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Rose Byrne is one of Australia’s biggest exports, having made a name for herself in comedy and drama since 1994.
Yet despite huge success both here and overseas, surprisingly, her Golden Globe win on January 12 marked her first mainstream US award.
From her early beginnings as a child star to breaking into Hollywood, her A-list relationship and more, we take a look at the life and career of the Aussie star.
Growing up in Sydney
Rose was born Mary Rose Byrne in Balmain, Sydney on July 24, 1979.
The youngest of four children, she aspired to have a career in the arts from a young age.
At eight, she joined the Australian Theatre for Young People, where she honed her skills – landing her first film role in Dallas Doll at the age of 13.
“It was so wild and fun. I’d just done theatre programs, and this was like a proper set,” Rose, 46, told the Aussies in Hollywood podcast in December 2022.
“But my parents were very, very grounded and down to earth and were constantly telling me, ‘You’re going to finish school and go to university. And this is just some fun.’
“And so they were very determined to sort of keep my feet on the ground, I suppose.”
The film that put her on the map
Starring alongside Heath Ledger in 1999’s Two Hands was a “real turning point” in Rose’s career.
Not only did the film open the actress up to the world, but she forged a life-long friendship with her late co-star that she still treasures deeply.
“We were just, like, kids doing this dirty little Aussie movie in Sydney on Bondi Beach. I think that charm and innocence of it really shows through,” she told Aussies in Hollywood.
“Heath really shines, he just popped. And he was such a big-hearted, generous person and friend for years and helped me a lot coming over here [to the US].
“And it’s very, very sad, he was gone way too soon, obviously.”
The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, leading Rose to land an agent and move to Los Angeles part-time.
Dividing her time between Hollywood and Sydney, where she was “working pretty consistently” while still in university, working on her degree, Rose’s career really began to take off.
The hits start rolling in
Rose’s first big Hollywood movie was 2004 epic Troy, alongside Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger and fellow Aussie Eric Bana.
Three years later, the TV series Damages, in which she starred with Glenn Close, cemented her in the States as one to watch.
The accolades came thick and fast, nominated for multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award, among others.
“I felt very intimidated by Glenn,” Rose admits. “But the writing was brilliant, and my character was also in over her head.
“It’s a high-concept, kind of legal, stylish thriller tone. And that was the trickiest part for me.”
Moving to New York City for the role, Rose still calls the vibrant city home today.
“[Damages] was a real turning point in terms of career and personal life living here and being part of that,” she reflects.
“I had studied here at the Atlantic Theater Company for four months, lived here, and then came back to shoot the show and ended up staying.”
During this period, Rose also made the films Get Him To The Greek (2010) and Bridesmaids (2011) – both of which were huge hits.
Get Him to the Greek introduced Rose to director Nick Stoller, who has since become a frequent collaborator.
Following Bad Neighbours (2014) and its 2016 sequel, they reconnected for Apple TV series Platonic – which was renewed for a third season in December.
No one-trick pony
In an industry in which it’s all too easy to be pigeonholed, Rose has made a concerted effort to avoid that pitfall.
She seamlessly segues from heavy-hitting dramas to laugh-out-loud comedies and gripping horror roles from project to project.
“One of my favourite shows ever is Fawlty Towers with John Cleese, and his performance as Basil Fawlty. That physical comedy was always such a huge influence on me,” Rose says.
“And then I’m a huge Julia Louis-Dreyfus fan: Elaine Benes in Seinfeld, and all her physical comedy.
“I think, as an actor, you’re terrified of getting pigeonholed into anything and you want to try other things.”
Golden Globe-winning role
In her latest role in the psychological drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Rose plays therapist Linda, a mother on the brink who’s struggling to juggle her career with caring for a sick child.
Her searing portrayal earned her her first Golden Globe award, for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
“Anything dealing with motherhood and shame around motherhood, whether it’s disappointment, failure – she’s got this line in the movie, ‘I wasn’t meant to do this’ – these are pretty radical things to say,” Byrne told the Los Angeles Times.
“People aren’t comfortable with that. So performance-wise, that was the hardest part because it was like a tightrope, the tightrope of this woman.”
Accepting her award in front of her peers and brother George, a clearly emotional Rose gave a special shout out to her parents watching in Australia.
“Thanks to my mum and dad, who bought Paramount+ so that they could watch the Golden Globes from Sydney,” she said.
The actress went on to reveal her shock and delight at the low-budget flick’s recognition.
“We shot this movie in 25 days for, like, $8.50,” she said. “This is a tiny film so this is a huge thing to be up here.”
A Hollywood love story
Rose and fellow actor Bobby Cannavale, 55, were introduced by mutual friends in 2012.
Though they refer to each other as “husband” and “wife”, they’re yet to marry.
Together they have two sons, Rocco, born in February 2016, and Rafa, born in November 2017.
“He is one of a kind, man!” Rose told InStyle in 2017. “He’s endlessly interesting an entertaining. When something is special, it’s hard to articulate it, but I feel really lucky.”
Bobby wasn’t on hand to cheer Rose on as she won her Golden Globe, with the actress recalling the hilarious reason for his absence during her speech.
“I wanna thank my husband, Bobby Cannavale. He couldn’t be here because we’re getting a bearded dragon and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey,” she revealed to much laughter.
