Ash
You might recognise Sarah Bishop from last year’s viral video sensation ‘Activewear’. In a matter hours, the video racked up over a million views and even spawned a follow up vid, starring international music sensation Ellie Goulding.
Now Sarah has a new project that’s about to hit screens. But this time it’s not a viral video on Youtube, it’s a new Australian mystery thriller from first time feature director Megan Riakos.
‘Crushed’ will receive its Sydney premiere at Randwick’s The Ritz Cinema on March 15, before screening nationally on demand via FanForce.com.
We caught up with star Sarah Bishop, who told us about the film, the shoot, and of course, that infamous ‘Actvewear’ video!
Hey Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Firstly, how did you get into acting? Was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
I did a bit of community theatre in North Queensland and then moved to Sydney where I studied at the Actors Centre and ATYP. It had always been my dream to act. I love the challenge of different roles and enjoy learning about people from different walks of life.
Your new film, “Crushed”, is about to be released in Australia. Can you tell us a bit about the movie and your role?
It’s a mystery thriller and I play Ellia – a young woman who returns home to her family vineyard when her father is killed in an accident in the winery. She’s a woman who is battling a lot of issues and guilt about something that happened in her past and she struggles to connect with those around her.
Tell us about the shoot. You shot on location in the Mudgee wine region in New South Wales, with a really eclectic, established cast. How was it?
It was an incredible experience! Being out in a beautiful area like Mudgee and getting to spend it with such amazing cast and crew – it was like one big school camp and was a great bonding experience that I think really transferred to the screen. We did feel like a family.
You were in the ‘Activewear’ viral video recently that totally took over the Internet! How did the video come about and how was it to see it take off like that?
I was rehearsing for a live show with our comedy group Skit Box, we were talking about how we were wearing a lot of activewear to our rehearsals and the next morning I woke up with the song stuck in my head. We ended up doing it in the live show and it got such a great response that we decided to film it as a video straight away.
Did the response to the video surprise you?
Absolutely! I was jumping on a long haul flight when we release it – it had about 300 views when I boarded and by the time I got off 17 hours later it had hit 1 million!!
What’s next for you?
We’re currently gearing up for our Skit Box TV series with ABC. It’s a six part half hour sketch comedy show called Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am and I also shot an Australian horror feature that will be released later this year called Red Christmas. It stars American actress Dee Wallace who is most famous for playing the mother in ET and it was an incredible experience to work with her.
