Isabella feels at home

Isabella Giovinazzo never set out to be an actress.

Rather, it was a love of working behind the scenes that initially spurred the 23-year-old Melburnian to enrol in a film and television degree in 2009, where she began to work on a series of short films and local productions.

But come the final year of her studies, Giovinazzo began to realise her passion for acting.

"I went to the Swinburne Film School in Melbourne, specialising in writing and directing, and I loved it," Giovinazzo told AAA.

"But towards the end of it, I realised that the bit I loved about filmmaking the most was putting together the story and the characters and that sort of is the most significant part of acting for me, creating that world.

"I did a tiny bit of acting as a child and didn't really get it or enjoy it very much. But then I came to realise that there was so much more to it through studying filmmaking."

Giovinazzo took several acting classes before eventually being signed by an agency that secured her numerous TV auditions, including one for a role on Home and Away.

And like a case of beginner's luck, she won the part.

"I auditioned for a few different things and I was really learning on the go at the auditions but I didn't get a single role until this one," she said.

Giovinazzo will make her TV debut tonight as the rebellious musician Phoebe, the ex-girlfriend of Kyle (played by Margaret River-raised hunk and WA Academy of Performing Arts graduate Nic Westaway).

She suddenly turns up in Summer Bay, much to the shock of his current girlfriend, Tamara (Kelly Paterniti).

"He's fantastic," Giovinazzo said of Westaway. "He has really helped me ease into it, especially in the beginning, so when I wasn't quite hitting the mark, he'd just nudge me (laughs).

"We're having such a blast. I love my character, I'll give her as much work as I think she deserves. I'll put in twice as much as necessary as what I think is needed for the scene."

Having worked on Home and Away for the past five months, Giovinazzo said she had struggled to keep her new role under wraps - until now.

"I'm not very good at what I am and am not allowed to talk about," she laughed. "I wasn't able to really tell anyone back home about it or why I moved (to Sydney). But its nice now being able to share exactly why I disappeared for a few months."