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Essie Davis: Our Chat With The Aussie Actress Joining The 'GoT' Cast

From Miss Fisher and Babadook to Thrones royalty.
The Tasmanian-born actress will make her GoT debut in season six.
Getty Images
The Tasmanian-born actress will make her GoT debut in season six.

When Essie Davis found out she'd be joining the cast of "Game Of Thrones", she'd only seen a few episodes and admittedly, hadn't yet fallen victim to George RR Martin.

"After I got the call there was a serious 50-hour catch up. And yes, I understand now," Essie Davis told The Huffington Post Australia.

Davis has just arrived from London where she resides with her husband and two children. She's in Australia following her Gold Logie nomination for her role as Phryne Fisher in ABC's "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries."

Set to make her GoT debut as a version of Cersei Lannister this week, Davis remained tight-lipped on her character's plotline, though if her past few roles are anything to go by, we can expect complete captivation.

Case in point: her starring role in the 2014 psychological thriller, "The Babadook."

The low budget film shot in Adelaide made waves at Sundance with Rolling Stone dubbing it "the scariest movie of the year."

Playing Amelia, a widowed mother whose young son is haunted by visions of a monster from a bedtime story, Davis describes the 12-week production as "exhausting".

"It was depleting and incredibly hard work but it's something I'm very proud of. We did a lot of work on movement which helped with Amelia's transformation," Davis said.

The filming process was elongated as Davis would have to do whole scenes again without Noah, the six-year-old actor who plays her son, instead with a stand-in on his knees while she would do a "more lethal version."

Elizabeth Debicki, Justin Kurzel and Essie Davis attend the Premiere of 'Macbeth' during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. (Photo by Clemens Bilan/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Elizabeth Debicki, Justin Kurzel and Essie Davis attend the Premiere of 'Macbeth' during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. (Photo by Clemens Bilan/Getty Images)

Upon completing the horror film Davis went straight onto the set of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" for its third season to play the hugely popular lady detective, Phryne Fisher.

"She's such a beautiful and appealing character. She's joyful, full of life and a little bit naughty. She's also highly skilled, can mingle with the rich and knows what it is to be poor."

Comparing "Miss Fisher" to "The Babadook", Davis said both roles were all-encompassing, though in stark contrast of one another.

"Amelia is the opposite of Phryne -- she's frail but perhaps becomes stronger than Phryne ever could be -- they were both completely immersive experiences," Davis said.

Both pieces have received acclaim but Davis has a self-effacing habit not to take too much of the credit.

Often being an actor is incredibly exposing and embarrassing, but it's very liberating when you do things that make you scared.

"With Miss Fisher I have an incredible team behind me who make me look fabulous every day, from Marion Boyce, the costume designer to the makeup artists who basically retrieve a crumbled piece of paper from the bin every day!"

Despite her cult-like status as the most impeccably dressed woman on television, Davis insists posing on the red carpet is not something that comes naturally.

No, off-screen Davis much prefers throwing herself into whichever character she is playing.

"Often being an actor is incredibly exposing and embarrassing, but it's very liberating when you do things that make you scared."

"You leap off that cliff and hope that people will catch you when hit the bottom," Davis said.

Whether in a 1920s velvet creation or completely undone -- fearlessness and elegance just come part of the package with Davis -- it's not surprising then, the world has finally "caught" this Tasmanian-born actress.

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