True Spirit movie cast: Who stars in the Netflix movie?

Based on the incredible true story of Australian teenager Jessica Watson, True Spirit is a heartfelt family movie about one of the youngest people to ever circumnavigate the globe on a solo, unassisted, sailing trip.

The cast of True Spirit is led by the talented up-and-coming Australian actress Teagan Croft. She’s joined by at least one Oscar winner and several other Australian and New Zealand stars. Croft plays a tenacious teen intent on following her dreams and facing her fears as she attempts to become the youngest person to sail around the world.

True Spirit cast and characters

Keep reading to meet the cast featured in this inspirational film.

Teagan Croft as Jessica Watson

Jessica Watson isn’t technically a “character” but a depiction of a real person. In October 2009, the real Jessica embarked on a remarkable journey: sailing around the world solo, unassisted, at just 16. This inspiring young woman has since been awarded the Order of Australia Medal and invited to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.

It’s fitting that Jessica would be portrayed by an Australian actress. Aussie Teagan Croft, 18, started acting in the 2016 Australian sci-fi film The Osiris Child before landing a recurring role on the beloved soap opera Home and Away, which also featured early roles for A-listers like Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth. Croft’s most significant role to date has been playing the comic book character Rachel Roth/Raven in HBO Max’s Titans.

Anna Paquin as Julie Watson

Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin plays Jessica’s mother, Julie Watson. The New Zealand actress started her acting career at a very young age, winning her first Oscar at just 11 years old for her work in the 1993 romantic drama film The Piano.

Paquin continued acting throughout her adolescence in films like Fly Away Home, Almost Famous, and Jane Eyre. Nowadays, audiences know her best as the mutant superhero Rogue in Fox’s X-Men franchise and True Blood leading lady Sookie Stackhouse. Recently, she starred in Peacock’s A Friend of the Family, based on the real kidnapping of Jan Broberg.

Josh Lawson as Roger Watson

Fellow Australian actor Josh Lawson plays Anna Paquin’s on-screen husband and Jessica’s father, Roger Watson. This talented actor/writer started his career in the late 1990s with a recurring role in the Aussie children’s show The Wayne Manifesto.

He has been working steadily ever since and is best known for playing Tate in the NBC sitcom Superstore and Kano in Mortal Kombat. He also recently appeared in an episode of the Netflix series Cobra Kai. His brother is fellow actor and Firefly Lane star Ben Lawson.

Cliff Curtis as Ben Bryant

Ben Bryant is Jessica’s mentor and sailing coach, but unlike the other leads in True Spirit, Ben is a fictional composite character based on several real people from Jessica’s life.

New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis brings Ben to life in the movie. Funnily enough, Curtis also starred in the 1993 movie The Piano alongside his True Spirit co-star Anna Paquin. He also appeared in movies like Collaterel Damage, The Dark Horse, Doctor Sleep, and, most recently, Avatar: The Way of Water. He’ll return to reprise his role as Tonowari in the upcoming Avatar sequels. On television, Curtis’s biggest claim to fame is playing Travis on several seasons of Fear the Walking Dead.

More True Spirit cast members

• Bridget Webb as Emily Watson
• Vivien Turner as Hannah Watson
• Stacy Clausen as Tom Watson
• Todd Lasance as Craig Atherton
• Alice Tate as Georgina Bauer
• Luke O’Neill as Kevin Rudd

True Spirit releases on Friday, February 3, on Netflix.