Anyone But You’s Charlee Fraser On First Nations Representation & The On-Screen Love Triangle With Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell's new rom-com, Anyone But You, has been on our radars since we first saw the stars frolicking in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. The film, which has garnered plenty of attention thanks to its adoption of the fake dating/enemies-to-lovers trope (the best trope, IMHO), is set to be one of our biggest reprieves from the hot summer sun, come Boxing Day, when it's released.

But while many group chats are busy hypothesising over the state of Sweeney and Powell's on-screen chemistry, there's one more person who should be making the rounds on our group chats — and that's Charlee Fraser. Fraser is best known as one of Australia's most successful models and as the first Indigenous Australian woman to have forged a successful modelling career overseas working with the likes of Chanel, Prada and Céline. Now, she's taking a dip into the world of acting.

The fact that her acting debut is in one of the hottest international releases of the year is not lost on the 27-year-old Awabakal woman. In fact, it seems like an intervention of divine proportions. "I've definitely had a lot of people approach me [during my modelling career] and asked if I'd considered acting before," she tells Refinery29 Australia. "It's so crazy because I would be like, I'm not chasing it, but if an opportunity presented itself, I'd explore it. Then lo and behold, one day an opportunity presented itself and here I am. I was like, 'Okay, did I, like, just manifest that for the last 10 years?'"

For the model-turned-actress, her casting in the film means much more to her as a First Nations woman. "The fact that I'm in films, especially as big as Sony — something that's global... the representation that I am a force for my culture is helping pave the way for others to come through. And the ones who were also before me have paved the way for me to come through."

"I think at the moment, the biggest thing is representation," she says.

"In everything I do, I find an element where culture really, truly exists," she says. Indeed, throughout her modelling career, Fraser has advocated extensively for First Nations people, mentoring the next generation of First Nations models and showcasing Indigenous musicians and artists as co-founder at Clearly Music Festival. However, she says that while she knows she wants to do something similar in the acting industry, she's still figuring out what 'tangible' actions she wants to promote. "The acting industry is new to me, so I'm still working out what I want that specific action to be in terms of something tangible," she explains. "I'm going to continue to work on how I can improve that and create more opportunities for Indigenous people as well in this space."

While many people have attempted a career pivot into acting, it's safe to say that none will have had quite a debut like Fraser. Anyone But You follows Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell), who have an amazing first date. But after a big misunderstanding, their fiery attraction turns ice cold — until they're thrown together at a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia. In an effort to solve all of their problems, Bea and Ben do what any mature adult would do: they pretend to be a couple.

Fraser's character is Margaret: Ben's hot Australian ex-girlfriend whom he's trying to woo. Playing 'the other woman' as an actress's first role might seem daunting, but for Fraser, it was really an exercise in understanding. "I had to find how I related to her in this particular moment of her life," she explains. "What I found relatable, which I think many of us can find relatable, is that when you're actually ready to find the one and you're ready to settle down, [there's] a process you start to go through."

In the film, her character is coupled up with a new fair-dinkum Australian bloke. But when she sees Ben (played by Powell), she realises he's grown up since they were last together and considers reigniting their old flame. "I found it relatable to be like, when you're ready to find the one and you start looking, you'll go through this process — and she goes through this process in the lifespan of the film," she says. "I found that that's how I was able to relate to her and play this role in the love triangle between myself, Glen and Sydney."

But while many films might pit women against each other in their vying for affection, Anyone But You doesn't fall into this cliché. In fact, both Fraser and Sweeney's characters are depicted as friends for most of the film, even running errands together like picking up wedding cakes. For Fraser, the friendship between her and Sweeney's character, Bea, was integral to the dynamic of the film and its characters. "I thought that was a really nice portrayal of that kind of dynamic. I was speaking to Ilana Wolpert [the writer of Anyone But You]... and we were discussing this dynamic," she recalls. "We don't want the audience to hate Margaret, we want them to root for her."

Fraser explains that though the story is about Ben and Bea's love, it's done in such a way that there's no villainising or ill-will against any of the other characters, especially the women, who might usually be pitted against each other in this type of story. "I thought that was really beautiful and I loved the way that was written."

While this might be Fraser's first foray into the acting world, it absolutely won't be her last. In fact, the First Nations woman has confirmed that she'll be part of George Miller's legendary new Mad Max film, Furiosa, of which she'll share the stage with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. Yes, this might be the first you're seeing of Charlee Fraser. But I'll bet you $20 she's about to be Australia's next big thing.