and social justice.

Ella Proberts is making waves in the film industry with the release of her debut Disney film, The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay (2022), which is now available to stream on Disney+! From her life in the limelight to her passion for social justice, the actress and advocate is sharing her career to date with HOLR in an exclusive interview, below.

Tell us about your journey in the film industry- how did you get started?

I started out quite young- I was in first grade- and my best friend was taking these drama classes at the time. She would always talk to me about these amazing drama classes at school, and she made it sound like a magical place! I begged my parents to do it, and they let me! It was a place where I could go and have fun. My entire first-year class ended up doing this drama class and it was such a fun place to meet people who were like-minded.

All throughout primary school and middle school, I did it there. Even in high school, too! I did some commercials during the start of high school and did an episode of Mako Mermaids, which was exciting at the time!

I took a break with acting during Year 12 when that school pressure comes onto you, and you have to think about what you really want to do with your life. I thought there was a lot of pressure and risk in acting, so I took the Law route! However, when I finally got in, I realized that I didn’t have that same passion and love for life I had when I was in drama class. I ended up trying to get an agent and change my life around to include more acting, so that’s where I am today.

You recently had your film debut, in which you starred in Disney’s The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay (2022) as ‘Daniela’ (now available to stream on Disney+). Tell us about this experience.

Dolphin Bay was such a fun set! It’s a young kids/young adults family film. All the crew tried to keep the vibe of a young adult’s film, so it was super positive, with no swearing, etc. I loved maintaining that energy throughout the day because it was really cool and uplifting. I had so much fun all the time.

The castmates were so much fun and energetic. Isabella Rose was 1 when we filmed it and we worked really long days but she was super professional. She acted like a leader for all of us which was amazing. She was an inspiration for everyone. Jayden is hilarious. if you see the film he’s just as funny! Allegra is hilarious as well.

It was so great.

You’re passionate about leadership and social justice. Can you talk to us about your role as Regional Leader for Girl Up Australia and New Zealand?

Girl Up is funded by the UN Foundation, it’s one of their initiatives to promote female leadership and advocacy. I went to an all-girls high school and there was a big focus on volunteering there. There was a massive culture in my school to volunteer and pack packages for homeless women. It was such a nice culture.

Leaving school and realizing that wasn’t normal, having a place like Girl Up where I could continue that connection and help other people was great. It works with girl-led clubs that are set up in schools, etc. to raise money for initiatives. There are Girl Up clubs in 130 countries now which is crazy to me. We’ve met so many amazing girls from Africa, America, England, etc.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment you can share with our audience? What’s next for you?

I got a small role in a film called The Edge, coming up. I’m friends with the Creator and she’s really cool! She directed and starred in it and it’s all about women in sports. I grew up as a gymnast, competing on the weekends, training so I come from a place of understanding that pressure in sports. She focuses on women and the issues they face, and she’s able to shed a light on them.

Other than that, I’m working on a writing and production mentorship with the American Arts Film and Television Academy. I’m working on a couple of projects which are new and very exciting!

Published by HOLR Magazine.