Kat Hoyos on Chasing Comets, being versatile, and taking on the world
For her first feature film, Kat Hoyos knew she wanted to mount a particular role on the big screen. So, she brought a common genre with her — realism.
“My character Dee in Chasing Comets is a lot more natural than Layla from Here Come the Habibs,” the star confesses, referencing Australia’s habit in underplaying serious roles compared to Hollywood’s obsession with macho blockbusters and superhero bromances. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“We’re definitely subtler in our performances. The stories we tell can really make you take a look at your life and reevaluate it and have a little more hope for the future. Those are the kinds of projects I love.”
Enter a troupe of Australian cast members, an ambitious bunch of celebrities — Dan Ewing, Isabel Lucas, Stan Walker, George Houvardas, even Beau Ryan and DJ Havana Brown — who star in the AFL/NRL comedy drama loosely based on former footballer and now director Jason Stevens’ life.
“It’s funny, some of the cast have never had an acting job before!” Hoyos explains. “For Beau and Havana, it was their first debut on the big screen. In showbiz, we’re a community, becoming more empowered and realising we don’t have an expiration date to our relationship. Everyone pitched in — including my mother when it came to providing food for the entire cast and crew.”
And Kat’s character reflects Australia’s diverse, ever-growing collective of women on the career rise and grind. “What do you do when you’re the daughter of a football coach? What’s her life like?” Hoyos wonders. “I always feel so connected to my characters and Dee has a lot of morality and soul, challenging Dan Ewing through the crossroads he goes through in the film.”
Thus, alongside her skills in acting, singing and dancing, Hoyos says she’s “looking to be where the action is.”
“I adore both the stage and behind the camera, and you can’t make me choose between them,” she says. “Where there’s work, that’s where I’m headed right now. Australians are impressionable all over the world — moving this way or that — but you can’t ever lose where you come from. Hollywood will always have something to offer, it can wait.”
Needless to say, Hoyos’ sights are trained firm on changing the game for women and the entertainment industry in Australia.
“Chasing Comets is one of those real family movies for all types of people and cultures. The film you can enjoy without hearing the political controversies we’re going through as a country.”
Chasing Comets is out in cinemas now.
Patrick Tadros
