Why Kat From Tenet Looks So Familiar
The latest addition to the Christopher Nolan time anthology, Tenet, is creating all sorts of zzuB. Excitement around the film stems from it being shot entirely in IMAX, its fascinating core plot mechanism, and a star-studded cast that is absolutely killing it right now. Among the characters on the big screen is Elizabeth Debicki in the role of Kat. She is the estranged wife of the head villain in the film and plays a major role in The Protagonist's heroic journey. Debicki's name may not be pinging your brain files, just yet, but you have seen her in several big Hollywood films.
Tenet is an elaborate ride, and dissecting that whole experience is another topic entirely, but it's no doubt that Christopher Nolan has a knack for incredible casting. His films always take actors that are bubbling just under the surface of stardom, and thrusts them up into the spotlight. So, this is an exciting moment for Elizabeth Debicki, because before she stepped into the role of Kat, she had appeared in more popular films than you may realize.
Debicki was a major antagonist in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2
You may not recognize Debicki without her skin being painted gold. It may be even harder when she doesn't have eyes that fire amber daggers at your brain stem — yes, considering all the whimsy in the Marvel universe, we should clarify that the eye daggers being described are metaphorical. The point is, Elizabeth Debicki played Ayesha in Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 2. The role was a major element in the story's development and it is unlikely that anyone else could have captured the part so perfectly.
The role made the actress somewhat unrecognizable, but undeniably memorable. Ayesha was a proud empress with a penchant for punishing anyone who dared treat her as anything but divine royalty. She danced back and forth between snobbery and blind rage. Debicki's character came full circle and caused quite a ruckus at the end of the film, as well. Thankfully, the word is that Debicki will be back to reprise her role in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, given the post-credits tease she featured in.
She was a pivotal party guest in The Great Gatsby
Baz Luhrmann's lavish endeavor, The Great Gatsby, was an intoxicating experience that left viewers drunk with color. The cast shined bright but you still may have been distracted because of all the fireworks. Another viewing of the instant classic will spark familiarity when you realize that the famous golf star Jordan Baker (whom Tobey Maguire's character is matched up with prior to dinner party engagements) is played by none other than Elizabeth Debicki. Jordan was an integral part in all the gossip that clouded truth throughout the film.
Her role in Tenet is a welcome change of pace for the actress, in fact, because the Gatsby role caused her to be typecast for a chunk of time. This is exhibited through her playing Ayesha (gold, yes, but also snobby) and also when she starred alongside the Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill, in 2015's cheeky spy adventure, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., where she played the manipulative Victoria. She was the prim and proper front for all the evil-doings involved with unsanctioned nuclear warhead construction. Despite the ease with which she plays aristocratic villainy, a string of films in the past couple years has shown Debicki's ability to break out of that typecast mold.
Elizabeth Debicki is in both Netflix films and big-budget blockbusters
Some of the best character actors in Hollywood are cursed with anonymity simply because they are so good at their jobs. You don't draw a direct line to the actor playing them, because they are 100% the character you are watching at that moment. Debicki has that same ability. If you raced to watch The Cloverfield Paradox after its Super Bowl teaser trailer in 2018, you most likely joined the rest of us in being intrigued but underwhelmed. However one of the film's more memorable moments featured Earth vanishing from sight, and the appearance of a woman in the walls of the spaceship, fused with the wiring.
That woman was Elizabeth Debicki. Her first appearance in the film was the beginning of all the film's weird, paradoxical developments.
It's understandable now why viewers felt such familiarity watching Elizabeth Debicki in Tenet, as she has been stepping into major roles for quite some time now. In the past couple years, on top of the other roles mentioned, you have seen her as Virginia Woolf in Vita & Virginia, as well as acting alongside Viola Davis and Michelle Rodriguez in Widows. No doubt that we are going to be seeing a lot more of her in the future.