EXCLUSIVE: Nine Perfect Strangers' Zoe Terakes was "so terrified" to work with that A-list cast (2024)

WhenNine Perfect Strangerscame out, we were blown away by the A-list cast. And turns out, so was Zoe Terakes who stars in the highly-anticipated miniseries.

WATCH BELOW:Nine Perfect Strangers | New 2021 Drama Series | Official Trailer | Amazon Exclusive

Speaking of what attracted them to the role, Zoe admits that the underlying theme of 'nothing is quite what it seems' was a major pull.

"Without giving away too much, I think the vibe of Tranquillum and that whole resort ideology is 'nothing is as it seems, and nobody is what meets the eye'," they explain.

"I think there’s a real kind of serenity that everybody who works there embodies and then you scratch past it and it’s utter c**p! That’s why I think the show’s so great – it looks at duality of everybody in a really interesting way with the people who go to the retreat and the people who work there."

With co-stars including Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as well as Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall and Manny Jacinto, Zoe admits they were "so terrified" to meet their fellow cast members.

"Some of my favourite actors are in that cast and I didn’t quite know what to do with myself," they admit.

"It felt like the night before Christmas on the night before – I was in this hotel room and I was like ‘Oh my god!’"

But despite being some of the world's biggest stars, Zoe was blown away by how warm, open andgenerous every single person on set was.

"Everybody treated each other really equally which is amazing because they’re such stars but none of them ever made you feel like you were talking to a star. After a while we all kind of realised how weird everyone was – it was such a beautiful pack of weirdos and I think everyone really complemented each other. It became a bit like a family quite quickly, we all hung out all the time on weekends, it was really nice."

WATCH BELOW:Melissa McCarthy films behind the scenes of Nine Perfect Strangers. Post continues after video...

Though a lot of fun was had on set and they were closest with Grace Van Patten, who plays Zoe Marconi, Regina Hall, who plays single mum Carmel Schneider, was the biggest comedian of the cast in Zoe's eyes.

"I just think she is the funniest person I have ever met," they say.

"There was one day when it was really late at night and we were shooting on this big hill and it was so windy. Everyone was standing in silence between takes and then Regina just goes ‘Ok yes, I wrote The Iliad!’"

As for Nicole Kidman, who also serves as one of the show's executive producers, working with her was a career highlight for Zoe.

"Watching her work is so extraordinary. She’s so in-it and detailed and dexterous - it’s like a masterclass watching her work."

As well as being an actor, Zoe, who identifies as nonbinary and trans masculine, isa vocal advocate and activist for trans rights within the film and entertainment industry and on a global scale.

When asked if they think the industry is becoming more inclusive when it comes to representation, Zoe says: "I think I get impatient and I would like it to change faster than it is, but I think it would be ignorant to believe it hasn’t changed at all.

"There are layers to that change – I think it’s changed in a sense that when I turn on the TV, more than ever I see people that look like me, but I’m also still a white able-bodied person so there’s that."

Zoe adds that they feel there's still a long way to go interms of authentic representation and creating actual safe spaces for trans people, people of colour and disabled people in the workplace.

"There need to be people of colour in hair and makeup and trans people in wardrobe – it’s not just the face of a production that looks a certain way, it’s the behind the scenes too because that’s how you ensure the safety of everybody and that’s what authentic representation looks like," they explain.

"In terms of the visual representation and being able to see change, I think definitely we’ve come a long way, but there is a long way to go. If you walk onto a set and you still feel like a minority then what kind of change is that, really? If everyone around you is cis, white and male then it’s just for show."

WithNine Perfect Strangersover, Zoe has another project in the works, but will be heading overseas for it.

"A lot of my favourite actors are Australian, I think we’ve got some pretty extraordinary talent here," they remark, adding that they don't have a preference whether they work on home soil or in Hollywood.

"As long as they’re good people and it’s a good story, I don’t really mind where it is. I like Australia and I also like America. If the story’s good and there are no d***heads, f*** it!"