A year ago, the biggest acting credit on 800 Words star Melina Vidler’s CV was the role of “Hero Girl” in a Hungry Jack’s commercial, which she shot in 2014. Vidler giggles as she recalls the shoot. “I basically got to bite a burger, look at the camera and say, ‘Barbecue bacon’… over and over again in different ways.”
A day spent eating burgers. Sounds indulgent enough, right? Think again. “I only got to bite a bit of the bun, because the front of the burger had to stay looking good for the camera,” sighs Vidler. “And they made me spit it out. I wanted some burger! I didn’t even get a gift card.”
Vidler obviously got the last laugh. Last May, she nabbed a Logie for Most Outstanding Newcomer (Actress)—her first acting gong, for her first major role as rebellious teenager Shay Turner on Seven Network’s hit drama. “That was crazy,” Vidler recalls of her big night in May. “I was going to go right home, but then we got to the after-party and said, ‘Nah …’ I mean, I felt like a bit of a dickhead carrying around the Logie. But I guess it’s a good thing to be carrying.”
For now, the trophy is safe with her parents Kaylene and Wayne at their home in Brisbane—Vidler says her father “has this plan to put it over the front door, so people hit their head on it and he can say, ‘Oh, this is my daughter’s Logie!’”
The trophy came with a free return flight to Los Angeles, and Vidler says now that 800 Words’ second season is in the can, she will again put down roots in Sydney, hit the audition circuit and talk to her agents about potentially cracking the US market. “I’ve been filming [800 Words] in New Zealand, in the winter,” she says. “And look, coming from Brisbane, it’s been a bit crap. But it’s now my second home, and I find myself sad when I have to leave. But I definitely want to try and crack America. I’ve just got to make sure I use up all my options here first. I don’t want to be another Australian actor who goes over and lives there for months on end… but just lives there. Is not working.”
Admitting that she is an “anxious” person who struggles with wanderlust and a continued desire to move home after a year in any one place, Vidler—who initially wanted to explore law or architecture before settling on acting at age 11—explains: “I’m pretty impatient. I would need some work to come! Otherwise? Bye, see you later.”
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