Tessa at home in Summer Bay
She may have landed a role on one of Australia’s most successful TV soaps but Tessa De Josselin never set out to be an actress.
After working as an environmental planner for two years, the 26-year-old decided it was time to change paths and pursue one of her biggest passions — acting.
While most actors spend years building their CV, De Josselin — who dabbled in drama in high school — admits she is one of the lucky few.
“I guess I did fall into it but it was a decision I made,” she explains by phone from Sydney. “I got to about 22 and thought if I don’t give acting a shot now I’d look back not knowing if I could have pursued one of my ambitions. I managed to get an agent and a few auditions. It all happened quite quickly. I scored a few major roles in some kids’ series, one was called In Your Dreams, which ran for two seasons.”
The Sydney-born actress makes her Home and Away debut on Monday as Billie, the long-lost sister of Ash (George Mason) who has spent months trying to track her down.
The brother-sister duo finally reunite at their brother’s grave where Ash begs Billie to return to Summer Bay with him.
De Josselin describes the Billie role as a “massive deal”, particularly because she had auditioned for another role on the soap a year ago.
“I got down to the final two,” she recalls.
“But when I auditioned for the role of Billie I’d just finished a job overseas and I put down a self tape when I was holidaying on a tiny island in Greece — then I ended up getting a call-back when I had returned to Australia a few months later.
“I watched the show growing up and I actually grew up in the northern beaches not far from Palm Beach, so it was definitely something I was very familiar with.
“It was really exciting when it all happened and I was on the other side of the camera lens, not watching it but actually doing it.”
Home and Away airs from Monday to Thursday at 7pm on Seven/GWN7.
