BEFORE THE BAY-
It's funny the way things turn out. I remember going to the Adelaide Easter Show years ago, before I started on Home and Away. They were doing one of those "Be on the cover of Dolly" things, where they take your picture and mock it up to look like a real magazine. And, at this one, you could have your photo taken with Daniel MacPherson! I'd always wanted to be on the cover of Dolly, and I'd always liked Daniel, si I got very excited! I got a cover done with all my friends, and looked at it hanging on my wall every day. But who would ever have thought that I'd actually be on the cover some day?
The truth is that scoring a part on Home and Away has brought me plenty of surprises. Ever since I started on the show, I've had the chance to do things I'd never imagined I could do. Incredilbe things-like meeting Ashton Kutcher! The whole cast was invited to his Dude, Where's My Car? premiere a few moths ago, and I was there with bells on. He's so cute! So I guess you could say that, if this all ends tomorrow, I'd have plenty to be grateful for.
But the fame thing certainly takes a lot of getting used to. I mean, one minute I'm in high school, rollerblading and doing fun,girlie things. The next minute, I'm handing out autographs! I don't think you can prepare yourself for what that change feels like. I'm just so shocked that people appreciate what I do. And the fact that people love the show and my character, well, my dream has come true!
Being on TV is weird sometimes, because lots of people have the wrong idea about being a celebrity and the lifestyle it brings. For example, people always ask me what it's like to work with Beau Brady, because he's such a heart-throb on the show. But I just think that's funny. Here on set, we know what he does when he comes here in the morning. And you don't know about Zac pulling down his...ah, you know what I mean! Anyway, if there's anything that keeps me grounded through it all, it's my friends. My good friends. The ones who have stuck by me from the start. The friends that I still see are the ones that I've known since I was little. There were actually some girls at school who weren't very nice to me. But the minute I got on Home and Away, they were the first ones to call me up and say," Let's go do something". I don't like that whole fakeness thing at all. I like people to be genuine. So, if I've learned anything through all this, it's the importance of having good, true friends.
THE START OF A STAR-
I know it sounds cliched, but I've always known I wanted to act. You can ask my childhood nanny. When I was five years old, I smiled and said to her," I'm gonna be an actor one day. Just wait and see". I used to make my parents sit down and watch me as I put shows on for them. I'd be dancing and singing, and they just knew I was born for it. Especially my mum. She used to be a singer in South Africa. so she has the show business bug in her too. I started out doing theatrical performances for youth societies, shows like The Sound Of Music and South Pacific. I always had a small part, but, for me, that was good. I worked so hard on them, and always made sure I'd studied heaps before the audition. I was still in school when I signed up with an acting agency, but it was actually a modelling agency that led to my part on Home and Away.It all started when an agency approached me, asking if I was interested im modelling. It wasn't really something I was into, but my mum said it might be a good idea to do it part-time. Then we figured that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right-and send a letter to Chadwick's. Chadwick's is a pretty huge agency, and while they said I was a bit short for a full-time modelling career, I could definitely do teen mags like Dolly. And then, soon after, my first job was with Dolly!
I found out about the Home and Away audition through Chadwick's,and knew I had to go for it. Normally you have two auditions for that kind of thing. I had eight1 Because the role was part of a new family, everybody had to gel and work well together, so it took a long time. When I got the part, I was busy at a church camp taking care of 100 kids. We'd just been to a theme park and when I got back, there were 18 missed calls on my mobile from my mum and my agent.The kids were so excited for me! It was definitely the best place to be when I found out.
Starting on the show was definitely daunting. My very first scene was in a caravan park with Ben Tate from Breakers. He played my boyfriend on the show, and it was a kissing scene. So I'm sitting there on my first day, stressed out about what I have to do, and I'm kissing some guy in the back of a caravan! I didn't know what I was and wasn't supposed to do, but I just went with it and everything was fine. But looking back on it. I'm sure it had a lot to do with the cast. I mean, I was just so shocked when I met them. They'd always been on my TV and then, one day, they were right there in front of me! I kept on thinking it must have been a mistake-but it wasn't. Being on the show is great, mainly because everybody gets on like a house on fire.
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