I found it very overwhelming and in some ways, I withdrew – whereas if I was a bit older, I’d have been more confident and ready.” You get the sense that even now, with tentpoles like Little Women, M Night Shyamalan’s Old, and now BBC’s sure-fire hit Dope Girls, to her name, Scanlen is not particularly suited to the discomforts of fame.
The Australian actor had just turned 18 when she landed her breakout role as Amy Adams’ feral baby-doll sister in HBO’s hit series Sharp Objects – but looking back now, she knows she could’ve done with a few more years under her belt.
That first guest part on Home and Away identified in Scanlen something directors would go on to utilise throughout her career.
Scanlen plays Violet, one of Britain’s first women police officers, who is sent under cover into the underbelly of Soho.
Obviously there are some historical elements that inform your acting, but those things can get in the way sometimes.” As Violet, Scanlen doubles down on the menace of her earlier roles, more blatantly ruthless and self-possessed.
