Advertisement

Vampire role packs a bite

Lucy Fry. Picture: Getty Images

For Queensland actress Lucy Fry, landing her first Hollywood movie lead was a bit daunting.

Fresh from appearing on Aussie TV screens in a string of teen dramas, the 21-year-old had a lot resting on her shoulders when she was cast in the big-screen adaptation of author Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series as Lissa Dragomir, a quaint member of vampire royalty who descends from the mortal Moroi blood line.

Just like the first instalment in the bestselling books, the film - part fantasy, part drama with a touch of comedy thanks to Mean Girls director Mark Waters - centres on the friendship between Lissa and her feisty guardian Rose (played by up-and-coming US actress Zoey Deutch) who is of the Dhampir half-vampire, half- human race.

"I loved the book myself, so even without thinking about anyone else, I wanted to do it justice," Fry explained during a recent visit to Australia to promote the film.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the best job I could, sometimes I wish I could go back and do it again and not be so hard on myself and kind of relax a bit more."

Even though she's proud to call herself a Vampire Academy fan, Fry admitted she never bought in to the hype surrounding the modern fantasy vampire genre, namely Stephenie Meyer's popular Twilight series.

"Personally I am not a huge fan of Twilight because somehow I didn't connect to it as much," she said.

"But what I loved about Vampire Academy is that Rose and Lissa are very powerful young women. Lissa's acceptance of her own vulnerability is what makes her strong while Rose is such a hearty brave character."

"It's modern, it's fast, it's energised and it's a comedy as well. For me I relate more to this because it's in some ways more human than Twilight."

With the film already released in the US - and Australia last week - Fry made a point of avoiding reviews.

"I try not to read reviews and that kind of thing because I don't want to know if people hate it," she laughs. "I love it and I think it's a really great fun film and whenever I've been at a screening or a premiere it gets a lot of laughs and people are really enjoying it and having a lot of fun watching it. So that's the kind of feedback I want to see."

Now flitting back and fourth between Australia and Los Angeles, Fry looks set to follow in the footsteps of fellow Queenslander turned Hollywood star Margot Robbie.

In the coming months, the ethereal blonde will star alongside Aussie Portia De Rossi in the comedy, Now Add Honey.

"I love Portia, she's just a gorgeous and generous woman," Fry gushed.

"It was such a treat to watch the way that she performed and her attitude to life and hearing all her stories."