After wowing international critics as the breakout star of Predestination (co-starring none other than Ethan Hawke) you might expect Sarah Snook to be fazed by sudden success. Not this Aussie – or Snooky, as her friends call her. When she isn’t hobnobbing in Hollywood or filming, Sarah still manages to keep it real, enjoying downtime in nature and valuing her privacy. But don’t be fooled by this Adelaide native’s down-to-earth attitude in real life, on screen, Sarah is pure electric emotion, and is personally “drawn to strong female roles with inherent conflict.” Not only has she got television and film work under her belt – after graduating from NIDA in Sydney, she also performed in multiple weighty theatre productions. We managed to catch the striking red-head just before she jetted off to San Francisco to shoot her next film with director Danny Boyle.
1. To stay sane, she never forgets her Aussie roots… or her seashells.
“I live out of a suitcase at the moment, packing it every fortnight. So I put some seashells and a painting a friend did for me of an Australian bay on the bedside table wherever I go. If customs ever gets on my case, I’ll be like, ‘No, don’t take my seashells!'”
2. Her most challenging role was playing a transsexual young man in Predestination.
“I did a lot of research, looking into what it is to be a man, how teenage boys start to express themselves as men. Justin Bieber kind of does these brows and a look when he’s ‘being a man,’ and you think, ‘Wow, that’s interesting.’ Cause you’re a kid, then a teenager, and now hitting adulthood – what do you do in the spotlight to be a man? There’s a lot of posturing and peacocking that goes along with that kind of progression.”
3. Don’t bother trying to add her on Twitter…
“I don’t have Twitter, and don’t Instagram very often because I don’t need to add to the volume of info that everyone’s receiving all the time.”
4. She thought she’d hate Hollywood…
“I expected it to be very shallow and superficial, but I found a lot of really good people there who created their own little niche. There’s this weird thing in Hollywood about bettering yourself which can sometimes be a bad thing, because it leads to narcissistic actors trying to move forward in their game, or it creates these holistic types who look inward instead of outward and go for hikes and do yoga. Its really kind of crazy.”
5. She comes from a lineage of strong, accomplished ladies like…
“My great aunt – she’s 90. When I saw her last, she was more flexible than I was! She studied drama in her 20s in London then came back to it in her old age, writing one-woman shows about the wives and mistresses of great men. Because behind every great man is a great woman.”
6. If she wasn’t acting, she’d be an adventure tour guide.
“I’d live in a national park and take people around and teach them about the environment. I like the outdoors.”
7. She looks up to fellow Aussie actress Cate Blanchett.
“She’s created a life for herself that still encompasses theatre and film, as well as a family. Its a difficult thing because at a certain point, women become more family-focused than career-focused, and she manages to balance both.”
8. Her fave Australian city is Melbourne.
“I accidentally moved there last year for work. It feels more like a European city, there’s a focus on music, and you can ride your bike everywhere. There’s a lot of community feel.”
9. Designers like Y B Jaime are appreciated, but she prefers second-hand.
“I saw a really cool pair of Doc’s recently. I didn’t need a pair but when I put them on I felt like I’d owned them for ten years, and they were already worn in, so it was great.”
10. She’s got some advice for you wanna-be actresses out there.
“It’s harder than you think. Be clear about why you’re doing it. Because if you’re doing it for fame and fortune, that’s fine, but be honest about what you want. Then make the choices that will get you there.”
Predestination is out now on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital to own.
Credits
Text Christine Jun