australian television information archive

Veronica Sywak as Emily

Emily is in her early twenties and Abby’s half-sister. She’s individual and exuberant. She tackles situations with an irresistible force, bowling in where angels fear to tread. When she lobs on the doorstep Abby knows protest is a waste of breath. Emily lands a job at the counselling office but her primary ambition is not to operate the reception desk but to learn about love. She figures working there is the best apprenticeship anyone can have when it comes to making a relationship work.

The part of Emily in CRASHBURN is Veronica Sywak’s first major role for television and she is delighted to be working with such a high profile cast. Previously she has appeared in two feature films—KANGAROO JACK (formerly Down and Under) and BLURRED.

Although a newcomer to television, Veronica is no stranger to the entertainment industry. After graduating from high school, she took a year off to study and worked for the children’s entertainment network Nickelodeon, where she quickly discovered she had a strong interest in new media.

Fascinated by emerging technologies and how they could connect with an increasingly media savvy audience, Veronica undertook a Bachelor of Media and Communications at the University of New South Wales.

While studying full time, Veronica worked as a copywriter for Fox Studios and as a website consultant for SBS. During her final year of study, Veronica worked on various websites at the Seven Network.

Secretly, though, Veronica longed to pursue an acting career and in 2001, landed a role in a Hollywood feature film. It was a bit part in Jerry Bruckheimer’s Down and Under—renamed KANGAROO JACK—which was a box office hit in the United States. “Unconventional is the best way to describe the way my career has played itself out,” admits Veronica.

By 2002, she had been cast in her first lead role as Lynette in the schoolies teen movie, BLURRED which received outstanding reviews and was a box office winner.

Veronica was in London visiting her brother when she heard she had the role of Emily. “I just burst into tears with happiness,” she said. “I am extremely privileged to be working with an ensemble of Australia’s most talented artists both in front of and behind the cameras.”

She describes Emily as a bit too self-assured for her own good. “She is related to Abby (her half sister) who as a zookeeper observes animals. Emily is a younger, more naïve version. Her habitat is the counselling office watching how relationships work and she likes to be in control of people at all times. She takes herself a bit too seriously but that’s because she’s hard on herself.