Sarah Murdoch dreamed of being an actor. But after her 'big break' movie, she left Hollywood.

If you look back on the media interviews that Australian model Sarah Murdoch did in the late '90s, there was one clear goal that she wanted to achieve: to break into the world of acting.

It started in the year 2000, when she successfully secured herself a cameo in the hit sitcom Friends. She played a hot paleontologist who is caught fooling around with Ross Geller in the library by security. 

Then in 2001, she was given her first movie opportunity. It was considered a 'big break' for Murdoch, who didn't have extensive acting experience – but producers thought she would be perfect for the role.

It was for the movie Head Over Heels, advertised as a "romantic comedy thriller" which saw the main lead girl share an apartment with four struggling models, which Murdoch was one of them. 

It was a supporting actor role for Murdoch whose character's name was Candi, but it was still a big deal, considering she was acting alongside the movie's lead man Freddie Prinze Jnr.

At the time Prinze Jnr was at the height of his fame – he was in a relationship with his future wife and Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar and he had recently starred in She's All That, which was a huge commercial success.

The stars of Head Over Heels (2001). Image: Getty.

At the time of Head Over Heels, Murdoch also had a name for herself – she was a well-known catwalk and magazine cover model and had gained fame for her 'Wonderbra Woman' campaign. She was also two years into her marriage with media mogul Rupert Murdoch's eldest son Lachlan Murdoch. 

Just before the movie was released, the model was asked by IGN Entertainment whether she preferred modelling or acting.

"Acting, definitely," she said. "I think as soon as I was on the set, as soon as we started filming the movie, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I absolutely love it."

At the Sydney premiere of Head Over Heels, Murdoch told reporters she was "so scared" of how the audience would react to the film.

Unfortunately, the movie wasn't a critical success, and the reviews weren't great. It also didn't recoup its already modest film budget. And from that point on, Murdoch never returned to Hollywood.

According to a new biography by journalist Paddy Manning – The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch – "Sarah only had a supporting role and could hardly be blamed for the terrible script, but she nonetheless gave up her acting career and never appeared in another film."

Murdoch has since never commented on why she didn't appear in another movie. 

But she did go down the television presenting route. 

Australia's Next Top Model premiered on screens in 2005, with contestants aspiring to have their own high-fashion modelling career off the back of the show. The show had a bunch of hosts, but one of the most memorable was Murdoch, who held the position between 2009 and 2011.

And for the 2010 finale of the show, Murdoch accidentally announced the wrong name for the winner – an iconic moment of TV that instantly went viral.

Watch the gaffe for yourself. Post continues below.

Murdoch had announced contestant Kelsey Martinovich the winner of season six, when in fact it was Amanda Ware. Kelsey was in the middle of giving her acceptance speech when presenter Murdoch was forced to admit to the bungle.

"I'm so sorry. It was fed to me wrong. It's actually Amanda," the host said. "I'm feeling sick about this. I'm so sorry, this was a complete accident. This is what happens when you have live TV, folks. This is insane, insane, insane," she said. 

In a statement following the incident, Foxtel spokesman Jamie Campbell said: "Tonight we saw the perils of live TV. At the time of the result announcement, there was a miscommunication between the broadcast truck and the stage."

Following her departure from the show in 2011, Murdoch went quiet in the public eye.

She and her husband Lachlan have three kids together – sons Kalan and Aidan, and daughter Aerin. Reflecting on the first few years of parenting, she said to Fox In Flats that it was a challenging adjustment.

"It was hard. I remember being up at two in the morning with a crying baby looking out the window and wondering if I was the only mum who didn't know how to get my baby to sleep, but taking a little comfort knowing that there had to be other mums out there, at the same time, in the exact same situation," Murdoch explained. 

"I knew in my heart we would all get through it."

Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch. Image: Getty.

As for her top tips for other mums, Murdoch said that she has always tried to make time for herself – and there's no reason to feel guilty about that.

"Providing the best for our children means looking after ourselves. Having time to yourself is okay, and it's not going to negatively affect your kids for the rest of their lives. So don't put off that lunch with your girlfriends – things for yourself are important too," she said.

"Try not to stress about the little things – I certainly get softer as I get older!"

During the pandemic, Murdoch and her husband moved back to Australia after spending years living and raising their children in Brentwood, Los Angeles. But with a multi-million dollar private jet and an Aspen retreat in Colorado, the couple continue to be jet-setters. 

Reflecting on life now without too many public-facing projects, Murdoch said to Body and Soul: "Work-wise, it's been really good to have a break. My focus is on my children now and it's really exciting. I love it. If I can just be at home with my children and with my husband that's really it. I'd love a whole day with my husband and the kids just relaxing." 

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.