When this young Australian actress left Down Under for the bright lights of Hollywood, she caught the attention of the industry with breakthrough roles in Friends (2003) and Alias (2003-5), and feature films like Mulholland Drive (2001), Down with Love (2003) and Derailed (2005). As a lead character in HBO's In Treatment (which earned her a 2008 Golden Globe nomination) and with a sassy new role on ABC's hit TV show, Grey's Anatomy, Melissa George has certainly made a name for herself in Tinseltown. Here she gives ASMALLMAGAZINE an insider's take on the realities of Hollywood and dishes on being the 'new kid' on the Grey's set.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

I'm in the process of moving to NYC, so that is a big job. I'm also working on an invention (we are currently building the prototype). I'm also playing the new intern, Sadie, on Grey's Anatomy!

I have a film called Triangle coming out in 2009 for Icon—I'm playing a woman with multiple personalities and the film is shot through her three sides. It's brilliant. [Melissa also has another film coming out in 2009 called Stopping Power co-starring John Cusack.]

What's it like joining the tight-knit cast of Grey's Anatomy as the 'new kid'?

I knew the cast before so that was a little easier, but my first day was so hard! After all these months, I still don't know how to leave the O.R. to get back to my trailer—I am lost! The cast is brilliant. The table reads are a celebration of great dialogue. After doing In Treatment on HBO, I was worried I wouldn't find such brilliant dialogue again, but I did! It's such a good and fun show.

Who is your character, Sadie, and how do you think she'll impact the show?

Sadie is a new surgical intern and is an old college and travelling friend of Meredith's. She is a cutter, she's troubled, mischievous and a bit nutty. Sadie is eager to learn and wants to jump straight into things. She creates a bit of havoc at the hospital. I was influenced by Lisa Rowe, a sociopathic character from Girl, Interrupted played by Angelina Jolie.

As an Australian, how have you found your Hollywood experience? Is the perception that the Hollywood experience is all 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll' accurate?

Yes, it is accurate and it's fabulous!

What was it like going from being a big star in Australia (Home and Away) to an unknown in the US? Did you experience any regrets about the move when you first got to LA?

Not at all. It was a step up and I worked with David Lynch and Steven Soderbergh in my first year; it was such a thrill. My career in Australia seemed like a past life.

Tell us something about being a Hollywood actress that most people wouldn't know.

That it is glamorous, but very very hard on the heart—there are too many people telling you whether or not you are good enough and this gets difficult at times. People don't realise how hard this career really is.

But doing a show like In Treatment made me fall in love with acting all over again, and reminded me why I am still doing this. The business of film, however, is very unpleasant. I just want to act and not know about anything else.

Who would you most like to work with in the future?

Julian Schnabel and Pedro Almodovar—I think between the two of them they will make me a better actress.

Melissa George at Herve Leger by Max Azria Spring 2009 show

You were once a star in a different field—what was the highlight of your roller-skating career? Do you still skate?

I do still skate occasionally. My highlight was coming in second in the Junior World Championships.

How does your husband/family handle your celebrity status and the presumable strangeness of seeing you in magazine spreads and on covers?

We all get a kick out of it. We find it funny and weird how my life got like this. My parents don't know who I got this life from and my dad just constantly yells out to strangers that he made me, which embarrasses my mother.

What is your favourite ASW feature?

There are too many to list. ASW has made my life richer and easier. I have made some incredible friends.

What makes you happiest?

Being in NYC and dancing the tango in Buenos Aires.

What is your greatest vice?

Red wine, coffee at Joe in the West Village and Hermés.

What are your top 5 hotels?

The Palacio Duhau and Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires
Covent Garden Hotel, London
Gramercy Hotel, NYC
Hotel Ritz, Paris
Park Hyatt, Sydney at the Rocks

What is your favourite restaurant?

I have several: Cantina a Los Amigos, Buenos Aires; La Cabrera, Buenos Aires; El Obrero, Buenos Aires; Giorgio Baldi, Los Angeles; Da Silvano, NYC; Cocos, Perth, Western Australia; Wolseley, London; J Sheekey, London.

What film has had the greatest effect on you? Why?

In the Mood for Love—it's pure genius. Also, my husband's film, Pretendiendo (aka 'Ugly Me'). It is quite the most beautiful film ever made.

What is your favourite book?

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Red Tent by Anita Diamont
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

What cause is closest to your heart? Why?

MS Society because my mother is a sufferer of this very frustrating disease.

What are your top 3 songs?

'Tengo Tantas Ganas' by Archangel
'Tu Recuerdo' by Ricky Martin
'Burn it Blue' by Caetano Veloso