How Perth’s Edyll Ismail overcame her doubts to pursue her acting dreams

Venturing into the world of the arts wasn’t something that was encouraged in Edyll Ismail’s family. Her family immigrated to Perth from Somalia in the 1980s, and money was tight, so there were no dancing, singing or acting classes for Ismail growing up. But that didn’t stop her from forcing family members to sit down and watch carefully curated song or dance routines throughout her childhood. And as Ismail stars in a special STM shoot at the Monet in Paris exhibition — also a celebration of art and creativity — her determination has seen her forge her own path in the industry that has called to her ever since she can remember. Last month Ismail, also a DJ and successful model, graduated from the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, after spending five years honing her skills. And she’s already in demand. The 26-year-old rising star spent four months this year filming on the Gold Coast for a role in the third season of the NBC science fiction series La Brea, coming to Apple TV Plus in 2024. She’s also landed a role in the Black Swan Theatre Company’s upcoming production The Pool by Steve Rodgers, part of the highly anticipated Perth Festival in February. After that, she has plans to head to London to try her luck in Europe. Ismail has certainly hit the ground running — but she admits she first had to learn to believe she was capable and deserving. “(WAAPA) was an amazing place to grow,” she says. “At the beginning, I was kind of unsure of my abilities (but) I slowly saw myself becoming the artist that I wanted to be. I feel like a completely different person than I was five years ago, in the best way possible.” Although Ismail reflects on her experiences in local productions fondly, she admits cultural barriers can be a challenge. Her motivation to increase racial and cultural diversity in the arts is what drives her. “It’s always been hard because a lot of the characters are so far away from who I am,” she says. “That’s why I’ve always been interested in people who write their own work and stories, based on who they are and their culture. It’s hard because there are still not enough roles in Australia for a lot of people of colour, (but) I feel like the direction it’s going in is a good one.” In 2021, Ismail created Tell Your Story Arts, an initiative aimed at improving accessibility to the sector for culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Ismail’s own experience of being from an immigrant family and attending the esteemed performance academy surrounded by middle to upper-class peers inspired her. “I wanted to create a safe space for people who come from different cultures to start to learn how to express themselves in a performance environment,” she says. “I wanted them to be confident in who they are, knowing their own background and not trying to hide it from other people, especially growing up in Australia where you feel like you want to just fit in. To be proud of who they are and the struggles their family has faced to bring them to a place like this.” As part of her work, Ismail partners with WAAPA to host free workshops, and she admits the process of seeing those young people burst out of their shells with confidence throughout the event has the ability to bring her to tears. When it comes to Ismail’s own career, the formidable Charmaine Bingwa — known for her roles in The Good Fight, Black Box and the recent film Emancipation, alongside Will Smith — provides invaluable advice as her mentor. “I have been in contact with her every month or so asking questions, and she’s been so open and lovely, and wanting to help me out with anything that I need,” Ismail says. “Just her coming from Perth, being a Zimbabwe-Australian actor who’s been successful in what she does, has been a huge inspiration for me.” As for the message Ismail hopes to project to those coming through behind her, as she steps on to the world stage? It’s one of the importance of casting off outside judgments and moving steadfastly towards your goals with drive and passion. “You have to make sure you are resilient, because the world’s not going to hand it to you on a silver platter like it does to a lot of people,” Ismail says. “And that’s going to be frustrating, for sure. You might have it worse off than others but you just still have to know your values, know your worth, and keep moving forward. Because if you don’t move forward, you’re not going to get any closer to what you want.” Monet in Paris is on at Crown Perth until February. Tickets from monetinparis.com.au Styling by Zara Bryson. Hair by Pauline McCabe. Make-up by Kinga Markovic.

How Perth’s Edyll Ismail overcame her doubts to pursue her acting dreams

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