Emmanuelle Mattana,16,crammed for HSC in between her scenes as Marnie in the series Mustangs.Credit:ABC
Despite her time away from the classroom,Emmanuelle learned on Friday morning that she had scored a 98.70 ATAR,and Band 6 results in all but one subject,including a 98 for Visual art,93 for Drama,a 95 for French Continuers.
"There is a certain anxiety of having to look back on the year and reflect on yourself. You are having to go back to school,really,"Emmanuelle said.
Her school worked with the show's on-set tutor to cram HSC assessments in between Emmanuelle's moments before the camera.
"I worked these insane days during the week,and studying on the weekend. Out of all the days I was in Melbourne,I only had two days off. Around my exams,there was a running joke with the make-up girl that I was breaking out in pimples due to HSC stress,"Emmanuelle said.
"There was one day where we were shooting and I had a break of two scenes,so I had to sit my French Extension exam ... with the catering staff in the mess hall."
But for Emmanuelle,the most difficult part of the HSC was returning to her selective all-girls high school after experiencing life in the"real world".
"People often talk about the'pressure cooker'aspect of selective schools,and it is very true to an extent. When you are in this school environment,where everyone talks about your ATAR and marks,you become so overwhelmed by this that there is nothing else left to talk about,"she said.