Tammin Sursok reveals truth behind massive transformation: 'Difficult'

Former Home and Away star Tammin Sursok recently swapped her trademark brunette locks for a stunning blonde hue, with fans enamoured by the dramatic change. The actress, 39, underwent a huge transformation to play a high school student in Tubi TV's Blood, Sweat and Cheer.

However, in a chat with Yahoo Lifestyle, she reveals that there were some “difficult” elements in her makeover for the role of Renee, including her initial reaction to changing her hair.

“Firstly, I had brown hair and they asked me if I would go blonde,” she recalls. “At first I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to do it’. And then I thought, ‘Am I an actress, or do I care about my hair?’,” she laughs, before saying that ‘going blonde’ was necessary for the role. The makeup and hair team also added a pair of fake bangs, leaving her almost unrecognisable.

At first glance, snaps of Tammin playing a high schooler seems far-fetched, with the Aussie star playing a slew of teen characters since she first appeared in Summer Bay 23 years ago. In addition to Home and Away, she had teen roles on Hannah Montana and Pretty Little Liars, but she’s now a mother to two daughters and is approaching her 40s.

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The premise for the dark comedy revolves around Tammin’s character Renee, who is struggling to bring up her 16-year-old daughter Cherie, played by Monroe Cline. There are layers to her performance, as she tries to cling to the high school experience she didn’t have, and attempts to secure a better future for her child.

After Cherie refuses to continue with competitive cheerleading, Renee takes a leaf out of classic teen comedies such as Never Been Kissed and impersonates her daughter. As the new version of Cherie, she enrols at a nearby high school, determined to secure a scholarship for her child.

It’s not a simple story though, with Tammin warning viewers that it “takes a dark turn” halfway and gleefully claims that she ‘loves to play evil’.

“So much of my career has been [playing] high school [characters]. Obviously, I’m not in high school [anymore],” she quips.

“But it feels like when you get older, you’re only a step away from high school. It’s interesting, you never feel like you’ve left it, even life feels a little high school sometimes.”

‘It was difficult’: Tammin spills behind-the-scenes secrets

There was one element in her role as a ‘high schooler’ that really pushed her out of her comfort zone — performing with professional dancers onscreen that were 15 years younger than her. Not only did she have to master a complicated routine, but the cast didn’t have a chance to rehearse prior to shooting.

“We didn’t get any dance rehearsals which was kind of difficult,” she admits, before adding that the film was shot in just three weeks.

“We really had to be on point, we didn’t have a lot of takes. We had to learn the dances in our lunch breaks, especially the ending,” she reveals. “I loved it. I love being physical in any role, I think it’s so much better than being a passive sort of character.”

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Digging deeper into her performance, the Aussie star says taking on her character’s burden and immense sadness took a toll on her.

“I had to work with my acting coach and you know, this film had to cost me something. I had to leave and come home every day and feel some kind of deep pain, because that’s what the character is going through,” she explains, before describing Renee’s “desperation”.

“She’s absolutely the antihero and she’s absolutely the character that you don’t want to feel for, but it’s hard not to, and we all have elements of ourselves within her.”

Blood, Sweat and Cheer will be available to stream for free on Tubi TV from Saturday, April 15.

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