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Interviews We talk to the industry experts to bring you the latest news and advice, and help you launch your career!

Interview with HollyShorts Film Festival founders Theo Dumont & Daniel Sol 22 February 2013 StarNow: Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol are the founders of the HollyShorts Film Festival, an annual independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California. The festival, founded in 2005, is devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe and has been named by Moviemaker as one of the ’25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee’. What do you think makes a great short film? HollyShorts: A simple story with rich and complex attention to detail. More...

Interview with Andy Anderson, New Zealand Film & TV Actor 5 December 2012 StarNow: Andy Anderson is a professional actor well known for his roles on both Australian and New Zealand television. He has appeared on a number of popular TV shows over the years including The Flying Doctors, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Water Rats, Neighbours and Packed to the Rafters. On film he is known for roles in Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and also House of Wax and Tracker. He recently won the StarNow Best Actor in a Short Film Award at the first Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards for his role as Terry in Honk If You’re Horny. Congratulations on winning Best Actor in a Short Film at the Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film awards – how did it feel when they announced you as the winner? Andy: Thank you. The category came up so close to the start of the show I got a shock. I completely forgot to give a hoi to Jim Moriarty and Waka Rowlands, the other nominees. I don’t know what I said, so let me thank all involved now, it’s a privilige and honour to get the nod. More...

Interview with Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model 2012 Finalist Rissikat Bade 19 October 2012 StarNow: Rissikat Bade is a young, upcoming model who has just recently graced our TV screens in Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model 2012, placing 5th out of thousands of other aspiring models. We had the privilege of talking to Rissikat shortly after the final of Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model was screened. Congratulations on making it through to the Top 5 of Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model. How was the Top Model journey for you? Rissikat: It was hard at times, because you are away from your family and in an unfamiliar environment, but over all I absolutely loved it! Maybe I didn’t win but I now have a new bunch of friends, great experience and unforgettable memories for life. More...

Interview with Miss England 2012, Charlotte Holmes 16 August 2012 StarNow: Charlotte Holmes, is the recently crowned Miss England 2012, a title she won over 59 other stunning contestants from around the UK. Charlotte is also a former Britain’s Next Top Model contestant, coming forth in the running in 2010. We had the opportunity to talk to Charlotte before she left on her journey to win Miss World in Ordes, Innter Mongolia. Congratulations on winning Miss England. We could see the surprise on your face when you won, but how did you feel when they announced your name? Charlotte: Utterly shocked, overwhelmed and excited! More...

Show Me Shorts Winner Nicole Gulasekharam 1 December 2011 StarNow: We noticed that your acting credits go back to when you were quite young! When did you decide you wanted to be an actor? And how did you first get into acting? Nicole Gulasekharam: It started when I won the role of Annie in ‘Annie’ the musical at the Regent Theatre when I was nine years old, which to this day I believe to be the biggest fluke! But that’s where I fell in love with the idea of playing different characters and people. So I started taking acting lessons, got a couple of jobs, and now I’m hooked! More...

Interview with dance star Kate Wormald 1 June 2011 StarNow: Kate Wormald is one of Australia’s favourite female dancers, making it to the top 3 and being the final girl standing in the premiere series of So You Think You Can Dance. Kate has been dancing professionally for over 15 years and is one of the most experienced, versatile and respected dancers in the country. Can you tell us about yourself Kate? How did you get your start in the industry? Kate Wormald: I trained on the Gold Coast at Robert Sturrocks and have been dancing professionally since I was 15yrs old. I loved doing theatre cabarets, corporates and other variety shows with Robert and I really think it was great training for being versatile in the years to come. More...

Interview with Show Me Shorts winner Cameron Rhodes 20 January 2011 StarNow: Congratulations on winning Best Actor at the Show Me Shorts festival – how did it feel when they announced you as the winner? Cameron Rhodes: It was great! I was fairly surprised, as the other nominees were all extremely strong and Brave Donkey has polarised audiences! But the acknowledgement was a thrill! More...

Interview with International Headshot Photographer bjorn b. 1 September 2010 StarNow: His website gives glimpse into who bjorn b. is, but in meeting him you realize is only a small fraction. After extending his trip to Aus a few times I ask him what he misses about life in LA and of course when he plans to come back. Bjorn B. is an international photographer and independent cinematographer, splitting his time between working with Actors on their first impression, there Headshot. He's worked with Aussies making there way to Hollywood and those working here in Australian. As a DoP, he just wrapped the Australian production 'Autumn Leaves,' with more around the corner. What brought you to Australia? bjorn b.: I've road tripped most of the US I felt it was time to see the world, I want to make films and meet people who want to make films. Art brings the world together, I guess this is me reaching out instead of waiting. I've always since I can remember waited to live and be a part of the world. I wish they had a global visa, maybe one day. Australia is just one place where talent thrives, I've made friendships that I think and hope will last a lifetime. Next I'm back to LA for a couple weeks then in Europe for the end of September. More...

Interview with International Casting Director Lilly Dawson 1 May 2010 StarNow: Melbourne based, International Casting Director LILLY DAWSON and one of LA’s premier Acting Coaches MARGIE HABER have assembled an exceptional team of industry guests to host a “HOLLYWOOD IMMERSIVE “workshop for students aged 13 – 19. Having successfully held the first workshop, we got in touch with Lilly to find out more about it. You have just completed your 1st Holly wood Immersive, can you tell us a bit about what this involved for the students? Lilly: Well we start with an initial chat to gauge interest and make sure the student is passionate and truly focused on acting. I then view resumes and show reels if available and then we line up auditions. I will send a script out and we audition either in Melbourne, or for those students that are interstate via Skype or preferably an audition sent to me via You Send It, Vimeo or a DVD. More...

