Lila McGuire

You may not know her name yet, but you're likely to see a whole lot more of this talented newcomer as she makes her debut as a leading lady.

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Having grown up in a series of small country towns in South Australia, Lila knew from a young age that she wanted to be an actor. As a three-year-old she watched Baz Lurhmann's Moulin Rouge and declared, "That's what I want to do.

I want to sing and dance and act and play for my job.

"But the schools and towns we lived in were so small," the 28-year-old recalls, "you don't get a lot of access to theatre programs or anything like that. So the first time I did any kind of community theatre I was in Year 12." Giving herself a gap year after graduating, Lila moved to Queensland.

She stayed for five years, deciding that she needed a "grown-up job" and worked as a dental assistant and in conveyancing.