We recently sat down with the extremely talented and eye-catching Australian actress Alana de Freitas to discuss her booming acting career and her impending move to the US.
Alana de Freitas was born in Melbourne and began acting at age nine with the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, and continued right through her schooling, receiving her Victorian Certificate of Education for Drama Studies with the Council of Adult Education. She continued her study with Screen Actors Australia, and has also studied at some of LA’s most prestigious studios: the Groundlings School, Ivana Chubbuck Studios and the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
Alana is also known for her role on LifeFunk TV where she gained experience as a roving reporter reviewing nightclubs, bars and restaurants, Alana was able to develop her own segments and work on content and scripting. She also conducted regular vox-pops with the unsuspecting public which forced her think on her feet and develop strong ad-libbing skills. This led to Alana producing another segment: sourcing new talent in the fashion industry and conducting interviews with up-and-coming designers.
Check out the interview :
Tention Free: We hear you’re on track to be moving to Hollywood this year?
Alana de Freitas: Well, fingers crossed. I firstly have to get my visa approved, but if that goes well, then, yes. I’d like to get there as soon as possible. I have a US agent who is sponsoring my application, and I have work lined up, so I’m feeling pretty happy right now.
Tention Free: Yes, we hear you have 2 feature films in the works. Is there much you can tell us about those at this stage?
Alana de Freitas: Sure. The first feature I’m set to work on is called I Told You So. It’s actually a book that is being made into a film. I have a central role in that, and it’s being pitched to Hallmark, which is exciting. The other is based on the George Bernard Shaw’s play, The Millionairess. I won’t say too much about that one at this stage, other than that it will have an interesting, modern twist.
Tention Free: We know you recently spent time in LA. Can you tell us your favorite and least favorite aspects of the city?
Alana de Freitas: OK. Least favorite is easy. The traffic. Actually, no. More than the traffic, it’s the drivers. Nobody indicates! Driving on the freeways in LA has forced me to be a more aggressive driver, otherwise I would never be able to merge to get off. My favorite thing would be the people. It’s such a melting pot and everybody is so friendly and welcoming. I was surprised by how easy it is to make friends.
Tention Free: What attracted you to acting?
Alana de Freitas: I guess I love the idea of getting to live through experiences, without having to actually live them. Getting to be all these different people with different stories. Creating a person and a world. I also really enjoy the collaborative aspect of it when a production comes together.
Tention Free: You’re best known for your role as Christy in Snowpeck. Tell us about what it was like to work on that series.
Alana de Freitas: It was such a fun show. The six of us were like a little family and it was just constant laughs on set. The storylines were farcical but it just worked, and my character was such a loveable space-cadet. I really hadn’t realized how much I enjoyed comedy until I worked on Snowpeck.
Tention Free: What’s next for you?
Alana de Freitas: Well, I have a role in The Legend of Ben Hall, which will be released in the next few months. I can’t wait to see the finished project. Obviously I have the two other films we talked about before, and I have web-series in the works as well as few auditions I’m looking forward to hearing back about. But it’s too early to talk about any of those. I’m just really happy right now. There is lots of exciting stuff on the horizon!
We look forward to seeing Alana on our screen again very soon!
RELATED LINKS:
www.alanadefreits.com
www.instagram.com/alana_defreitas
www.facebook.com/AlanadeFreitasActor
www.twitter.com/alanadefreitas
