Rise to Fame
Three seasons playing a fan-favorite soap protagonist on Home and Away made her famous in Australia. That didn't transfer to Hollywood. The pivot came with Wedding Crashers in 2005, specifically the role of Gloria, a politician's daughter with zero impulse control. She went so far over the top she stole scenes from leads who had a decade of experience on her. The MTV Movie Awards gave her Best Breakthrough Performance. The industry finally took her seriously.
In the Spotlight
The marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen ended publicly in 2024, finalized in June 2025 after thirteen years and three kids. She described it as the hardest thing she'd ever gone through. By summer 2025, she had more projects lined up than she'd had in years: Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Dog Man, a Venice drama, and a Now You See Me sequel. Divorce, apparently, is excellent career motivation.
Side Notes
Born in Muscat, Oman to Scottish parents, she grew up in Perth and published two novels while filming over 300 episodes of Home and Away. After the soap, she enrolled at a Paris mime school, which explains more about her physicality as a comedian than any acting class would. Converting to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen took three years of studying Hebrew and theology, and she took the name Ayala in the process. For the record, she reportedly can also do real magic tricks.