“R.M.Williams is a brand I’ve grown up with and embodies all that I love about being Australian – from the commitment to preserving and championing our land to the culture of friendship we are lucky to have. While I’ve been coined as the first female ambassador, the truth is that there are hundreds of hardworking females and undeniable characters which have fed into the rich history of the brand.

R.M.Williams commitment to exposing and fostering both new and past undeniable characters was something which was immediately appealing. My craft values storytelling above all else so I was hugely flattered to be part of that.”

INTRODUCING OUR FIRST FEMALE AMBASSADOR

We are proud to announce Australian Actress Phoebe Tonkin as our newest Ambassador, honouring our incredible craftswomen, as the first female given the official title in the brand’s 88-year history. This is a celebration of the strength of the key female personalities at the heart of R.M.Williams, both past and present. Phoebe joins Boots Ambassador Hugh Jackman as international face and spokesperson in their Undeniable Character campaign.

Launched with Hugh Jackman in 2019, Undeniable Character brings to life the enduring quality of R.M.Williams through the stories of our people, processes and products. Honouring the tenets of grit, tenacity and a pioneering spirit, Undeniable Character champions the qualities within that mirror the characteristics of Reginald Murray Williams himself.

We are thrilled to have a female addition to the Undeniable Character family who celebrates the strong women who have been part of the brand since the beginning. As one of Australia’s new wave of personalities, Phoebe represents a new generation of Australian spirit and the very traits that define the brand’s DNA – strength, tenacity, exploration and humility.

Her Undeniable Character took her from a childhood acting in Sydney to acclaimed Hollywood performances. It also brought her to our Adelaide workshop where she met our craftsmen and women, who presented her a one of a kind pair of handcrafted boots.

Watch the video to see our Undeniable Character, Phoebe Tonkin, meeting our Master Craftsman.

It was around the age of 11 that something clicked in Phoebe Tonkin, Australian actor, model and bona fide superstar in the eyes of anyone under 30. Shy and withdrawn, she nonetheless had her sights set on becoming a journalist when she grew up.

But, somewhat ironically, there was something about the stage that allured her. Already trained as a dancer, taking classes from the age of four, it was now the world of drama that drew her interest with courses at Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) in her Sydney hometown.

“I never wanted to be an actor,” Tonkin tells Stellar. “I just wanted to tell stories.” Even today, she says, “If there is any outlet where I can do that, then I will find any way to be creative.”

Take her Instagram account, where the actor and activist – she is a passionate feminist and staunch environmentalist – shares with her 5.4 million followers as many photographs of herself and her friends as she does news and updates about the causes that matter to her most.

“When you look at Instagram as a platform to reach people, it’s a little like having a newspaper,” she explains. “I use the opportunity to share information or direct people to some charity or organisation. It would feel very strange to have that level of responsibility and not use it for a good purpose.”

Tonkin’s acting career took off just a few years after she enrolled in those ATYP courses. When she was 15, she landed a lead role in Network 10’s mermaid fantasy series H20: Just Add Water and that ultimately proved to be a springboard for her move to the United States, where she starred in teenage TV drama The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off, The Originals.

Projects bring her home on a regular basis, and she was in Australia earlier this year – including for a fashion shoot with Stellar at a rural property outside of Adelaide.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a serious impact on many industries around the world, including the entertainment business as various films and TV shows have halted production to protect cast and crew.

But just before the outbreak, production wrapped on the highly anticipated second season of Stan Original series, Bloom.

This morning, I got on the horn to Australian national treasure, Phoebe Tonkin, to discuss the new season of the award-winning series.

Tonkin, who is currently in isolation in LA, shared that while the first season is “all about grief and mourning,” season two is “a bit more hopeful, there’s a lot more colour.”

There’ll be more Bloom-related tea from our chat to come closer to the release date so watch this space, but in the meantime I wanted to suss out how Phoebe is going with self-isolation.

“Yeah good, I’m just trying to stay inside and not go out in public,” she said.

“[Staying indoors is] pretty weird but I think everyone needs to adhere to what’s being said and take responsibility and be accountable and stay at home. There’s a lot of book reading and movie watching right now.”

Naturally I wanted needed to know what her isolation reading / viewing material consisted of:

“Right now I’m reading a book called Three Women (by Lisa Taddeo) and I’ve been watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is amazing,” she shared.

Some A+ recommendations there, Three Women is an acclaimed novel that debuted at number two on the The New York Times Best-Sellers List, and, of course, Larry David’s comedy is always a good idea.

And in terms of social distancing, Phoebe said that she’s “in a lot of group chats right now” and that she and her mates are even “planning on doing a pilates class on FaceTime so we can all work out together.”

A bloody genius idea as it combines two self-isolation essentials: staying in touch with your pals and keeping up with your fitness.

She acknowledges that although she’s “fortunate” enough to “have the means to be able to stay at home,” many folks “don’t have that luxury.”

So she urges people who do have the luxury to work from home to do so.

It’s hard to know how long we’ll need to remain in self-isolation, but if we’re still on lockdown by the Easter long weekend, at least we’ll have Bloom season 2 to binge-watch for a bit of escapism.

“That’s what I think is so great about the show, it’s grounded enough that it’s relatable but you still feel like you can escape into the show through the characters,” Phoebe said.