By Dov Kornits
Rising young Aussie actresses Ana Thu Nguyen, Kya Stewart and Tiana Hogben stage a triple-pronged charm offensive in writer/director Joy Hopwood’s latest comedy drama Her Last Laugh.
Aussie writer/director Joy Hopwood is something of an unsung hero of the local industry, with five features (2019’s The Script Of Life, 2021’s Rhapsody Of Love, 2022’ Get A Life, Alright, 2024’s The Gift That Gives, 2025’s It’s Our Time) on her resume, all of which fit comfortably into the comedy-drama genre. As well as being sweet and funny, Hopwood’s films also quietly forefront diversity, with Asian-Australian actors and people of colour playing major roles in all of them.
Joy Hopwood’s latest film, Her Last Laugh, follows this tradition. Cannily mixing family dysfunction, romance, and subtle nods to the Asian-Australian experience, Her Last Laugh is the story of sisters Willow and Annika Lim (Ana Thu Nguyen and Tiana Hogben), who inherit their late mother Daphne’s casting agency, Laughing Lims. Their mother’s will gives them one year to make the struggling business profitable or ownership will pass to their estranged uncle. As the sisters try to save the agency (along with Kya Stewart’s loyal casting agency assistant Taylor Stewart) they have to navigate family tensions, difficult clients, relationships and the expectations that come with taking over their mother’s legacy.
Talented Aussie actresses Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat II, Primitive War), Tiana Hogben (It’s Our Time, Full Story) and Kya Stewart (Christmess, Project Hourglass) chat about their work on Her Last Laugh…
How was the set different on Her Last Laugh to other film sets?
Ana Thu Nguyen: “Her Last Laugh had a very intimate, collaborative energy. Everyone was incredibly hands-on, and there was a real sense of people pitching in and being creatively invested in the film. I really love the resourcefulness that comes with working on an independent production – it brings everyone’s passion to the forefront and creates a really special sense of ownership and connection to the project.”
Kya Stewart: “The biggest thing that stood out to me was the real family vibe on set. Everyone was so kind and collaborative, and there was a genuine sense that everyone was there to support each other and serve the project. I’d actually acted in Joy’s previous film, It’s Our Time, so this wasn’t a new experience for me. When she invited me back to act in Her Last Laugh, it was a no-brainer. That kindness, respect and collaborative environment was one of the things that made me so happy to come back and work with her again. Joy also puts a lot of trust in her actors, which gives you a lot of freedom to play and explore within the role, and that creative trust is such a gift!”
Tiana Hogben: “The set on Joy’s films is always incredibly welcoming and friendly. I was in It’s Our Time too, so it was really lovely to reconnect with some familiar faces.”
Can you describe the particular character you play in the film and what makes them tick?
Ana Thu Nguyen: “Willow Lim is the responsible eldest sister, whose single-mindedness helps her navigate the grief of losing her mother, but ultimately comes at the expense of her relationship with her sister. She’s practical, efficient and hardworking. She’ll always find a solution, no matter what obstacles come her way. What really ticks her off is idleness, or what she perceives as laziness. She mistakes Annika’s way of grieving for a lack of effort, and that’s at the heart of their conflict: they simply process grief in very different ways. Willow’s instinct is to keep moving and take control, whereas Annika needs space to feel it.”
Tiana Hogben: “Annika Lim is very headstrong, but she’s also in a lot of pain from the loss of her mother and never knowing the true story about her father. She definitely uses humour as a defence mechanism and thinks she’s quite misunderstood by her sister.”
Kya Stewart: “I play Taylor Stewart, who is much more than just a casting assistant…she’s the backbone of Laughing Lim’s casting agency. She’s like a daughter to Daphne Lim and a sister to Willow and Annika. She’s strong-willed, independent and protective of the people she loves, but there’s also a vulnerability to her. What makes her tick is her determination to keep moving forward, even when life throws her something unexpected and to do the best with what she’s got, for herself, and for the people she loves. She has a sharp sense of humour and a warmth to her, which I loved because it means she isn’t defined by some of the harder experiences she has been through in her life.”
The casting agency setting must have been something each of you could relate to. Can you speak to that?
Ana Thu Nguyen: “Casting can sometimes feel like such an enigma to actors, so it was really fun to be on the other side of the table for this film. It gave me an even greater appreciation for the art of casting – how creatively fluid it is, with so many factors at play – and a deeper understanding that a lot of it is simply out of an actor’s control. For Willow, making her mother proud and carrying on her legacy means doing the best job she can, and part of that is creating a safe space where actors can come in and do their best work. I took a lot of inspiration from the really kind and supportive casting directors I’ve worked with over the years and tried to bring that same energy to Willow.”
Kya Stewart: “The casting setting was something I could really relate to because I worked as a casting assistant for over five years. I experienced those kinds of settings and scenarios day in and day out and had the opportunity to work very closely alongside the amazing Stephanie Pringle and Alison Fowler at Chicken & Chips Casting, who taught me so much. It was a privilege to be able to draw on those experiences and bring that lived knowledge into playing Taylor, which made the role feel incredibly natural and special to me. It was such a full-circle experience to take something I had spent years doing behind the scenes and bring it into my work as an actor.”
Tiana Hogben: “Being on the other side of casting was really fun! Especially because most casting is self-tapes now – it was fun to pretend to do a version of that in the room.”
The universe of the film is very different from most Aussie films, populated as it is largely by Asian-Australian characters…
Ana Thu Nguyen: “What I really love about the world of the film is that the Asian-Australian characters are simply allowed to exist. Their cultural identity is part of who they are, but it isn’t the sole focus of their stories. They get to be messy, complicated, funny, grieving, ambitious…just human. For Willow specifically, I don’t think being Asian-Australian defines her, but it is something she eventually wants to explore and connect with more deeply as one of the ways she can honour her mother. That desire to reconnect with culture is something that resonates with a lot of young Asian-Australians today, so that journey feels very true to the world we live in. As an actor, it was really meaningful to be part of a film where that representation feels so organic, rather than having to explain why these characters belong in the story.”
Kya Stewart: “I love seeing diversity and representation throughout our industry, and it was a real pleasure to be part of a film that centres so many incredible Asian-Australian voices and stories. I feel very fortunate to have worked alongside some of the best Asian-Australian talent in the country and to have been welcomed into such a wonderful ensemble. It’s incredibly important that we continue to see this kind of representation on screen, where different cultures, experiences and perspectives are given the space to be seen and celebrated. There’s something really special about seeing a cast that reflects the diversity of Australia and allows different experiences and perspectives to take centre stage. It was a genuinely joyful and meaningful experience to be part of that.”
Tiana Hogben: “I love how diverse Joy’s films are. The subject matter is not about Asian-Australian culture specifically, but the world of the film is filled out with Asian-Australian actors. To me, that is the norm.”
Her Last Laugh opens in select Australian cinemas from Saturday 7 November 2026.
