“You would never expect a girl from Stockton who is still in school and doesn’t have much acting experience to be in a movie and working with Martin Freeman,” said Simone, 13, who is in year seven at Callaghan College’s Waratah campus.

“It was my third time watching it but the first time my grandma, pop and six friends had seen it. They said my emotions were very powerful and were thrilled and excited and proud of me.

“I also felt very proud of myself – I put a lot of hard work into it and pushed my hardest to do my best.”

Simone has received high praise for her role as Thoomi in the apocalyptic Cargo, which hit cinemas this month. 

It was shot over six weeks during 2016 and had its world premiere at Adelaide Film Festival last October.  Simone, her grandparents and friends attended a May 16 screening and writer/co-director Yolanda Ramke and co-director Ben Howling’s question and answer session in Sydney. 

Simone is hoping strong ticket sales across the country will bring the MA15+ rated film to a big screen in the Hunter, although streaming platform Netflix, which has bought the world rights, is reported to be offering the film from June 8. 

“I’m getting used to the idea,” Simone said about the possibility of becoming more widely recognised. 

“My friends ask me for autographs as a joke and I wouldn’t mind if I am famous one day, but for now I’m just going to see where it takes me.”

Cargo tells the story of Andy, played by Freeman, who has been infected by a virus and has 48 hours to find a new home for his infant daughter. Brave and loyal Thoomi, who both fears and protects her own infected father played by Bruce Carter, tries to help Andy. 

Simone said she’d never seen any of Freeman’s performances before they met and she found him friendly, funny and helpful.

“Every time he swore he had to give me $2,” she said. 

“You would never expect he was an actor, if you saw him on the street you’d think he was a bus driver – he’s so down to earth.”

Simone, who has no formal acting training and filmed her audition in front of her backyard chicken coop, said learning the script wasn’t difficult.

“But showing my emotions and the angry scenes were harder because I’m not really that type of person,” she said.

“It was also tiring – we worked from midday to 2am and they had to give me sugar and lollies. 

“I kept thinking ‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this’. It was so much fun.”

Following Cargo, Simone auditioned in November 2016 for the Star Wars franchise and has since starred in NITV television series Grace Beside Me.

Her grandmother, Chris Bellotti, who Simone has lived with for nine years, said the family was seeking help to film self-taped audition videos so she can continue to vie for roles and explore her talent. 

“She’s very, very good at acting and a beautiful young lady,” she said.

“It’s been a couple of years since filming and she just looked like this tiny little girl.

“Even though I was there for every step of the movie and on set and seeing her doing her own stunts, I did not expect it to feel as real or as violent as it did. 

“Watching that big screen it wasn’t Simone, she really was brave Thoomi.”

Newcastle Herald