Damn right this beautiful woman shook my hand and you may not know who she is but I am sure you will. Bella Heathcote is an Australian actress whose only feature film was a small but damn good film called Acolytes. Now she is the love interest and the fresh breath of the new war film Beneath Hill 60, Review here . With great luck I got to talk to Bella and we talked about Beneath Hill 60 plus what really happens when actors go to L.A. Here it is and enjoy

PJ- So how’s your day been so far?

BH- It’s been so cruisy, I just flew up from Melbourne this morning so you’re my second interview. Everyone’s had this onslaught and I have just been like lalala

PJ- So I’ll get straight to it, So what was it like making Beneath Hill 60?

BH- Pretty great, Everything about it was great because I was there at ther start with Brendan and we did all the love stuff and then they went off to war. So we just had this blissful love bubble week where everything was beautiful and telling a beautiful love story

PJ- Lucky you weren’t in the mud

BH- Yeah I didn’t have to do any of that, no trenches , no war , I just got pretty dresses.

PJ- So was this your first Feature?

BH- I had a small role in Acolytes which was with Joel Edgerton and this is my second feature.

PJ- From an Actor’s perspective, is it amazing to go and see your face on the screen?

BH- It’ pretty Surreal. I haven’t seen any of the previews because I was overseas, but I was sitting in Brendans interview room and saw the poster and I said “I can’t look at that”. It’s very surreal

PJ- So for those who haven’t seen the movie, Describe your character?

BH- Marjorie Wadell is the role I play and she is sixteen going on 17. Her brother’s at war, at Gallipoli and she’s just this creative beautiful girl that’s grew up with Woody (Brendan Cowell’s character Oliver Woodward) and knew him like a brother figure. After a few years apart he comes back and they see each other and their all grown up. They then see each other in a new light and she falls for him and loves him and commits to him even though he’s off to war and she know he could come back a broken man

PJ- So how do you create chemistry ?. Are there some actors you can’t with? Because the chemistry you and Brendan had was great.

BH- Brendan’s actually a friend of mine so it was very easy with him. He is also very fun to act with.

PJ- So you were saying you were overseas?

BH-Yeah, in L.A

PJ- I always hear about actors going off to L.A , what do you do when you go there?

BH- That was my first trip and I went over there at the end of January as it was pilot season and they have this massive influx of actors to come to audition. All these aussies go over there to audition because they film like 40 pilots each year or at least they did this year. So we all go over there to audition for these pilots. But I stayed over there for an extra month because I loved it there.

PJ- Are there people who show you around or do they just leave you at the airport and say “Go Crazy”

BH- I got there, I didn’t have any representation or anything, and my agent in Melbourne set up all the meetings , so I just went over there and had meetings and Brendan was over there and he introduced me to some aussies and there’s this big aussie pack and it’s great. It’s very fun. So you go to meeting after meeting and audition after Audition.

PJ- Any bites?

BH- I think there may have been bites but I didn’t land anything but I am going back in May.

PJ- So what’s your next project after this one?

BH- I actually don’t have much after this one as I am hoping to go to L.A for a few more months and check it out again. There is a film with John Hewitt who directed Acolytes and doing it later in the year, another horror film called red ink. I might be a part of that.

PJ- So will you have to screentest for this ?

BH- Well we did, we cut and shot a trailer for it. Well something similar to a trailer for it in November/December last year with Colin Moody playing the bad guy and I think that had something to do with Online but I am not sure. I am very green when it comes to all that and I think he’s filming a film at the moment called X and this will be coming after that.

PJ- So why acting?

BH- Because I can’t imagine doing anything else.

PJ- Do you just love dressing up in Victorian dresses?

BH- That’s a bonus, I have been wanting to do it since I was a little girl. It just feels right. I just love it

PJ- Were you the one in the living room showing off?

BH- Yeah, I did like Johnny young talent time, I did all the dancing and singing and all that jazz. I started doing drama lesson when I was like 12 the just fell in love with it and just kept going.

PJ- In Melbourne?

BH- Yeah and I went to the national theatre drama school which is Melbourne’s NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic art) I’d love to say the Melbourne Equivalent of NIDA but I can’t. But I did a 3 year course there. I tried to talk myself out of it a couple of times and do something practical, something better financially like a lawyer

PJ- So you are a struggling actor now?

BH- I think we are all struggling actors now. Hahaha I guess you could say I am. But I am not struggling that badly though.

PJ- So what do you think of the current Australian Film Industry and where would you like to see it.

BH- I probably won’t give the most educated answer but I think but my own point of view is that it’s looking great. We have some really great films coming out and great stories that are being told. I only just saw Beautiful Kate recently on the plane on the way overseas and I loved that. Brenda [Cowell] has 2 films coming out soon with this and “I love you too”. So I guess I just want it to keep going and get stronger. And more people to pay attention to Australian films with more Australian wanting to see them and internationally.

PJ- So back to Beneath Hill 60. If you were to meet your character Marjorie what would you ask them?

BH- [Silence] uuummm. I would like to know, because Brendan and I were talking about our characters and how he was living with the natives of Papua New guinea. So I would ask Marjorie were they having all these parties and getting all the locals over ? hahaha

PJ- That’s a good answer. Thanks so much for your time and I am sure we will hear more from you.

NEXT INTERVIEW WILL BE WITH BENEATH HILL 60'S STAR BRENDAN COWELL, SO STAY TUNED!!