SYDNEY’S TASNEEM ROC BEGAN HER ACTING CAREER AT THE AGE OF 20 AS THANIA SAYA ON POPULAR TELEVISION SERIES, HEARTBREAK HIGH. SHE LATER APPEARED AS SKYE QUINN IN ABC DRAMA HEADSTART BEFORE RELOCATING TO THE UK, WHERE SHE APPEARED IN SKY TV SERIES
DREAM TEAM. TASNEEM LATER RETURNED TO AUSTRALIA AND APPEARED AS SEDUCTIVE PEOPLESMUGGLER, SUZY SUDIRO, ON HOME AND AWAY, AND IN THE SUPERNATURAL COMEDY, SPIRITED, AS SCHOOLTEACHER, VIOLA TAKE. HER ROLE OF PROTECTIVE WIFE AND MOTHER, AMINA MALIK, IN ACCLAIMED DRAMA MINISERIES EAST WEST 101 WAS REPRISED OVER THREE SEASONS AND SHE RECEIVED COMMENDATIONS FOR HER GUEST ROLE ON ABC LAW DRAMA CROWNIES AS VICTIM OF CRIME, TINA CHANG. MOST RECENTLY TASNEEM HAS PLAYED NURSE, OLIVIA SHAW, IN THE NEW JONATHAN SCHIFF PRODUCTION, REEF DOCTORS. BREAKING INTO A SESSION OF NET SURFING AND COFFEE, TASNEEM SPOKE TO DARREN HOUSE ABOUT HER REMARKABLE CAREER.
A LOT OF THE ROLES YOU PLAY ARE QUITE ‘MEATY’ - THE SORT OF ROLES THAT MOST ACTORS WOULD WANT TO PLAY? I’ve been lucky in that respect. I have had the opportunity to work on some really amazing productions, and you are right, they are pretty meaty. East West 101 was really topical and meaty in terms of exploring that Islamic and Western cross over, and on Crownies I played a victim of crime. It’s the kind of stuff that actors dream of. More recently I’ve been able to do some lighter things - Spirited was a bit comical, and on Kath and Kimderella I play a reporter. I’m a bit of a straight man on that, but it was also a bit quirky and lighthearted, so I’ve been able to touch on all of those different things. DO YOU ENJOY THE VARIETY? Yes, I do, definitely. It’s kind of funny because you can’t really predict what sort of roles you are going to have the opportunity to go for. At the very beginning, you hope for something meaty, you hope for
that big scene that will allow you to really let loose and have your moment, and then when you have had a couple of those, you really wish you could have something light
and happy, and it kind of pops up. With Reef Doctors, that was all light and even though we did have our dramatic moments, it was all very family orientated.
WHEN PLAYING EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING ROLES, DO YOU TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU OR DO YOU SWITCH OFF EASILY? My two heaviest roles would be on East West 101 and Crownies. East West, particularly in the third series, was quite harrowing. My character and Don Hany’s character, lose their son in the first episode. I don’t think I necessarily took that home with me, but it was definitely challenging. I do remember really wanting to do a good job with it, so when I was preparing for it, and on the day that we filmed it, I was definitely in that place and experiencing that loss as much as I could. Afterwards, I was very relieved to have had it done and know that I did a good job. I know that director, Peter Andrikidis, was very happy with what we had done and so were the producers, so I was quite happy with that. With Crownies as well, that was pretty tough being a victim of crime. Again, I don’t think I took it home with me, but around the time I was WWW.PRODIJEE.COM