Newcastle actor in the running for AACTA Award for horror film Talk To Me

"I'm the biggest Deborah Mailman fan, so I am very excited about the awards ceremony. She is just next level," Jensen tells Weekender.

"I'll go up and say 'hi' to her at the awards ceremony, if I have the confidence."

Jensen has been nominated for an AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award) in the best actress in a supporting role category for her performance in the film Talk To Me. Directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, it has earned 11 AACTA nominations.

In addition to Mailman, who is nominated for her role in The New Boy, Jensen is up against Ursula Yovich (The Royal Hotel), Selina Zahednia (Shayda), Mia Wasikowska (Blueback) and Tasma Walton (Sweet As).

Not bad for a 23-year-old from the Lake Macquarie suburb of Toronto who started acting professionally just five years ago.

Toronto is still home but these days Jensen spends most of her time travelling for work.

"I have the best parents, they let me keep my stuff and my books at home, but I usually live out of a suitcase," she says.

A shy child, Jensen started drama lessons at the suggestion of her primary school teacher.

"I struggled to speak in front of people and was a very anxious little girl," she says.

"My teacher at Rathmines Public School was so wonderful and suggested I do one-on-one drama lessons, learning things like how to properly stand on stage, how to breathe properly, how to pause, how to annotate a script - all at nine years old.

"I didn't realise at the time that they were skills I would still be using today, which I'm very grateful for. It's crazy that it's turned into a career."

Jensen attended Hunter School of the Performing Arts at Broadmeadow from years 5 to 12 and won a CONDA (City of Newcastle Drama Association) award in 2017 for her role in The Crucible.

"A CONDA award, wow, what a blast from the past. I'm sure the Herald has photos of me as a clock in the archives; I've done it all," she says, laughing.

"I started working and did my first professional theatre play and first two TV series when I was in year 12, in 2018, and since then it just hasn't stopped."

Jensen's acting credits include Frayed, My Life is Murder, BEAT, Joe vs Carole, Amazing Grace and The Messenger. She has a new movie coming out this year called The Moogai.

"It's a psychological thriller and horror by Causeway Films, who also did Talk To Me, and has elements of Aboriginal Dreamtime," she says.

"It's just been at Sundance Film Festival and it's gone really well so I'm very excited about that."

Jensen has been bitten by the horror bug. She says she loved the the cast and crew of Talk To Me and playing the role of Jade, a 17-year-old whose friends and younger brother play a terrifying game where they conjure spirits by holding onto an embalmed hand.

Jade is the sensible one, and it shows in her fashion choices (high-waisted "mum" jeans, sneakers and dowdy jumpers). Jensen laughs when I ask her about those turtlenecks.

"We had a lot of conversations with the costume designers about Jade and how we could portray how she was feeling throughout the film. We did that through colour, starting with pinks and pastels to show a young and in-love girl, and as the turmoil progresses she starts creeping into blues and greens," she explains.

"And because she's so stern and regimented we chose the high-necked jumpers. She's not your typical teen."

Talk To Me is American distributor A24's highest grossest film, which Jensen says is "huge".

"It's a crazy statistic, especially up against Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning A24 films. We're all so mind-blown about this whole ride we've been on.

"We shot it in Adelaide, in Danny and Michael's home town, over about two months and the majority of it was night shoots, getting home at 7am, watching the sun rise when you're going to bed and getting up to do it all again the following night.

"Everyone was so happy to be there. Danny and Michael have the best energy ever; it's contagious.

"And look, you can't not have fun shooting a horror film - there's fake blood and screaming and crazy creatures."