Danielle Macdonald returns as Helen Chambers in series 2 of The Tourist and reignites her complicated relationship with villain/hero Elliot, played by Jamie Dornan.
She has the role that thousands of other actresses would dream of, but it’s been a long time coming for the 32-year-old star. She’s been on our screens ever since 2010, when she first appeared as an extra in a short film.
After deciding that acting would be her life, Danielle moved to Hollywood at the age of 18. Here’s everything you need to know about The Tourist star Danielle Macdonald, including her frustration over frequent comments about her weight.
Who plays Helen Chambers in The Tourist?
Actress Danielle Macdonald stars as Helen Chambers in The Tourist series 1, which aired in early 2022. She returns in series 2, which starts on New Year’s Day 2024 at 9pm on BBC One.
In the first series, Helen Chambers is an Australian policewoman who suffers at the hands of her emotionally abusive partner Ethan. However, when the mystery of amnesiac Brit Elliot is thrown in her lap, her life is changed forever. And who wouldn’t want Jamie Dornan in their lap?
Over the course of the series, Helen found the strength to leave vile Ethan (hooray!) and shared a kiss with Elliot (double hooray!). Their sweet relationship had viewers rooting for them. Although their future ended on a cliffhanger at the end of the final episode.
In series 2, Danielle and Elliot are reunited. All we know about the plot so far is that the action is based in Ireland this time. The new episodes will also include several new characters as Elliot and Helen become embroiled in a family feud. Additionally, the BBC has teased that Elliot and Helen will be “confronted by friends and foes as they attempt to uncover the secrets of Elliot’s past”.
What is Danielle Macdonald famous for?
Danielle has wanted to be an actress ever since she was a child. She took performing arts classes in grade 8, and moved on to improv and screen classes when she was in grade 10.
When she was 17, Macdonald took some acting classes in Los Angeles and was encouraged to move to the United States to pursue a career in acting. After deciding that acting would be her life, Danielle moved to Hollywood at age 18.
She was originally booked for the role of Becca Huffstatter in the ABC drama series Huge, but her visa did not come in on time and she was unable to fill the role. However, she soon made up for it.
In 2010, she won her first role as an extra in the short film The Thief, where she played a cashier. She went on to get small walk-in parts in Glee, Newsreaders, and Pretty Little Liars.
After starring in the films The East, Trust Me, Every Secret Thing, and The Valley, Danielle played Sarah Craig in the TV series Toolies. She subsequently popped up in the series 2 Broke Girls, The Middle, and American Horror Story.
She was catapulted to fame after playing the lead role in the film Patti Cake$ in 2017, and went on to play pregnant Olympia in the Netflix thriller Bird Box.
In 2020, she played Millie Cantwell in the film Falling for Figaro, and subsequently won the role of Helen in The Tourist.
What movies has Danielle Macdonald been in?
Danielle’s first feature film was The East, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The same year, she starred as Delia in Trust Me, a movie about a former child star.
In 2014, Danielle starred as Alice Manning in the Dakota Fanning thriller Every Secret Thing. She played Mackenzie in the TV movie The Valley, and Ashley in The Rachels.
She hit the big time in 2017 when she played the titular role in Patti Cake$. The film followed aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, who was fighting an unlikely quest for glory in her downtrodden hometown in New Jersey.
The same year, she appeared opposite Saoirse Ronan in the award-winning film Lady Bird. In 2018, she played mum-in-jeopardy Olympia in Bird Box, who died a gruesome death in the Netflix thriller.
She also played Willowdean in Dumplin’ opposite Friends actress Jennifer Aniston. Willowdean (aka Dumplin was the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen. She signs up for her mom’s Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionising the pageant and their small Texas town.
In 2019, Danielle portrayed Chloe in dark thriller Paradise Hills, and Becky Wallace in high school drama Extracurricular Activities. She went on portray Lilian Roxon in I Am Woman, Millie Cantwell in romcom Falling for Figaro, and Madeleine the Medium in French Exit.
Has Danielle Macdonald lost weight?
She’s Australian, known for her comedic roles, and not a size zero, so perhaps it’s not surprising that Danielle has been compared to Rebel Wilson.
But Danielle has been dogged by comments about her weight all her life. None less so, when she visibly lost weight in the past few years.
Some sources suggest she lost more than 30 pounds after appearing in the film Patti Cake$ in 2017. It’s true, she looks much trimmer nowadays.
Speaking to The Independent in 202o, Danielle discussed playing plus-sized Dolly Parton-fan girl Willowdean in Dumplin’. During the film, the character challenges fat-phobic beauty standards.
Dumplin’ hit home for many young women, as it did for Macdonald. She said: “In high school, you’re trying to figure out where your confidence lies, what makes you feel good, what makes you feel bad. That was so relatable to me. I didn’t know that I could put that into words but then I read the book and I was like, ‘Wow, okay, yeah, that’s what it was’.”
Addressing some films attitudes to weight, she said: “It’s really not that simple to just be like, yeah I love myself. That’s not life.”
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Danielle on plus-sized representation
Talking about representation, Danielle admits she was 16 years old before she felt seen in showbiz, thanks to a Broadway production of Hairspray starring Maddie Baillio.
She explains: “What was so sad, and what actually makes me want to cry just thinking about it, is that I didn’t even realise I wasn’t represented. And I never even realised how much not being represented affected me. It was so cool to see. And especially on Broadway because I’m pretty sure there are no plus-sized people on Broadway.”
However, Danielle admits weight is not the only conversation. She said: “It feels amazing to have those kinds of conversations about body image in Dumplin’. That’s what that movie is about. But guess what? I don’t wake up every day and say, oh, let’s talk about my weight. It’s not something that affects me every day. So we should also be allowed to just do a film where it’s not even mentioned.
“In Skin and in Unbelievable and in I Am Woman, it’s not addressed. I’m playing a human being and it’s not about her weight or what she looks like, ever.”
How old is she?
Danielle Macdonald was born on May 19 1991. She grew up in Sydney, the daughter of an Italian accountant and a Scottish shipping executive.
That makes her currently 32 years of age.
Where is she from?
Danielle was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in Australia.
She attended the Australian Institute for Performing Arts in Artarmon, New South Wales. She moved to the States when she was 18 to pursue her love of acting.
Does Danielle Macdonald have a partner?
Actress Danielle Macdonald is thought to be single. She describes herself as shy by nature, and rarely talks about her private life in interviews.
According to reports, Danielle lives with roommates and a “menagerie of rescue pets in Los Angeles”. She has not been linked to anyone romantically.
Is she a vegetarian or vegan?
Danielle Macdonald is a huge animal lover. Animal welfare is important to her and she lived as a pescatarian for five years. However, she chose to convert to veganism at the beginning of 2020 after being inspired by her vegan roommates.
According to Allure.com, figuring out veganism was a large part of her quarantine experience during the Covid 19 pandemic. Aside from cooking, she spent the pandemic taking workout classes via Zoom.
Read more: BBC One’s The Tourist series 1 ending explained: What happened to Elliot and Helen?
Danielle Macdonald stars in The Tourist series 2 at 9pm on BBC One on New Year’s Day 2024. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Monday 1 January.
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