If you still think of Phoebe Tonkin primarily as a mermaid or a werewolf, honestly, you’ve been missing the best part of her career. For years, she was the quintessential "CW girl"—the striking Australian actress who could play supernatural angst better than almost anyone. But something shifted recently. Somewhere between the moody sets of The Originals and the gritty, dirt-stained reality of Boy Swallows Universe, Tonkin stopped being just a genre icon and became a powerhouse dramatic force.
It’s been a wild ride since she first splashed onto screens in 2006. Most actors who start in teen fantasy struggle to shed the "teen" label, but Tonkin’s recent work in the mid-2020s has basically rewritten her entire professional narrative.
From Mako Island to the Mikaelson Mansion
We have to talk about H2O: Just Add Water. It’s impossible not to. Playing Cleo Sertori was Tonkin's "big break," and while the show was aimed at kids, it was a massive training ground. She had to learn to act while wearing a 40-pound prosthetic tail. That’s not easy. Most people don’t realize she actually had to take intensive swimming lessons just to land the part because, ironically, she wasn't much of a swimmer before the show.
Then came the jump to Hollywood.
The Secret Circle was short-lived—only one season—but it was enough to catch the eye of Julie Plec. When Tonkin was cast as Hayley Marshall in The Vampire Diaries, nobody expected that character to anchor a five-season spinoff. Hayley was supposed to be a foil, a bit of trouble for Tyler and Caroline. Instead, she became the heart of The Originals. Tonkin’s performance as a mother fighting for her hybrid daughter across five seasons of supernatural war showed a depth that most "teen" shows never touch.
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Why Boy Swallows Universe is Her Real Turning Point
If you haven't seen the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe, go watch it now. It’s arguably the most important project in the entire list of Phoebe Tonkin movies and tv shows.
Playing Frances Bell wasn't about looking "camera-ready." It was about addiction, domestic trauma, and the crushing weight of poverty in 1980s Brisbane. Tonkin is unrecognizable at times. She won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2025 for this role, and it was well-deserved. She spent months researching addiction, reading firsthand accounts, and even meeting Trent Dalton’s mother to ensure the portrayal wasn't a caricature.
"Some people learn how to skateboard for a movie," Tonkin told an interviewer in 2024, "but I learned how to understand feeling peace and gratitude out of research for this role."
It was a total departure from the "Hot Girl No. 1" roles she’s admitted to hating in the past. It proved she could carry a heavy, prestige drama alongside heavyweights like Bryan Brown and Simon Baker.
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A Career Beyond the Supernatural
Tonkin’s filmography is surprisingly eclectic if you dig past the big TV titles. Did you catch her in Babylon? It was a small role, but being in a Damien Chazelle film is a "you've made it" moment for any actor. Then there’s Transfusion with Sam Worthington, which showed she could hold her own in the gritty crime-thriller space.
Essential Phoebe Tonkin Performances
- Boy Swallows Universe (2024): The peak. A raw, devastating look at a mother’s struggle with heroin addiction.
- The Originals (2013–2018): Five seasons of character growth from a lone-wolf werewolf to a literal queen.
- Safe Harbour (2018): A four-part miniseries that’s criminally underrated. It deals with asylum seekers and moral ambiguity.
- Bloom (2019): Playing the younger version of Jacki Weaver’s character in a sci-fi drama about a fountain of youth.
- Kid Snow (2024): A 1970s-set boxing drama where she plays Sunny. It landed her another AACTA nomination.
She’s also been doing interesting work in the short film circuit. She directed Furlough and starred in A Love Letter to M (2025) alongside André Holland. It’s clear she’s prioritizing "stories that ask questions" over just "getting a paycheck."
What’s Next for Phoebe Tonkin in 2026?
As of early 2026, things aren't slowing down. She’s currently tied to Two Years Later, where she plays Emily, and there’s the highly anticipated adaptation of Sarah Bailey’s The Dark Lake. In that one, she’s not just the lead; she’s an executive producer.
This move into producing is a big deal. It shows she’s taking control of the types of stories being told. After years of being told what to wear and how to look (she’s been a Chanel ambassador for over half a decade), seeing her take the reins on a project like The Dark Lake—where she plays a detective forced to confront her own past—is the natural evolution of her career.
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Honestly, Tonkin has managed to do what very few Australian imports do: she survived the "teen idol" phase and came out the other side as a serious, respected actor. She isn't just "the girl from the vampire show" anymore. She's a lead.
Practical Next Steps for Fans
If you want to see the full range of what Phoebe Tonkin can do, start by watching Safe Harbour for her early dramatic chops, then move directly to Boy Swallows Universe to see her current peak. For a lighter look at her start, Tomorrow, When the War Began remains one of the best Australian action films of the 2010s. Keep an eye on the 2026 festival circuit for Two Years Later, which is expected to showcase her most grounded performance to date.