By Jesse Graham
A FORMER Healesville actor will feature on the silver screen this week, playing one of the main roles in the soon-to-be released romantic comedy, Spin Out.
Travis Jeffery, who grew up in Healesville, will play the role of Sparrow McGee, best friend to the main characters, Billy and Lucy.
The film was shot in Shepparton, and is set at a bachelors and spinsters ball in a rural country town, where Billy has one night to admit his feelings for Lucy before she moves away.
Mr Jeffery said the film was shot in Shepparton last year and that the locals had been invited along to a community screening earlier in the month.
“They loved it,” he said.
“I think Shepparton was a real test, because that’s who we made the film for – if they liked it, which they did … others are going to love it.”
He said his character was the “comic relief” to the romance between Billy and Lucy, who is naive and “got a heart of gold.”
Mr Jeffery, 27, said the film was a change to some of his other roles in war films and shows – including the miniseries, Gallipoli – and was one of his biggest roles to date.
He said he had an interest in acting for the last 12 years, performing in school plays and working with the Yarra Valley Youth Theatre Group while living in Healesville.
Since then, he moved to Sydney to pursue his career, and said he would like to keep working on Australian films.
“I really love doing gritty, Aussie stuff,” he said.
“If I can keep working in Australia – that would be amazing. (But) Hollywood’s a pretty big goal, I think.”
The film premieres on 15 September, and will be screening at 200 cinemas across the country.
“It’s just a nice, fun, fast country romance – it’s fun for the young and the young at heart,” Mr Jeffery said.
“It’s a good mate film, it’s a good date film … and you’ll leave with a smile on your face.”
