Just over a week ago, Tammin Sursok unexpectedly made headlines. Speaking to her 1.3 million fans on social media, the former Home and Away and Pretty Little Liars actress tearfully explained that a role she auditioned for had been given to someone else and the narrow defeat was taking a toll. It was a moment of vulnerability that caught attention worldwide.
“This happens a lot,” she says in the video, adding that “The amount of times it’s been me and another girl… my whole career… it’s just harder than you think.”
Tammin Sursok on vulnerability going viral
The video went viral, with both the public and Hollywood stars offering messages of support. In an interview with TV WEEK, Tammin says the response was completely unexpected.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Tammin, 42, says of the global reaction. “I’ve always been open and vulnerable, in general, on the platform because I think it’s better to make people feel less alone than to just show the highlight reel, so I didn’t think it [the post] was that different.
“But there’s a lot of actors who probably don’t feel seen and often people think acting is just a job and comes easily. I think it’s good to show what it’s really like behind the scenes.”
See the full video below:
From A-list stars such as Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez and Kerry Washington to her former Home and Away co-star Christie Hayes, the breadth of support was felt far and wide. Tammin says she realized, “we’re all the same” at the end of the day.
“I have this message in my DM’s [direct messages] that said, ‘That’s how I feel when you responded to my message.’ And I didn’t even think of that. You don’t think that your work affects people in that way.
“I think it’s really amazing because of what they’ve achieved,” Tammin adds of the calibre of stars who reached out. “But at the end of the day, I do believe that we’re all just creative artists just trying to make it.”
How Tammin Sursok took charge of her career
It did, however, inspire Tammin to take the reins by re-releasing her own series from 2017, Aussie Girl, a comedy that follows a young actress looking for a start in Hollywood.
“It’s been in limbo for years,” she says. “I thought, why not put it up for free on my YouTube channel, because we want people to see it and feel seen. The hope is for a second season to be picked up by another studio.”
In the meantime, Tammin is busy producing her forthcoming album, which was recorded in Nashville where she lives with husband Sean McEwen and two children, Phoenix and Lennon. She also hosts The Sh!t Show podcast.
Tammin Sursok’s journey from Home and Away to Hollywood
As someone who skyrocketed to fame at the age of 15 on Home and Away [she played Dani Sutherland from 2000-2004], Tammin is hesitant to see her kids tread the same path.
“My youngest does [want to act] but I don’t know if that’s going to be forever,” she says. “I would definitely let her do what she wants to do but I wouldn’t want her to be a child actor. I just don’t think it’s healthy.
“For me, it’s what I wanted my whole life and I’m so blessed to have that experience [on Home and Away]. But looking back, it’s a lot on a teenager to have that level of notoriety – I am eternally grateful though because if it didn’t have it, I wouldn’t have had the training to go over to America.”
From there, it was a string of appearances in series such as Pretty Little Liars, Neighbours and The Young & The Restless. Now, in the wake of her video, Hollywood is paying attention once again.
“I’ve been offered a movie that I’ll be filming next week, and some huge casting directors have reached out,” Tammin says.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the post or if it’s because I’ve put the energy out there, but I guess the moral of the story is to just go for it. What do we have to lose? We’re only letting ourselves down if we don’t.”
Aussie Girl is available to watch now on YouTube.
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