She might play self-assured bad girl Jacqui James in the hit musical-comedy series Happiness, but behind the scenes, it’s been a year of extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows for actress Jessie Lawrence.
When we catch up with the Auckland-born star – now back on screens alongside Rebecca Gibney and Harry McNaughton in the second season of the series dubbed “Schitt’s Creek meets Glee” – she’s all smiles in her sun-drenched new Sydney apartment.
After making a name for herself in Shortland Street and Westside, alongside a string of stage roles, Jessie, 34, decided it was time for a change in 2025.
A new life across the ditch
Packing her life into just two suitcases, she booked a one-way ticket to Oz, ready to see what life across the ditch had in store.
It was her Happiness co-star Rebecca who helped get the ball rolling, recommending Jessie for an audition with the Sydney Theatre Company. Landing a role alongside Rebecca in Circle Mirror Transformation was a career highlight, but it was Rebecca’s kindness off stage that made the biggest impression.
When Jessie was feeling homesick during rehearsals, Rebecca offered to drive her home, stopping at the supermarket along the way so Jessie, who didn’t have a car, could stock up on groceries.
“She bought me this beautiful goat’s cheese,” recalls Jessie. “Then she was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to buy myself some flowers.’ She turned around holding two bouquets and said, ‘This one’s for you!’ She’s an actual angel.”
The actresses have become so close that Jessie even has a special nickname for Rebecca, inspired by her beloved grandmother.
“I call her my babushka,” she smiles. “And she calls me Dušo, which is what Nona called me.”
Suffering through heartbreak
By the time the curtain fell on the production, Jessie had fallen head over heels for Sydney, moving into an apartment in the trendy Eastern Suburbs and furnishing it with Facebook Marketplace finds.
She laughs, “Within a few weeks of being here, I was like, ‘I love it so much, I’m not leaving!’”
But while the move marked an exciting new chapter for the star, nothing could have prepared her for the heartbreak that followed when her nona Marica died in May. Described by Jessie as “the most important person in her life”, her grandma had been a constant source of love and encouragement.
“My nona was everything to me,” says Jessie. “She was funny and sassy, so generous and just good down to her bones. She taught me how to love without expectation.”
Migrating from Croatia to Aotearoa at just 17, Marica didn’t speak a word of English, crediting soap operas and magazines for helping her learn the language.
“I don’t think she missed a single edition of Woman’s Day,” laughs Jessie. “And she came to all of my performances. The poor thing had to sit through multiple Shakespearean plays!”
Quality time
For Jessie, who would beg her mum to take her to Nona’s house every day after school, filming season two of Happiness back in New Zealand proved serendipitous, giving her precious time with her grandmother in her final months.
“I would go straight from filming to see her,” she explains. “If I’d spent the day learning choreography for Jacqui’s one-woman show Maligned Women Of History, I’d perform it for her like a child. She loved it and I’m gutted she won’t get to see this season.”
Losing Nona has also left Jessie with a powerful reminder to “make the most of everything and everyone you love”. And while grieving away from her family hasn’t always been easy, Jessie has found comfort in her new life in Sydney.
“It’s been the most paradoxical experience because on the one hand, I feel so much grief and sadness, but on the other, I feel this expansiveness of love and life,” she says.
Happiness & beyond
Back on screen, Jessie is also revealing a different side to her character Jacqui, who is deeply insecure beneath her hilarious, ambitious and stubborn exterior.
She explains, “I think we can all understand putting a mask on in certain situations to get by. You’ll see a more vulnerable side to her this season as the walls come down and audiences finally understand why she did what she did in season one.”
Beyond Happiness, Jessie has her sights set on everything from playing Roxie Hart in Chicago to landing a role in a gritty historical drama like Peaky Blinders. But for now, she’s happy to see where life takes her.
“If there’s one thing this career has taught me, it’s that something could come in tomorrow that will change the trajectory of my life,” smiles Jessie. “Whatever the universe has got for me, I’ll show up.”
Happiness screens 8.30pm Thursdays on Three and streams on ThreeNow.
