Phoebe Tonkin Will Take Your Breath Away in Boy Swallows Universe

Phoebe Tonkin is in the midst of a transformative period. Coming off a truly spectacular dramatic performance in Boy Swallows Universe—her new Netflix limited series based on the popular novel by beloved Australian author and journalist Trent Dalton—the actor has never been in a better place emotionally, physically, and professionally. "Some people learn how to skateboard for a movie, but I learned how to understand feeling peace and gratitude out of research for this role,” she tells us from her Los Angeles home. At 34, Tonkin is staring down the next phase of her career with a positive and confident outlook, which is "the best is yet to come.” 

Having spent the better part of 18 years in the industry, coming up in such YA television hits as Australia’s H2O: Just Add Water and the CW series The Secret Circle and The Originals, Tonkin knows well the art of navigating Hollywood’s unpredictable waters. Upon entering her 30s, a shift happened. She no longer feels the pressure of an expiration date and no longer feels the need to grab any role that comes her way. She can breathe a bit and patiently seek out the stories she’s interested in telling and the types of characters she’s excited to play. Enter Boy Swallows Universe.

Originally hitting shelves in 2018 before its screen adaption for Netflix, Boy Swallows Universe is a high-stakes coming-of-age story loosely based on Dalton’s own turbulent upbringing. Set in the suburbs of Brisbane, a city in Queensland, Australia, in the 1980s, the story centers on Eli Bell, a young boy whose older brother August is mute and whose mother, Frances "Frankie” Bell, is addicted to drugs and has a habit for getting romantically involved with the wrong men, like heroin dealer Lyle Orlik. When Eli discovers a red phone in an escape room of his house with a voice on the other end delivering prescient news, he embarks on a dangerous adventure to avenge a murder, finding love, unexpected friendships, and himself along the way. Across the series’ seven episodes, the viewer is taken on a wild, magical ride that is equal parts heart-wrenching and joyous, driven by truly fantastic performances. Tonkin is a particular standout alongside rising star Felix Cameron as young Eli.

Long before she nabbed the part of Eli’s mother Frankie, Tonkin was your average fan of Dalton’s most-talked-about work. She remembers the book being everywhere in Australia when it first came out. It was the book-club book at the time, and her mother gifted her with it for Christmas in 2019. When she got the job a few years later, Tonkin revisited the material, and this time, reading it was a bit surreal. Instead of picturing someone else as Frankie, she was picturing herself. The original text ultimately became Tonkin’s bible while filming. "Having a book, especially a book so detailed as Trent’s book, was so invaluable for creating this story,” Tonkin says. "Television is also a very different medium, but it just added such a strong foundation.” 

In addition to the book, Tonkin consistently referred back to an interview with Dalton where he explained his reasons for writing the book. "[Trent] shared that he was sitting with his mom, who Frankie is based on, in the garden with his young daughters. He shared that his mom turned to him and said, ‘I wouldn’t change anything in my life because it all led to this moment sitting here with you and watching my grandchildren dancing in the sunlight,’” she says. "For me, every time I would have a question about a scene or a line, it all just went back to that. … Even though things can be really hard and so unfair and so painful, there is something to be gleaned out of it. Hopefully, we’re all lucky enough to get to the end of our lives and look back at the patchwork of what got us there and think the same thing—that I wouldn’t have made any different decisions because I would have not wanted to change anything. For me, that was essentially the essence of the book and the essence of the show as well.”

Throughout the series, we see Frankie at different stages of her addiction—going through withdrawals, doing drugs, and recovering—but despite her sometimes questionable decision-making, Frankie’s love for her children is her North Star always. For Tonkin, this became her objective and driving force throughout the six months of filming. "Just because she doesn’t always make the perfect choice as a mother doesn’t mean she’s not a good mom, and it doesn’t mean she’s not trying to be a good mom, so for me, it was holding onto that piece of information. She just loves her kids so much, and she’s doing the best she can, and sometimes, that is it,” Tonkin explains.

Where the role became truly transformative for Tonkin was in the research. She immersed herself in as many books, blogs, and podcasts on addiction and recovery as possible. She read countless firsthand stories from people struggling with addiction themselves as well as their families. "I’ve always had so much compassion for people who struggle with addiction, and the stigma that people aren’t trying their best is just not true,” she says. "Looking at people’s stories like that versus this cliché idea of doing drugs, there’s a reason for it. There’s remorse. There’s guilt. There’s pain.” 

There’s a line in the show that says, "It gets so good that you’ll forget it was ever bad.” It goes back to the message Dalton shared about his mother: After it all, she has no regrets because it got her to where she is today. Tonkin still repeats that line to herself all the time, especially when things aren’t good. It’s a constant reminder that, despite any turmoil in life, there is still hope.

The character of Frankie demanded a lot from Tonkin physically and emotionally, but off-screen, she was the healthiest mentally and physically she’s ever been. "I was really taking care of myself so I could take care of Frankie’s performance,” she says. Tonkin admits she isn’t one to go method. It’s not a healthy place for her to be, nor does it serve her acting. Despite some particularly heavy shooting days, she would shake it off after the shot was complete. Oftentimes, after a long day of filming, she would come home, go to yoga (listening to Brené Brown’s podcast on the drive over), meditate, and cook dinner for herself. "I would go to work, and they would have to double-time to give me bags for the first time in my life because I was really taking care of myself,” Tonkin laughs. 

Tonkin is still living in the space of gratitude and self-care post-filming, and it comes across during our chat. She is makeup-free and glowing, and her energy is calming. Before we bid adieu and she jets off to Australia for Boy Swallows Universe press, I change the subject quickly to a topic we both love: fashion. Tonkin has been a Chanel ambassador for nearly five years, a lifetime by fashion standards. She counts herself incredibly lucky to have such a long-standing relationship with the legendary Parisian house, especially given its support of filmmaking and women in the arts. I ask which item in her Chanel collection is her favorite, and she flashes a smile before describing a little bag from the S/S 15 collection that says "Female First.”

She is currently working with stylist Emma Jade Morrison, whom she trusts entirely and loves for her ability to put pieces together in an unexpected way, like the literal bridal veil she paired with a strapless Oscar de la Renta dress for the Academy Gala back in December. But more so, it’s Morrison’s ability to understand and adapt to Tonkin’s ever-changing fashion moods, which can oscillate quickly from wanting to wear bows and look really girly to wanting to channel ’90s Christy Turlington.

 A fashion person at heart, Tonkin has long been and continues to be a Who What Wear muse, and we could agree more with the actor: The best is still to come for Tonkin—and we can’t wait to watch! 

Boy Swallows Universe is now streaming on Netflix. 

Photographer: Amber Asaly

Stylist: Emma Jade Morrison

Hairstylist: Amanda Lee

Makeup Artist: Melissa Hernandez