| Sara West | |
| Birth Place: | Adelaide, Australia |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Occupation: | Actress, director, writer |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
Sara West is an Australian actress, director and screen writer. She began her career with roles in short films and television roles. Her 2015 role as Liza Minnelli in television series earned her a Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer. In 2017, West played Lyndal in the film, Don't Tell and was nominated for an AACTA Award. She also appeared in the main roles of the 2016 film Bad Girl, as Amy Anderson and the 2019 film, Awoken playing the medical student Karla. She also plays Brooke in ABC TV drama series Troppo. In 2023, West joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours, playing Cara Varga-Murphy. West also writes and directs films and has won awards at the 2014 and 2018 South Australian Screen Awards.
West grew up in the Murray River area of South Australia. When West was at high school, her mother encouraged her to take drama classes.[1] West studied at the Flinders Drama Centre at Flinders University, Adelaide.[2] [3] West later moved to Sydney to continue perusing further work. She and her university dramateacher, Richard Back set up their own production company called Salvage Productions.[1]
West's first television role was Clarice Daley in the 2014 ABC1 television drama, ANZAC Girls.[3] She then appeared in the Seven Network series Winter.[3] Around this time, West began securing further work in theatre productions.[1] In 2013, West directed the short film titled River Water. For her work on the film, West won the Best Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2014 South Australian Screen Awards.[3] [4]
West developed her writing skills with the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP). She wrote the theatre play The Trolleys, and was the recipient of their 2014 Foundation Commission Award. The Trolley debuted on stage at the ATYP Studio 1 in Sydney.[5] [6]
In 2015, West played the main role of Liza Minnelli in , a television drama mini-series that was broadcast on Seven Network.[7] West recalled her shock when her agent got her an audition for the role. Prior to filming, West worked on mimicking Minelli's mannerisms, accent and her singing style.[7] West stated that she really related to the role because they were both ambitious in their early careers.[8] She was nominated for the 2016 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer for her role as Minnelli.[9]
In 2016, West played the main character Amy Anderson in the film Bad Girl, alongside Samara Weaving, who played the other main role of Chloe Buchanan.[10] She also played "a self-described bookworm" called Tanya, in two episodes of the second season of the American comedy series Ash vs Evil Dead, which was broadcast via Starz. West filmed the role in Auckland, New Zealand.[11] In 2017, West played the role of Lyndal in the film, Don't Tell. Lyndal is a victim of sexual abuse who attempts to gain justice.[12] [11] She was nominated for the 2017 AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Don't Tell.[13] That year, she also played the role of Jennifer Hartley in Nine Network's drama Love Child.[14]
In 2018, West wrote and directed the short films titled Mutt and Disco Dykes for the streaming service SBS on Demand.[15] Disco Dykes was part of a collection of short films featuring LGBTIQ stories the broadcaster and the Government of New South Wales had commissioned and funded via their Emerging Filmmakers Fund.[4] [16] Mutt received four awards at the 2018 South Australian Screen Awards. West herself won the Best Directing award.[17] That year, she played the role of Leah Baxter in the SBS crime series Dead Lucky. Her character is portrayed as pregnant and attempts to protect her brother from a police investigation.[18] In 2019, West played the main role of Karla in the horror film Awoken. Karla is characterised as a medical student who is desperate to cure her brother's terminal sleepless illness.[14]
In 2021, West played the title role of Iggy in AB Morrison's web-series Iggy and Ace.[19] The show has queer themes and explores the issue of alcoholism. It was filmed in Perth and West's character was described as a "millennial with a drinking problem".[19] [20] That year she continued to appear in television series, first as Kelli in ABC iview's drama series Wakefield and Bianca in the Nine Network's drama Amazing Grace.[21]
In 2022, West joined the cast of ABC TV drama series Troppo, playing the character Brooke.[22] In 2023, West joined the cast of the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, playing the role of Cara Varga-Murphy who is in a same-sex relationship. West stated she was "honoured" to join the cast and hoped the inclusion of her character's family would "help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community" that she proudly comes from.[23] She also reprised her role as Brooke in the second series of Troppo.[24]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Nina | Emily | Short film | |
| 2010 | The Turned | Cassie | Short film | |
| 2011 | Collision | India | Short film | |
| 2013 | Spine | Chloe | Short film | |
| 2013 | One Eyed Girl | Sarah | Film | |
| 2013 | Touch | Jessica | Short film | |
| 2015 | Jane | Film | ||
| 2016 | Bad Girl | Amy Anderson | Film | |
| 2016 | Trespass | Laura | Short film | |
| 2017 | Don't Tell | Lyndal | Film | |
| 2017 | Split Me | Scooter | Short film | |
| 2018 | Ward One | Nurse | Short film | |
| 2018 | Nursery Rhymes | Metalhead Girl | Short film | |
| 2018 | Company | Amelia | Short film | |
| 2019 | Top End Wedding | Rosemary | Film | |
| 2019 | Awoken | Karla | Film | |
| TBA | Dirt Girls | Grem | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ANZAC Girls | Clarice Daley | Regular role | |
| 2015 | Winter | Indiana Hope | Main role | |
| 2015 | Liza Minnelli | Main role | ||
| 2016 | Ash vs Evil Dead | Tanya | Guest role, Season 2 | |
| 2017 | Love Child | Jennifer Hartley | Guest role | |
| 2018 | Dead Lucky | Leah Baxter | Regular role | |
| 2018 | Jade of Death | Ebony | Guest role | |
| 2019 | The Commons | Zoe | Guest role | |
| 2019 | Drunk History Australia | Press / Party Member / Guest | Guest role | |
| 2020 | Liberty Street | Sophie | Guest role | |
| 2021 | Wakefield | Kelli | Guest role | |
| 2021 | Amazing Grace | Bianca | Guest role | |
| 2021 | Iggy and Ace | Iggy | Main role | |
| 2022–present | Troppo | Brooke | Recurring role | |
| 2023–present | Neighbours | Cara Varga-Murphy | Regular role |
| Year | Format | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Film | South Australian Screen Awards | Best Emerging Filmmaker | River Water | |
| 2016 | Television | Logie Awards | Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer | ||
| 2017 | Television | AACTA Awards | AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role | Don't Tell | |
| 2014 | Film | South Australian Screen Awards | Best Directing | Mutt | |