Australian actress Claire Lovering is one of the stars of Prime Video's new comedy heist movie ‘Play Dirty', where she stars opposite a star-studded cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield and Keegan-Michael Key.
Lovering earned her stripes in the industry in Australia before relocating to Los Angeles. In ‘Play Dirty' she gets to show off her impressive comedy chops in the supporting role of Brenda, one of the merry band of thieves that the film revolves around.
I caught up with Claire to talk about her experiences on ‘Play Dirty', to discuss her job working in a cinema back in Australia, and to find out how L.A. is treating her…
You're currently starring in ‘Play Dirty' and the film is quite a riot, isn't it? You're among an incredible cast. What was it like to be part of it?
It was so amazing. It shot in Australia last year, Chai Hansen and I were two Australian actors that were cast as leads in the film. It was so unexpected and such an honour really to work with Shane (Black). He's such a master at what he does. It's such a star studded cast as well so working with an ensemble cast, where everyone is such a legend in their own right at what they do, to be a part of that was really cool.
The dynamic between the cast is so good on that film, but particularly between you and Keegan-Michael Key. You get some really great moments. What was it like playing opposite him?
Oh, thank you so much. It was amazing. He's so great at what he does and I was already a big fan of Key and Peele, so I was pretty excited. I started rewatching it in preparation, then I had to stop watching it 'cause I started psyching myself out 'cause he was so good. I only met him the day before we started filming. We came together with Shane and we came up with a few ideas for Ed and Brenda, that they're dynamic was that they'd been married for 10 years and they really loved each other, but they also knew how to push each other's buttons and that they got a real kick out of stealing. They (don't steal) 'cause it was coming from a place of desperation; they do it just for fun. Sitting in that playful area meant that within the group it was less high stakes for us and we weren't as badass. Everyone else is pretty serious and we are just there for fun, which is a great place to sit in when you're in an ensemble. Shane was really collaborative and really wanted us to bring our offers and our ideas. We would each individually think about the scenes in the lead up and then on the day we'd come together and share our ideas. We'd pick and choose from each other's ideas and then pitch to Shane. He would have his own ideas and then it would evolve or we'd add a bit of detail to what was already there 'cause the scripts were already so great. On the day we'd just play as well and Shane often left the camera rolling to see what happens at the end. I really [00:02:00] loved working with (Keegan-Michael Key). He's such a generous actor and such a kind person. It's been beautiful to see that it's translated and people really enjoy watching our, dynamic in the movie.
I don't want to give away too many spoilers for those that haven't seen the film yet but the scene with Ed and Brenda in the train control room is hilarious. I was laughing my socks off as chaos unfolds and the controllers have no idea what's going on…
(The actors in that scene) were good sports. That scene took all day and, it was really great to be able to throw stuff to them and see what they do with it. It was like literally having a room full of actors hostage and they had to respond. The Bruno Mars line I made up because Keegan and I would play a game where we looked at the extras and would pick what celebrities they look like. There's a few things that we added in that we were just having fun and playing, which was really cool.
From seeing you in this film, it feels like you are a natural at comedy. Is comedy something that you particularly love doing?
Yeah, it is. It's funny 'cause when I went to drama school, I kept being like, ‘put me in the Chekhov', and they were like, ‘ nope, you're doing the Alan Ayckborn comedy'. I didn't really realize that comedy was my thing until five years out in the industry. I booked a TV commercial and I started to be like, ‘oh, I think this is the thing that's gonna be my niche'. It's been a case of the industry has affirmed that for me. They're the roles that I tend to do more often than anything, which is great because it's so fun. I really love it. I know some actors find comedy scary, but if I have to cry in a scene that's way scarier to me than trying to make everyone laugh.
They say comedy's the hardest thing to get right, because people think that they're good at being funny, but so few people are. There's a very small group of people who can do it well and you are among them so that must feel pretty special?
