Sarah Furnari Talks About Her Role on Ten Pound Poms with Aussie Media

In May, I visited Australia and had the pleasure of working with Aussie actor Sarah Furnari. She stars in BBC & Stan's new original series Ten Pound Poms, which premiered May 14, 2023.

Sarah is luminous as the outspoken and strong-willed Maria, an Italian migrant who arrives in Australia in 1956 as part of the Assisted Migrant Passage Scheme. With integral and gripping scenes in the original series, she is a character not to be forgotten. Like the other migrants, when she arrives, what she finds is far from what she has been promised, with the migrant camp falling to pieces.

In a time when many women were expected to defer to men, Maria is bold and isn't afraid to ask for what she wants or stand up for what she believes is fair. She speaks up on behalf of the other Italian families in the camp and finds a friend and ally in Annie Roberts.

Sarah has a very interesting parallel with the story through her grandparents' experiences of migration to Australia from Sicily in 1952. She even plays a character with the same name as her Nonna, Maria.

Recently I partnered with the Australian management company, TCM Agency, to help their clients understand publicity and how it is essential for the work visa process and their personal brand. They recommended Sarah reach out to me, and after our first meeting days before the release, we quickly started working together.

Coverage included St George & Sutherland Shire Leader, Flow FM with Clayton Bester, Illawarra Mercury, RRR SmartArts with Richard Watts, and FilmInk Australia.

Personally, I really enjoyed watching this TV series and seeing a more diverse and inclusive story that looks at Australia's history. We need more films and TV shows that share the many different perspectives and experiences with the wider community.