{"id":806215,"date":"2026-07-17T14:06:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806215\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:06:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:06:19","slug":"yasmin-kassim-perth-actor-on-working-with-jack-black-isla-fisher-and-new-wa-film-prawn-curry-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806215\/","title":{"rendered":"Yasmin Kassim: Perth actor on working with Jack Black, Isla Fisher and new WA film Prawn Curry Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite Perth actor Yasmin Kassim\u2019s already impressive list of film credits, having worked with the likes of Jack Black and Daniel Radcliffe, she is only getting started and has her sights on being the Mindy Kaling of WA.<\/p>\n

The writer and comedian recently starred in Netflix movie You, Always alongside The Devil Wears Prada actor Adrian Grenier which was largely filmed in tropical far north Queensland.<\/p>\n

Directed by Christine Luby, the romantic comedy follows Grenier\u2019s character Ethan realising he\u2019s in love with his friend Dr Jen Bell (Jessica De Gouw), whose world is shaken by the arrival of charismatic author Matilda (Kassim).<\/p>\n

Kassim said she couldn\u2019t have had a better time working with Grenier \u2014 who plays Anne Hathaway\u2019s boyfriend in TDWP.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I was already a huge fan, but meeting him in this chapter of his life was really cool,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved getting to know his family and learning about what he\u2019s building over in Austin, Kintsugi Ranch. We have a lot in common, we\u2019re both very free spirited in a lot of ways. I hope to visit Kintsugi soon\u2026 he has a donkey I\u2019m busting to meet!\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as playing a crucial role in the film, Kassim was asked to write some of her humour into the script.<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw in a bunch of jokes and tried to add some fun little moments. I tend to be a bit of a naughty comedian so not all of them made the cut, but some did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

One of Kassim\u2019s upcoming project\u2019s she is proud to be working on is her feature film Prawn Curry Christmas, which she has co-written with fellow West Aussie Charmaine Murray.<\/p>\n

Currently in pre-production, the pair were the recipients of the highly coveted 2025 West Coast Visions and received $1.5 million from the Government to make the film.<\/p>\n

The 90-minute comedy follows two estranged sisters living abroad who rush home to WA for one last family Christmas and is set to be filmed in Perth and the South West.<\/p>\n

Kassim said she has drawn on her South Asian heritage to create a story \u201cinspired partially by truth\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that lots of people feel seen from watching this film when it\u2019s released and can relate whether they are from WA, South Asian or just know how tricky family dynamics can be at Christmas, especially when you leave home and come back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment we are unsure when shooting will begin but excited for when we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YasminCamera IconYasmin Kassim. Credit: Gregory Wallace<\/p>\n

As Kassim continues to make a name for herself, she can\u2019t wait to get stuck into creating more multicultural stories that highlight WA and has set an ultimate personal goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my dream to be the Mindy Kaling of WA, to create projects here that tell Australian stories through a comedic lens in ways they haven\u2019t been told before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud to come from a place that\u2019s so close to Asia, so multicultural, so full of incredible stories waiting to be told. I want to be a part of creating projects that showcase WA and reflect the beautifully diverse pool of people who live here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what drives me as an actor, writer, and comedian\u2026. and I\u2019m just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Already the WAAPA graduate\u2019s acting credits include Anaconda opposite Jack Black and Paul Rudd, Fing! with Taika Waititi, Bear Country alongside Russell Crowe and Aaron Paul, Spa Weekend co-starring Anna Faris and Isla Fisher, and Neighbours.<\/p>\n

She also appeared opposite Daniel Radcliffe in 2017 film Jungle.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle kid Yasmin would be absolutely freaking out looking at that list,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can 100 per cent say I had an amazing time with all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the day Jack Black called her \u201cfunny\u201d may have been \u201cone of the best moments of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pull it out of my memory bank whenever I need a pick me up! I had so much fun improvising opposite Jack and Paul. It would be a dream to work with them again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also on the wish list is getting to work with Isla Fisher on a comedy.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Isla) is the ultimate girl\u2019s girl and one of the warmest, nicest people you\u2019ll ever meet. I think we\u2019d have so much fun riffing together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"KassimCamera IconKassim as Kina in Jungle. Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n

As a creative of Indian, Malaysian and Singaporean descent, Kassim said growing up in Perth as a woman of colour was challenging at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in Perth with a white mum and a brown dad has always been a slightly confusing experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really wasn\u2019t until I found comedy that I realised all those things that made me feel different when I was younger are truly what make me an artist. Everything that once made me feel othered, not popular, not liked\u2026 and I dare say sometimes \u2018not Australian enough\u2019 sometimes, are the very things I channel into my work now. It takes a lot of bravery to be authentic\u2026 but the only way to truly connect to an audience is authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo other women of colour wanting to be in this industry: write, produce, learn about other areas of the business beyond just performing. Find your tribe and know that your story is worth telling.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite Perth actor Yasmin Kassim\u2019s already impressive list of film credits, having worked with the likes of Jack…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,134,344,46,45],"class_list":["post-806215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-perth","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}