By Adam Ross
Created by emerging Australian talent Kacie Anning, Class of ‘07 puts an apocalyptic spin on one of life’s most anxiety-inducing rituals: the high school reunion. Joining Shaik in the cast is a veritable who’s who of Australian actors including Emily Browning, Caitlin Stasey, Megan Smart, Steph Tisdell, Chi Nguyen, and Rose Flanagan.
Next up for Shaik is the lead role in the U.S. feature film Nomad, which is in its final stages of post-production.
FilmInk sat down with Shaik to talk about her ever-expanding slate for 2023.
How does it feel to be part of the CGA’s Top Ten Rising Stars of 2022?
“Surreal. I am extremely honoured to be part of such a talented cohort of people. To be chosen by the people who see our work day-in-day-out, really means a lot. It’s such massive motivation, especially in an industry where you get a ton of no’s.”
You seem to have a great love for genre roles, what draws you toward them?
“Honestly, I think they love me! But I’m not complaining. The reason I love acting is to live in other worlds; to fully immerse myself in a different code, a different landscape, and a different set of rules. Genre projects provide that escape. I’m manifesting an action role next, more specifically something like Tomb Raider.”
Your upcoming feature Nomad saw you traveling to all corners of the earth, what was that experience like?
“It was hands down the best experience of my life. I cannot wait for everyone to see this movie. It’s probably going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I was able to travel the world (twice), with an incredible group of filmmakers, creatives and actors. I have so many stories that I actually had to start writing them down in a journal so I wouldn’t forget them all. I crossed the Drake passage to Antarctica, I saw the eclipse in the Vacuna desert in Chile, I almost got trampled by an elephant and a rhino on two separate occasions! It’s not every day that you hike at 3am in the morning to the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids of Giza or climb skyscrapers in China. It was simply unreal.”
Class of ‘07 has been described as ‘Lord of the Flies in cocktail dresses’. What can we expect from this upcoming series?
“Pretty much exactly that, it’s a wild ride. Prepare yourself for many giggles, to be a little or a lot grossed out, affected by seriously heartfelt performances but mostly be entertained. It’s about reclaiming friendships in the most absurd circumstances, and I think every character faces challenges along the way which also provides some great TV. We honestly had the most fun filming this show and have all become weirdly obsessed with each other. I hope audiences become obsessed with us too!”
You’ve stated you want to write and star in your own projects. What sort of exciting things should we be expecting from you in the future?
“Yes, definitely. It is still in the early phase of whatever it will be or look like. Learning new skills and applying them always takes a bit of time, or at least for me, but I am a massive over-thinker. My main goal is to finish writing a semi-autobiographical TV show about my life and my family. I draw massive inspiration from writers/actors who write about their lives and diaspora communities. I am an immigrant from South Africa that’s also a practicing modern Muslim. That story is quite close to my heart, so I am trying to figure out what that looks like. I am also a huge history buff, so I hope in the not-too-distant future I could write a cool ancient Nubian Egyptian story filled with historically accurate tales and a bit of action.”
Check Sana’a Shaik in the trailer for Class of ‘07