Interview with Miss Wellington 2009 1 April 2010 StarNow: Congratulations on winning Miss Wellington 2009 – how did it feel when they announced you as the winner? Regan: I didn't really process it to be honest! I just thought, did they say MY name? They can't have! It didn't really hit me until I was at the end of the catwalk with my crown and flowers! More...

Top Model UK 2010 Christine Turner interview 7 December 2009 StarNow: At 15, you were the youngest contestant. You were only 14 when you first applied and just made the age cut off date by a couple of weeks. How did that feel? Christine: I think age is irrelevant as a model, just like you have many talented young actors. The question is whether you have the ability to perform in front of a lot of people and if you have the creativity to inspire great photographs. Let’s face it - you got to be a bit of an actress to be a good model. More...

Interview with True Blood Louisiana Casting Director 1 September 2009 StarNow: How much would an extra get paid on a TV series like True Blood? Brinkley: Here in Louisiana, the amount extras get paid is nothing like it is in Los Angeles! Extras generally get paid $100/12 or $125/12 (for stand-ins/photo doubles/featured roles). Also, since Louisiana is a “Right to Work State,” we cannot give out “Extra Vouchers.” All extras receive the same basic voucher for payment. Folks here generally are not looking to be a “star.” Therefore, most are having to take “vacation days” at their work to participate and experience being an extra for a day. More...

Interview with Tiffany Wright 1 August 2009 StarNow: Can you tell us about yourself and what you do? Tiffany: I’m a freelance journalist - which basically means magazines contact me when they are looking for specific stories and people, and I set about finding them, interviewing them and then writing the feature up. Sometimes, I even get to interview celebs – OMG, Daniel Craig was a dream! More...

Project Runway Model Interview 1 July 2009 StarNow: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in the modeling industry? Sarah: I started modeling when I was 17, although only just really started to get jobs when I was around 20. When I moved from Perth to Melbourne I was modeling full time for around 8 months and still get jobs here and there. More...

Interview with Kirsty DeVallance 1 April 2009 StarNow: How did you get started in the entertainment industry? Kirsty DeVallance: I started as a facilities assistant at the Nine Network, as well as doing auto cue in the news room for the early morning news. More...

Exclusive interview with US Casting Director Lana Veenker 1 March 2009 StarNow: Can you tell us how you got started in the casting industry? Lana Veenker: I had been a theatre actress and director, but hadn't ever really thought about working in film or in casting. I was a more of a starving artist/bohemian type and spent 10 years schlepping around overseas on a shoestring. I studied acting in Paris and Cambridge, crossed the Atlantic on a sailboat, had coconuts and machetes thrown at me in the West Indies, got stranded in a tiger park, lived through two South American military coups, crossed the Venezuelan Gran Sabana in an armored Lada Niva, started a theatre company and motorcycled 20,000 miles around India. And at one point on this odyssey, I landed a job at a casting office in London. I thought it might be a good fit for me, so when I returned to the States in 1999, I decided to start my own casting company. More...

Rachel Rice - Big Brother Winner 2008 5 January 2009 StarNow: Congratulations on winning Big Brother 2008 – can you tell us what it was like when they announced you were the winner? Yaneek Hepburn, London Rachel Rice: It was such a shock. I was chuffed to make the final 2 so when they announced me as the winner I couldn’t believe it. It’s still sinking in now. More...

Exclusive StarNow interview with Laura Coleman - Miss England 2008 1 January 2009 StarNow: Congratulations on winning Miss England 2008 – how did it feel when they announced you as the winner? Laura Coleman: Winning was something I dreamed of but never expected would happen to me. More...

Miranda Harcourt – Acting Coach to the Stars 26 November 2008 StarNow: What made you decide to become an acting coach? Val Bocking, London Miranda: I love teaching, I love directing and I love helping other actors to do their best work. Many of the productions I have directed have won best actor/actress nominations and awards. So when I decided to stop being the head of the acting department at the national drama school in New Zealand and return to working in the actual industry, I wanted to keep developing those skills helping other actors. My first job as an acting coach was with AnnaSophia Robb on "Bridge to Terabithia" (for that role AnnaSophia won Best Actress at the US Young Artist Awards this year, and was one of only 4 finalists for the prestigious Critics’ Choice Awards, along with Nikki Blonsky, Dakota Blue Richards and Saoirse Ronan). I absolutely loved working as a crew-member rather than as an actress — working alongside the key creative team and seeing the performances blossom. So I started looking out for other work in the same realm. It is only 2 years later and I am about to start coaching on my fifth feature, working in NZ and internationally. Now that I think about it I realise that I worked as a coach years ago – I coached Melanie Lynskey to win the role of Pauline Parker for Peter’ Jackson in "Heavenly Creatures". But it was not until "Bridge to Terabithia" that I decided to make this a career path. I still work as an actress. In fact, as I write I am in 33 degree heat on the Pacific Island of Rarotonga playing a lead in the BBC/TVNZ TV series "Paradise Café". But as a mother of 3 young children I cannot work as an actress fulltime, it is too demanding on my family. So I am mixing it up between these two passions. Mind you, on my last coaching job I was away from home for 3 months working 14 hour days in another city. I guess there are no cushy jobs in the TV and film industries, you have to be able to work very hard. More...

Adam Rickitt, Coronation Street & Shortland Street Star 4 November 2008 StarNow: As a young guy finishing his GAP year how did you feel when you landed the role of Nick Tilsley on Coronation Street? Adam: It was such a huge shift and eye opener. To go from the sheltered world of boarding school to suddenly the biggest show in the country at my very first audition was not only incredibly lucky but daunting and a huge change. More...