Claire Lovering may have been a breakout in the star-studded Play Dirty, streaming now on Prime Video, but the action-packed comedy is the latest in many roles grounded in steady work and creative resilience. Starring opposite Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, and Rosa Salazar in the ensemble, Lovering brings both fantastic comedic instincts to a genre that thrives on confidence, chemistry, and precision. In a candid conversation with Actors With Issues, the Australian-born actress delves into her career, navigating self-doubt, and learning to fully trust her own creative voice.
Growing Up Creative in Western Australia
Lovering grew up in Perth, Australia, surrounded by movement, creativity, and encouragement. “I started out like I was one of these kids that did a lot of extracurricular activities,” she said. “I grew up… by the beach, so I was always at the beach, or doing dance, tap, netball.”
Her earliest exposure to performance came at home. “My mum was a speech and drama teacher, so she taught drama classes in our house on a Monday night to the kids in the neighborhood,” Lovering shared. While she described herself as a good student, she was also “pretty naughty,” joking that her mother would send her to the laundry for timeouts during class.
Although she enjoyed drama as a child, Lovering did not immediately see acting as a realistic career path. That perspective shifted at age 16 when she entered a national competition. “I won this national competition called Storm the Stage,” she said. “I did this monologue… and I won. And I won five grand.”
Winning against older competitors proved transformative. “I was also the youngest, and I beat everyone,” she said. “So then I was like, oh, I might be actually better at this than I think.”
Training, Doubt, and Building Resilience
After high school, Lovering was accepted into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at just 17. “It was kind of like just taking one step after the other,” she said. After graduating, she moved to Sydney and began navigating the realities of the profession.
Like many actors, she experienced periods of uncertainty. “There’s definitely been times when I’ve questioned it,” she admitted. “And I think that’s healthy to kind of continue to interrogate whether it’s the best choice, and for your mental health as well.”
Over time, she learned to develop emotional durability. “I think resilience is like a muscle,” Lovering said. “You just build it and build it and build it, and you build a thicker skin.” Auditions became something she learned to release. “I do an audition, I send it off, I don’t even think about it. I just let it go.”
She credits voiceover work as a stabilizing force. “That’s my big bread and butter in Australia,” she said. “It just keeps me working and feeling like my skills are valued.”
Creatively, Lovering stays engaged through writing, improv classes at Groundlings, and even watercolor painting. “My theory about acting… is you’ve got to be a human being first who acts, rather than an actor,” she explained. “Things that kind of fill my cup up as a human being… keep you curious and observing of human nature.”
Stepping Into Play Dirty and Facing Imposter Syndrome
Joining the ensemble cast of Play Dirty was both exhilarating and intimidating, calling the cast “so incredible, each in their own right,” Lovering said. “And then to have them all in the one film… I definitely had a feeling of like, whoa, what am I doing here?”
Comedy added another layer of pressure. “One of the reasons I was hired was to bring my comedic offers and ideas and be brave and courageous and make offers,” she said. “But when you’re feeling like everyone is amazing… it’s hard to kind of want to take up space.”
Working through that imposter syndrome required intention and support. “I worked through it with a career coach,” she said. A breakthrough came on set when she trusted her instincts. “I made the crew laugh, and I got a few pats on the back,” Lovering recalled. “Then I was like, okay, yeah, alright, I’m where I’m meant to be.”
From that point on, confidence followed. “Having confidence in myself and in my ideas and my offers was the biggest takeaway for me,” she said.
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Description: Mateo (Gabriel Alvarado), Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar), Colonel Ortiz (Hemky Madera) and Parker (Mark Wahlberg) in PLAY DIRTY. Photo Credit: Jasin Boland/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC
Looking Ahead and Words of Advice
Despite her growing screen career, Lovering remains eager to explore new creative territory. She cited filmmaker Mike Leigh as a major influence, praising his immersive, actor-driven process. “I would love to do something like that, where I can create a character from scratch,” she said.
She also expressed a desire to return to comedy. “My favorite TV show is The Office,” Lovering shared. “I would really love to do a workplace sitcom where I’m just on a fun set improvising with people.”
Writing and producing are also on her horizon. She previously created and toured a one-woman show early in her career. “It was literally a one-woman show,” she said. “That was the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.”
When asked to distill her advice to young actors, Lovering kept it simple: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Hang in there.”
Play Dirty is streaming now on Prime Video.
