Australian Story | Why Yael Stone and Jack Manning Bancroft Left ...
Australian Story returns tonight on ABC and ABC iview with a feature on Australian actor Yael Stone and her partner, Jack Manning Bancroft. Stone, best known for her breakout role in Orange Is the New Black, once had a promising Hollywood career, bolstered by her green card.
“It’s a passport to so much opportunity. She could have done anything at that point, for sure,” Orange co-star Uzo Aduba reflects.
However, Stone made headlines when she announced her decision to relinquish that green card, effectively turning her back on the entertainment capital.
“I thought, wow, that’s a very bold statement. Did she need to say it so publicly? Because maybe she’ll just want to go back on that,”
says friend and fellow actor Claudia Karvan.
While some viewed her actions as a potential setback, one person who stood by her unwaveringly was Jack Manning Bancroft, her childhood friend and now partner. The pair had first met at the age of five but reconnected 25 years later, forging not just a romantic relationship, but a shared sense of purpose.
“I’ve never felt like an idea was too big with Yael. And I never felt crazy, I think that’s probably the magic that unites us as a couple,”
says Manning Bancroft.
Manning Bancroft, founder and CEO of AIME, an Indigenous youth mentoring program, is no stranger to taking risks. His ambition to expand AIME globally led to him pushing himself to the point of exhaustion, even collapsing at one event.
“He collapsed at an event … and it was like, ‘Oh my God, is my son going to actually die here?’,”
recalls Bronwyn Bancroft, Jack’s mother and a well-known artist.
Now, the couple balance raising their two young daughters with their professional lives. Stone has turned her attention to climate activism, while Manning Bancroft continues to grow AIME’s impact. Despite their individual paths, they remain united by a common goal—to contribute positively to the world around them.
Australian Story airs tonight, Monday 21 October 2024, at 8:00pm on ABC and ABC iview. The episode, produced by Winsome Denyer, is available for streaming, with past episodes accessible through ABC iview.
