GREAT Australian STORY

As director Wayne Blair prepares to bring Evonne Goolagong Cawley's incredible story to the screen in a new miniseries, Lila McGuire – the woman who portrays her – sits down with the sporting legend to ask her about her life and legacy.

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When Lila McGuire was approached to audition for the role of Evonne in Goolagong, “essentially all I knew was that she was a tennis player from the ’70s and very well loved and that she was mob,” she says today.

“And then as I began my research into her experiences in the time we’re covering and how much she did, she became my hero. I’m in awe of her grace. And how she was able to navigate spaces that weren’t created for her or people like her. She’s just such a powerhouse in terms of her belief in herself.”

Having won the role of a lifetime and thrown herself into heavy training to prepare to play one of the world’s greatest tennis players and an Australian First Nations icon, Lila was understandably nervous when she first met Evonne face-to-face. It came as she was preparing for a scene on the court – Evonne watching on in the stands.

“I was like, ‘Oh goodness, this is a lot of pressure’,” she recalls. “I’m trying to be you and you’re watching me trying to be you. But there was a really beautiful moment. Something set me off and I got a little upset and had to take a moment just to breathe. She came over and gave me a big hug and was like, ‘Just have fun. Remember to have fun.’

“It was beautiful and exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.”