Thank you. It's something that's always come quite naturally to me. Because my mom's English I grew up on British comedy, so I love Ricky Gervais and I like used to like ‘The Office' and ‘Green Wing'. I just worked with Sally Phillips as well, which was really cool. It's just something I inherently can do but I think also the funniest people don't think they're funny. I'm not gonna start a standup comedy career anytime soon… just keep my confidence intact.
What was it like working with Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield for ‘Play Dirty'. They're both such great actors with such great acting credits. Did you get to learn anything from them?
Because we were part of the gang together, we definitely had a lot of time on set, hanging out. I learned a lot from both of them actually. Mark is a real pro. He was there on his mark on time, lines down, there to do the job. A lot like Parker, his character, in that respect. I learned a lot about professionalism and work ethic and that culture on a film set starts from the top down. He set a very high standard in terms of professionalism. LaKeith is just such an amazing actor and spontaneous. When he's acting, it just feels like he's pulling it from somewhere else. He's really organic and instinctive and intuitive and really surprising. I'm like, did he pre-plan that or does that just come from just divine inspiration? He's very fearless as well and incredible at improvisation and ad lib. I learned a lot from watching him as well. They're both really excellent in their own right.
I understand that we have something in common. When we were both younger, we worked in cinemas. I really thought it was the best job ever. Do you look back fondly on those days?
Yeah, they were the best days ever. I look back very fondly on that time. The cinema I worked at was an art house cinema. I really love art house films. It was just a time in my twenties when your work colleagues are your family in a way and when you're friends with everyone; you really look forward to going to work. And the perks of that job… I would get free movies and half price from the bar snacks and whatever. We had wine and cheese boards and all sorts. It was just an amazing way to stay connected to the industry and also feel creatively inspired. It became very a really nice ritual at the end of a shift, I would go and watch a film… I saw so many films as well. Even now, I can afford a movie ticket, but I'm like, ‘maybe I should get a job back there just for the perks', but no, because I did have to clean toilets.
Oh, I never had to do that when I worked at the cinema. I did have to work the ice cream counter and the hot dog counter but it sounds like you worked in a much more upmarket cinema than I did. When you were working there, were you harbouring dreams of being on the big screen one day?
Yeah, definitely. I remember one time I wrote and produced and starred in a one woman play. I had flyers for it and I put them out on the counter of the cinema and made sure they were always front and centre. It was definitely my dream at that point and I think, a lot of my colleagues there also had similar hopes and dreams. I remember one time I booked a TV show and I thought it was gonna be my big break. I said, ‘guys, I'm out. All the best. Watch me on TV!; And then the TV show came and went, didn't get renewed, and I had to go crawling back and ask for my job back. The manager was like, ‘weren't you like meant to be on TV?', They made me really beg and grovel. Actually I went back because a TV show I did premiered at one of their cinemas this July. My old manager, that made me grovel, was working behind the till and it was a nice full circle moment. I didn't go up and say ‘remember me?' but it was a nice full circle moment because i'm not sure everyone really thought I would get here.
No one ever thinks someone is going to make it. The journey is so tough with so many ups and downs. What was it like for you?
I graduated from after high school and I got straight into drama school when I was 17 so everything was lining up. I graduated drama school and I got signed by a great agent and I won the awards at the end of drama school, best showcase and that kind of thing. I thought everything was working out for me. Then I moved to Sydney from Perth and everything just took way longer than I thought it would, and I found it really hard to get my foot in the door in theatre in particular. I didn't get to step on a stage for the first four years. I kept working, doing plays in other states, but Sydney was particularly cliquey and it was a really long drawn out process. I'd get a play and then I wouldn't work for a year, or I'd get a guest role on a TV show and then I wouldn't work. It's been really slow and steady for me. There's definitely been ups and downs. I've been forced to really question whether it's something I want. I've definitely had a few, what do they call it? Dark night of the soul where I've really questioned objectively, is this working out for me? Is this the best thing for me to be doing?
