Playing Lissa was the most thrilling, terrifying, uplifting, fulfilling, surprising, and experience of my life.

This year, I'm most thankful for the people around me who've supported me—my friends, and my family and boyfriend. It's been a really crazy year. There have been a lot of changes with moving to America and a lot of adjustments for my family and friends in Australia to let me go off on this journey and miss me a lot. I miss them a lot, but am so grateful for them.

I was a little hippie on a world backpacking adventure, and suddenly I became a vampire princess. I still find it hard to believe that it is real. I feel ludicrously lucky to have been chosen to play such a compassionate, complex character for my first film, and I am so grateful to all the beautiful people who made it possible for me. It was a dream come true. I felt like Cinderella every day, going to work with this amazing team on this dream script. If Cinderella were a vampire.

However, every word she [Richelle Mead] wrote about Lissa in the book I highlighted and analyzed and interpreted until I felt like I’d completely absorbed her [Lissa]. So Richelle gave me insights through the pages of the book. I cried when I found out that she told the producers that I was her dream Lissa. It meant the world to me.

As soon as we finished filming, I felt like I had been woken up from a magical dream and had to pinch myself to remember that it was real. Every scene is now a blur. I feel like I will be watching it for the first time with the rest of the world. I am nervous. But excited.

I read the first book about five times while I was preparing for the role. I really wanted to completely embody Lissa and, naturally the book gave me much deeper psychological and emotional insight into Lissa than the script.

I want to try and wear as many Australian designers as I can because I'd like to support my Australian colleagues in the industry as well as find things that are eco-friendly. I love the green concept of wearing more sustainable garments at events.