australian television information archive

Sibylla Budd is a television newcomer, graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts at the end of 1999.

She has loved heading straight into the character of Gabrielle—"someone who throws her scruples away and lets her libido take over".

When Gabrielle marries Jason in the telemovie, it's the culmination of what Gabrielle has wanted her whole life.

"When that all falls apart, she tries so desperately to fix it. She's the one who instigates the marriage counsellor. She's the kind of girl who sort of wants to be old before her time. God forbid you cross her.

"But then she throws her strict life away. She's having sex in an alleyway!"

At times like this, Gabrielle turns to Alex for a debrief at the swimming pool. "I think she really needs Alex."

"This is about our generation. It is about real people—our age group. I can really identify with it. It does push the boundaries of these lovely little worlds you see on TV.

"I love the characters' observations and their faults."

Although Sibylla can't remember ever wanting to do anything but act, she took a year off between school and drama school. She travelled and worked in England and Western Europe before drama school auditions.

At the Victorian College of the Arts Sibylla appeared in numerous plays including Iliad, Criminals in Love, The Rover, Month in the Country, The Trojan Women, As You Like It and The Cherry Orchard.

She has appeared in the ABC-TV series Something in the Air and miniseries The Farm, directed by Kate Woods. Sibylla is the female lead in Robert Connelly's feature film directorial debut The Bank opposite David Wenham.