Danielle
Macdonald
Stars in HBOMAX series
The Tourist
Danielle Macdonald’s most recent role is in HBO Max’s The Tourist as Helen Chambers, a traffic cop in an emotionally abusive relationship who gains confidence in her abilities as she helps “The Man” [Jamie Dornan] who, after an accident/murder attempt, suffers amnesia. Both “The Man” and Chambers essentially discover themselves throughout the series as they come closer to understanding who they are and what they are capable of. In her previous roles in Netflix’s Unbelievable, Falling for Figaro, and I am Woman- to name a few- Macdonald has demonstrated her incredible depth as an actor, however her role in The Tourist also highlights her undeniable charm that shines through in many of her portrayals. Macdonald tells us that she would pick Emma Thompson as her only friend in the world if she were in “The Man’s” position because “she has something innately warm and trustworthy about her,” which is coincidentally how we would describe Macdonald herself. This warm, animal-loving nature of hers might be one of the many reasons she plays Helen Chambers so well; Like Chambers, Macdonald is extraordinarily determined and someone you just simply root for. In our interview with her, she details her time working on The Tourist and playing Helen Chambers, shares what happiness is to her, and tells us whether she thinks people can change. Read below for our full interview!
I was scrolling through your Instagram and the amount of dog and cat pictures made me so happy! I’m really passionate about animal rescues too, what are some of your biggest passions outside of acting?
Well, you said it, definitely animals! If I go to a friend’s house and they have an animal of any kind, I’m far more likely to spend more time with them than my friend, to be honest. On top of that, I love traveling. My parents instilled the travel bug in me young, which was lucky for Exploring new cities, learning about different cultures- I love it.
Getting into acting, you’ve said in other interviews that you related to Lillian Roxon, noted journalist shown in I am Woman, because of her choice to leave Australia for the United States to pursue her career. What roles do you tend to gravitate towards- ones that you can deeply relate to, or those that are somewhat foreign to you?
Both honestly! When there is a character that I can truly relate to, it feels like I’m giving a part of myself to it which is really nice in a way, at times even cathartic. On the other hand, when I see a character that I can’t imagine myself playing, or having any relation to, it’s exhilarating trying to find ways to connect yourself to something so foreign and really forces you to discover a different side of yourself.
Now to your most recent role in The Tourist, you play Helen Chambers, a traffic police officer, who discovers her own potential while helping “The Man” uncover his identity after an accident causes him to lose his memory. The idea of memory loss is such a popular trope which I find to be really interesting. What do you think makes this concept such a popular base for a lot of film and TV?
I think, for audiences, everyone has had a moment in their life where they wish they could just press reset, or at the very least imagine what it would be like if they’d taken a different path. Using the memory loss storyline, it really allows audiences to see how this could play out. I think even though most people can’t relate to it on that base level, they can relate to the feeling of wanting a fresh start, and also, people love a mystery. It’s exciting getting to put clues together and try to figure out who people are as they themselves are finding out. Usually, we see characters that have lived a full life and we just get to see a snippet of who they are. There is something exciting about learning and growing as a character does. It helps the audience truly be a part of it.
Chambers is the first person “The Man” meets after his accident, so throughout the series she is considered his only friend in the world. For a bit of a fun question, if you could choose one person, who you don’t personally know, that you would have faith in to be your only friend in the world, who would you choose?
Oh wow. That is a GREAT question. And an incredibly difficult one. Hmm…I’ve truly never thought about this before. If I had to go with someone, my gut is telling me Emma Thompson. She just has something innately warm and trustworthy about her. I have never met her or talked to anyone who has, but there’s something there that makes me feel like she’d have your back.
Chambers’ motivation to help “The Man” ends up outweighing her fear of her emotionally abusive fiancé. What do you think spurs this in her?
I think it’s been inside of her. I think she has known deep down. I think seeing someone who sees the goodness in her and who isn’t afraid to tell her is just what she needed to hear. She has faith in herself, she’s been following her gut to help this man the whole series, and I think she just needed someone to trust her back, that way when the time came, she trusted herself to leave.
She has a whole arc where she decides to stop betting against herself. In your own career, do you feel like you ever had a moment when you experienced something similar?
I think there are definitely times where I have doubted myself and worried, without a doubt. I can’t say I’ve met an actor who hasn’t worried that they wouldn’t work again, it’s just kind of a natural place to go to when you’re in such an unstable industry. But I’ve always stayed, I’ve always persevered and I’ve always said, “next one.” You have to. You have to have faith in yourself in this industry, in any industry honestly, in life. So even when I have doubted myself, I have also managed to never even get close to quitting. I’m just a little too stubborn.
On a lighter note, one of my favorite scenes was the “dirty martini” scene. It was hysterical and seemed so fun to film! Was there a scene or a particular day on set that was your favorite?
That was one of the last scenes I shot actually, so at that point we were really comfortable with each other and it was just an easy scene to film. I honestly have so many great memories from that shoot. I made a lot of friends, and had such great times with the whole cast and crew. I think probably one of my favorite days on set was the shoot-out scene in the house in episode 3. It was the one time we all got to shoot together and we were on a sound stage so it was a controlled environment and we got to do some stunt work too. One of those days we actually managed to play a very prolonged game of “tag” that lasted about 8 hours!
One of the main themes of the show is based around whether people change. I’m going to throw a philosophical question at you- do you feel like people can change?
Yeah, I actually do. I hope so at least. I think there are parts of us that will always be there, I think there are some things we will always have to battle, but I truly do believe that there are circumstances which truly can cause us to change our whole perspective. We have to be open to it, but yes I do believe people can change, not every part of themselves, but significantly still.
In the series, Elliot/ The Man associates burritos with happiness. When I say happiness, what is the first word you think of?
Hmm another great question… honestly, first thing that comes into my brain is my animals, their smiling faces. Nothing can turn my mood around like seeing one of them just smile or do any number of cute things.
The Tourist was confirmed for season 2, congratulations! What are you looking forward to from Chambers next season?
I honestly have no idea where the story will go! I like to think that Helen keeps on gaining confidence in herself and her abilities. I hope that she continues to become more of a badass with a big heart and a love for helping people. I guess we will see…
