{"id":236747,"date":"2024-12-09T14:15:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T03:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/?p=236747"},"modified":"2024-12-12T13:31:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T02:31:33","slug":"loewe-tanzyn-crawford-interview-legacy-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/loewe-tanzyn-crawford-interview-legacy-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanzyn Crawford on joining the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe, crafting characters and wearing her hair down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tanzyn Crawford had never planned to go to acting school. \u201cI only ever auditioned for WAAPA [Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts], because one of my friends was auditioning and didn\u2019t want to do it alone,\u201d she tells me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had shot one short film together \u2013 it\u2019s how we met \u2013 so, I obviously had a love for acting, but I was studying wildlife biology and conservation at a different university at the time, and truthfully, was really quite happy with that path.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until Crawford received the news of her successful application, that she found herself at a crossroads. At the time, the switch to acting school felt like a temporary pursuit of a passion that would likely never eventuate to a career, leaving her \u2018serious job\u2019 behind to \u201cplay around and be a kid again\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Left: LOEWE dress and shoes. Right: LOEWE bag.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI went from studying chemistry to pretending to be a pelican and crawling on the floor imitating bugs, just having fun. At no point did I actually consider acting would be my future.\u201d Theatre and dance had always been a part of Crawford\u2019s life. In primary school, she was the first to put her hand up for the school play, and danced and performed in ballets her dance studio had produced. In all facets, storytelling was present; but it wasn\u2019t until the end of 2021, when the Perth-born-and-raised actor was well into her degree that she had her lightbulb moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember doing this one scene where it became a bit more real to me\u2026 This is actually something I really, really enjoy. That I love, even. And I actually think I have a shot at making this a career.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Left: LOEWE shoes. Right: LOEWE jacket, shirt, pants and shoes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like all good artists, Crawford followed that gut instinct and thank goodness she did. Just this year, the actor made her debut ‘starring’ role, as she likes to call it, in the Australian series Swift Street<\/em>, and successfully auditioned for, and filmed, the newest addition to the Game of Thrones<\/em> universe, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em>. In more ways than one, 2024 has been a year of creative fruition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first Zoom meeting I had with Tig [Terera], I could feel his creative passion through the screen. He presented me with so much information about my character, Elsie, [in Swift Street<\/em>], from the very beginning. It was like a 10-page look book about what she looks like, her past, how she presents herself\u2026\u201d Crawford shared.<\/p>\n

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Left: LOEWE cardigan. Right: LOEWE shoes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWas it difficult,\u201d I ask her, \u201cto allow for your own creative contributions when a character has already been so carefully crafted?\u201d \u201cI can understand how it can feel restrictive for some actors, but he [Tig] gave me so much creative liberty with it. He wasn\u2019t rigid about what I could or couldn\u2019t change, and he had such an incredible and diverse production team on set with all different experiences that there was such varied input in every character,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt was truly, authentically collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing what we know about the timelines that often come with a series like Game of Thrones<\/em> and House of the Dragon<\/em><\/a>, I\u2019m more than surprised when Crawford tells me that it was only a six-month window between her booking the role and finalising all filming and production for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em><\/a>. In the series, the actor plays the character Tanselle, a Dornish puppeteer during the reign of King Daeron II Targaryen (I apologise for the lore you might need to understand that sentence). But for anyone who might feel intimidated by the expansiveness of Game of Thrones<\/em>, and the wealth of world building that comes with it, Crawford assures me that, unlike the existing series\u2019, you don\u2019t need a Masters in George R. R. Martin and high Valyrian to follow along.<\/p>\n

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Left: LOEWE jacket, jeans and shoes. Right: LOEWE top, pants and shoes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em> is really fun because it\u2019s like a little side quest you can just hop into,\u201d Crawford shares. \u201cIt\u2019s six episodes, and sure, there\u2019s a little bit of lore from the other seasons, but it\u2019s mostly a standalone story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing what you know now,\u201d I ask, \u201cwhat would you tell a young Tanzyn?\u201d \u201cI would say, \u2018don\u2019t be afraid to wear your hair down,\u2019 and I mean that literally. I was so embarrassed about having an afro and having big hair, that it was always in a bun or a ponytail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, and don\u2019t pretend to have a boyfriend. You don\u2019t need to do that. Stop getting boyfriends.<\/p>\n

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Left: LOEWE dress, shoes and bag. Right: LOEWE dress and bag.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

To experience the\u00a0Legacy<\/em>\u00a0issue in its entirety, the November edition of\u00a0RUSSH<\/em>\u00a0is available on newsstands from 14 November and\u00a0through our shop online<\/a>. Read more about the inspiration behind the issue in\u00a0Jess Blanch’s editor’s letter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
PHOTOGRAPHY James Tolich<\/h5>\n
FASHION Hannah Cooper<\/h5>\n
TALENT Tanzyn Crawford<\/h5>\n
HAIR Kyye @ AP\u2014REPS using Sisley Paris<\/h5>\n
MAKEUP Peter Beard @ The Artist Group using Kryolan<\/h5>\n
PHOTOGRAPHER\u2019S ASSISTANT Chelsea Oh<\/h5>\n
STYLIST\u2019S ASSISTANT Koby Dulac-Daley<\/h5>\n
Special thanks to Plunkett Street Public School<\/i><\/h5>\n\n