WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH OLLIE
IN THE FILM?
Well, he’s not quite where we expected to find him
in his career and he’s been somewhat humbled by
life. At the same time, he’s still Ollie deep down and
very much in this game for himself.
YOU’VE BEEN IN AMAZING THINGS LIKE
DIVERGENT AND THE FLASH SINCE THE
TV SERIES ENDED. HOW DO YOU THINK
THEY HELPED YOU AS AN ACTOR?
Dance Academy was my first regular acting job,
and it was so scary to me back then even just being
in front of the camera. I also struggle a bit with
imposter syndrome, so naturally I feel like I’m always
in over my head when I work (or do anything really).
But I was 100% more confident stepping back into
the shoes of Ollie this time round, and it allowed me
to play with the character and the scenes a whole lot
more, and just have fun.
YOU’RE A BUSY GUY, BETWEEN ACTING,
SINGING, DANCING... WHAT’S NEXT
FOR YOU?
A lot of this year will be focused on music, I can’t
wait to share what I’ve been creating.
DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE MORE
DANCE ACADEMY?
In terms of more Dance Academy,
it’s totally possible. I mean, we were all
just so excited to get to make this film,
and the fact that even after all these
years the fans are still relating to these
characters, that says something.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE RETURNING
TO DANCE ACADEMY?
It’s like coming home. Dance Academy holds
a special place in my heart and so do the cast
and crew. They’re my family and coming back
to shoot the movie with them was like no time
had passed... we were just a little older!WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
CHRISTIAN’S STORYLINE IN THE MOVIE?
Christian has finally found
his calling in life, teaching
dance to underprivileged
kids at a drop-in centre and
is very happy where he’s
at, but his girlfriend Tara
isn’t. She chooses to fly
across the other side of the
world to chase her dream
and it leaves Christian very
unsettled. He has to make
a big decision about
their relationship...WHAT ADVICE
WOULD YOU GIVE
TO READERS WHO
WANT TO HAVE
A CAREER IN DANCE?
Work hard. Like
unbelievably hard. You
can never stop learning
in this art form so don’t
ever be settled. But most
importantly, enjoy it
and love it.WHEN HAVE YOU
BEEN THE MOST
STAR-STRUCK?
I don’t really get star stuck
much, but I did meet Miley
Cyrus and she was a total
rock star!IF YOU COULD DANCE FOR ANY
SINGER/BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO
WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
Drake. I don’t think there’s one song of his that I don’t
like and his hits make me wanna dance every time.WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
I have two other films coming out this year. One is
called Lady Bird and the other is a secret. But I can
tell you it’s a revamp of a great franchise.Dance Academy is in cinemas April 6.Jordan Rodrigues
is back as Christian ReedKeiynan Lonsdale
is back as Ollie LloydCan Christian and
Tara make it work?
Or will success tear
them apart...girlfriend.com.au 28 girlfriendMAGINTERVIEW & WORDSBREE PLAYERIMAGESSTUDIO CANAL