I think that's really healthy because I think some people maybe just are attached to an idea and then they don't stop because their self-worth or their identity is attached to it. It's been really healthy for me to continually interrogate whether it's right for me. I ended up signing with a voice agent about eight years ago and that ended up really taking off for me. That meant that I was able to let go of all my casual jobs because I was able to earn a living from that. After COVID, I started to get these screen jobs one after the other and I haven't done theater in the last four years 'cause it's just been back-to-back screen work with the voiceover work. It feels like the trajectory's (has been slow) and now it's going a bit more exponentially. It's been a very long process, that has meant that I've really built up my resilience, which I think you need to have a career in this industry. I wouldn't change it, but I'm very grateful to the me that stuck it out because they were the hardest years.
You're in L.A. now. How have you found that compared to Sydney?
I really love it. The first trip to L.A. I didn't make it about the industry. I just made it about could I live in this city? What do I like about it? I did an e-bike tour down to Venice and I did a TMZ bus tour around famous people's houses. I just tried to be like, ‘okay, what's this city like outside of the industry?' I really loved it and I loved how friendly everyone is. I love the weather, I love the blue skies. It reminds me a lot of Perth where I grew up. Then what I've done is I've drip fed the industry stuff into my life because I think it's important to have a life outside of that first and foremost. That's a part of it but it's not who you are or what you think about all day, every day. That's been really amazing. It's definitely a much more competitive pool but I know that I've chosen that. I feel like in Australia I was pretty established. A lot of friends were like, ‘what are you doing? You've got everything you need. You've got it all figured out over here', but I just really want the challenge and to put myself in that bigger pond and be up against the best of the best. I'm excited by that challenge.
People either absolutely love or absolutely hate L.A. There's no in-between. I love it and I day dream about getting back to the Farmer's Market for red velvet cookies…
People have said that LA is like a mirror and it reflects where you are at. For me, it's definitely where I'm meant to be, but it does also feel like home. My mom would be mortified at the thought that I'm not coming back to Australia. I feel inspired and motivated here which is a really great feeling.
Christmas is just around the corner, as is 2026, what's it looking like on the work front for you?
I just shot a TV show in Hong Kong this year called ‘ The Season' which has just been announced is going to be on Hulu next year. I'm currently doing ADR for that. A short film I did has just played at Scream Fest at the Chinese theatre and it's going to Austin Film Festival next week. I'm still doing my voiceover. I'm the voice of a few big brands in Australia so I'm still doing voiceover work back to Australia until the end of the year. I'm also currently doing classes at Groundlings, which is really fun. On top of that, just reading scripts, auditioning and that sort of thing. I've got a pretty full dance card at the moment with all that and it's been a very big year for me. I did a show called ‘Austin' which is an ABC/BBC co-production. Season two of that will come out in England soon. It's been a long year, so I'm pretty ready to wind things up and head back home for Christmas.
It sounds like you've packed a lot in in 2025…
I packed up my apartment in Sydney and whittled my possessions down to two suitcases. I've been living out of two suitcases since February and I don't know if that's why the year's been so long? Or if it's because I've done two TV shows, one in Hong Kong, I went and lived with my partner in Adelaide, I've come here, we've been promoting the movie and gone to New York for that. I keep looking at it and being like, it's only October. Usually years fly by. I don't know if it's because I'm living the suitcase life? When you're traveling, you are way more aware of your surroundings and present and 'cause it's new environment every day. It's been a long year (laughs).
Closing out our interview, would you be interested in revisiting your ‘Play Dirty' character Brenda again in a sequel or a spin-off? I feel she's ripe for a spin-off…
Totally I would, I love Brenda. She's not far from me in terms of character. I'm pretty playful in that regard. Working with Keegan again would be incredible 'cause he's so amazing. I would love to revisit her. She's not a hard character to inhabit. Because she's playful, I can smile and if someone makes me laugh in a scene, I can laugh. There's an ease to her that's really fun to inhabit. So yes, to a spinoff or a sequel or whatever. I would definitely sign up.
I think there's a really good story there to tell the prequel of how Brenda and Ed got together and turned to a life of crime. I want to see where that all came from…
Oh, let's start a petition (laughs)
‘Play Dirty' is available to stream on Prime Video now. Watch the trailer below:
