If you haven’t heard the hype yet, new Aussie film The Dressmaker (which had its Australian Premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival) is a dazzling, star studded, character rich, visually captivating display of cinematography. Yeah, just take a second to take all those things on board. Ok? Cool. Amongst the star studded cast of Hollywood’s finest is one of our very own, SA born and bred actress Sarah Snook.
Somehow Glam girl Hannah managed to steal five minutes of the up and coming superstar’s time to quiz her on her newest role.
We saw the film last week. Congratulations. It was wonderful.
Oh thank you, thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed.
We found this film to be pretty unique, different to anything we’ve really seen on screen lately. What made you want to get on board with this project?
Well as I’m sure you’ve seen the sheer calibre of people involved was what drew me in. From the amazing casting list to the crew it was really bound to be something special. And then of course there were undoubtedly going to be some fantastic costumes to wear!
Oh that’s for sure! They were just breathtaking. So ornate! Which was your favourite? Which would you steal and take home?
The red and white dress was a definite favourite, the one where I’m wearing the fascinator with the poppies. I also loved the one with the cape and the silk organza. That one was beautiful but difficult. We finished shooting in early December last year. Towards the end there it was getting very hot, and as beautiful as they were, those gowns were not built for the Australian bush heat.
So tell us about your character Gert/Trudy. She starts off as a quiet quaint kind of girl who transforms into someone quite different towards the end of the film. Did you love her or love to hate her?
Oh I loved her! She was just so unexpectedly awful. You expect her to turn from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, but it’s no fairytale. She just takes the power and runs with and that was so fun.
I know! The story certainly doesn’t go where you’re expecting it to go.
Personally I think she always had it in her. You can see the glimmer in her eyes, she just wants to take on all the people that underestimated her in the past.
Did you see it coming? Had you read the book before you read the script?
No I actually hadn’t. I hadn’t even heard of it! And that really made it a joy to see where the characters went. I went back and read the book after, and obviously as happens so often with books to movies, the book was so much more elaborate. Trudy is actually even MORE of a horrible piece of work in the book. She’s something else. We kind of toned her down a bit in the film.
You’re going from strength to strength this year with so many fantastic hollywood films under your belt, did you ever think standing on stage at Scotch College that you’d end up working to the likes of Kate Winslet?
No it’s definitely crazy. I was actually in Adelaide doing a masterclass last week at my old school [Scotch College] and it brought back so many strange memories. I remembered Year 9 doing research on David Wenham, and I’d actually met him just a few weeks ago. It’s pretty surreal the way things can work out sometimes.
You’ve been starring in some pretty incredible Australian films. With the calibre of your performances one might guess that Hollywood would be calling your name more and more. Are there any plans in the future to move to the US?
Obviously if there’s more work in the US then that’s where I’ll head but I don’t really have any intentions to move there just yet. I’ll just go where the work goes. Australia is home though.
Is the Australian film industry something you feel passionate about staying involved in?
Of course. We have incredibly talented technicians here in Australia, both in front and behind the camera, and it has been an honour to work with them. We also have funding for film and television through the government, which is something I think we should really hold with pride. There are always more stories to be told, and that really helps to tell them.
You’ve been in a pretty diverse range of films already. The Dressmaker is so different in style to Predestination, Steve Jobs, Not Suitable For Children and Holding The Man. What is your favourite style of role so far?
I enjoy a role that has a journey, you know? Like Trudy for example goes from country girl to… couture beast, I guess you could say. I think it’s interesting how humans are so diverse and can evolve from one thing to something so different. So it’s not really about a particular genre or style of role for me, it’s more about the character taking a journey.
We’ve heard you’re on stage at the Old Vic Theatre in Britain at the moment. What do you prefer? Screen time or stage time?
It’s hard to say which I prefer. They’re very different experiences. On stage every night you get another chance, another performance. You’ve got a chance to make it better each time you step on stage. And in that, each performance is unique, it’ll never happen again. I love that about the stage. With film you have a lot more room to move, but in the same instance once it’s out there in the world it can never be changed. That’s why it’s important to be surrounded by a great team. Luckily I’ve always been surrounded by very talented people.
Finally, we have to ask as all the heartthrob readers out there (us included) are dying to know, is Liam Hemsworth as equally wonderful in the flesh as he is on screen?
Absolutely. He’s really wonderful. Down to earth and friendly, and every part the gentleman.
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Well guys, that answers it. We’re packing our bags in search of a Hemsworth! Wish us luck! We’ll share pictures if we succeed.
Sarah told Glam she’ll be back in Adelaide around Christmas to celebrate with her family and spend some time with her new baby niece. So keep you’re eyes peeled for this redheaded beauty on the streets of the city. We think she is most certainly Hollywood bound – an actress of her talent… They won’t be able to resist her!
In the meantime we insist you book in a night out with the girls to see The Dressmaker. We really did laugh out loud… we also cried out loud. It was an emotional rollercoaster of a film, that’s for sure. But from cast to costumes, all was visual delight.
We’ll be heading to outback Australia soon in search of a seamstress of Dior-like talent, a crossdressing policeman to befriend and a spunky shirtless farmer to run away with.
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