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Isabel
Lucas
Isabel Lucas (born January 29, 1985 in Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia) is an Australian actress
of Swiss descent, perhaps best known for her role
as Tasha Andrews on popular Australian television
soap opera Home and Away until 2006 and for her
active role in various environmental awareness
organizations including Sea
Shepherd. Lucas resides in both her native
Australia and spends time in the United States
professionally. Lucas is of general public interest
for her on-again-off-again relationship with previous
Home and Away co-star Chris Hemsworth.
Biography
Early life and family
As
a child, Lucas lived in Melbourne, then in Switzerland,
but later moved to a small mining town in Kakadu
National Park in the Northern Territory with her
sister, Swiss mother and Australian father. Lucas
speaks French and German in addition to her native
English.
Career
Television
Lucas
enrolled with the Victorian College of Arts but
had never pursued commercial roles until she was
spotted at the Port Douglas market by Sharron
Meissner, a Sydney theatrical agent. She auditioned
for the role of Kit Hunter in Home and Away (now
played by Amy Mizzi); while the producer of the
show, Julie McGauran, felt that role was not right
for Isabel, she was sufficiently impressed to
have a new character, Tasha Andrews, created for
her. Lucas won a Logie Award (for new popular
talent) for her performance on the program. Playing
Tasha Andrews on Home and Away was Lucas' first
television role. She also appeared in an American
television commercial for Crest Toothpaste.
Film
Lucas
is currently filming her debut role in a film
in the upcoming vampire thriller Daybreakers which
is set for release in 2008, which stars Ethan
Hawke.
Lucas
has been cast as Gwen in the Steven Spielberg
World War II miniseries, The Pacific.
Public image
Activism
In
October of 2007, Isabel Lucas was part of a group
of 30 people from Greenpeace International (including
American actress Hayden Panettiere) who took part
in a protest against the dolphin hunting in Taiji,
Wakayama, Japan. The group paddled out on surfboards
to the dolphins to attempt to stop the local fishermen
from carrying out their hunt, but they were forced
to turn around after being intercepted by one
of the fishing boats. They drove straight to Osaka
airport and left the country to avoid being arrested
for trespassing by the Japanese police. Many Japanese
consider this kind of act as an attack on their
culture. Taiji's fishery cooperative union argues
that these protesters "continue willfully
to distort the facts about this fishery"
and protester's agendas are " based neither
on international law nor on science but rather
on emotion for economic self-interest."
Lucas
is a spokesperson for the National Breast Cancer
Foundation, and supports and is an ambassador
to many organisations including:
* World Vision
* The Humour Foundation
* Women Against Violence
* Seeing Eye Dogs Australia
* Oxfam Community Aid Abroad
* Global Green Plan
* Save the Whales Again
Personal life
Lucas
dated co-star Chris Hemsworth on and off until
June 2006 before mutually splitting.
Lucas
is a self-described "big animal lover"[citation
needed], does not wear fur[citation needed] and
describes herself as "sort of a hippie."
Filmography
* Daybreakers — TBA — (2008)
Website
Home
and Away
Profiles
Save
The Whales Again
Whales
Nature
Cancer
Awareness
Environmentalists
and the environment
Media
Man Australia does not represent Isabel Lucas,
however has assisted Save The Whales Again in
a media and publicity capacity
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