Sara West in Bad Girl.
Camera IconSara West in Bad Girl. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Sarah West gets angsty in Perth film Bad Girl

Julian WrightEastern Reporter

WHEN it rains, it pours for actor Sara West.

While waiting for the release this month of her film Bad Girl, which was shot in Perth and surrounds in 2015, West has been busying herself with another movie and a television series in New Zealand.

“It has been a bit of a nervous wait for this movie to come out, but I have been filming other things in the meantime,” she said.

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“All of a sudden everything comes out at once.”

In the psychological thriller Bad Girl, West portrays angsty teenager Amy, whose rebellious behaviour prompts her family to move her to a small, isolated town.

Amy soon befriends mysterious local girl Chloe (Samara Weaving), who may not be who she says she is.

West said with such a shortage of female-centric projects, she was drawn to Bad Girl, which had two female lead roles.

“I am drawn to anything with two female leads, I don’t care what genre it is,” she said.

“In Australia there isn’t a lot going around like that.

“I auditioned for both roles before we figured out how I would fit in terms of characters.”

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West said she identified with Amy on some levels.

“I had an amazing, supportive family but that is not always what you are after when you are an angsty teen,” she said.

West said the 21-day shoot was not her first time on the west coast.

“I had been there before on holiday with family, and after the shoot I was able to come back down to Margaret River for Cinefest,” she said.

“I grew up in South Australia so it looked familiar with the valleys and stunning country.”

Reminiscing about portraying Hollywood royalty Liza Minnelli in Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, West said she still laughed about the opportunity.

“I still don’t know how that happened,” she said.

“I was offered the role and I said I can’t sing or dance and I’m not half Italian – everyone else in the country said no, but I had a good crack at it.

“I still crack up when I think about it.

“I’d love to play Eminem in a bio film, if anyone is willing to give me a shot; I mean Cate Blanchett played Bob Dylan in I’m Not There.”

Bad Girl screens at Luna Palace Cinemas from April 27 with a Q and A with writer/director Fin Edquist on Friday, April 28, at Luna Leederville.