Canberra actor Zane Menegazzo spent the first few months of this year reliving the end of high school.
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It wasn't his own high school experience, though - luckily.
Menegazzo, 21, was chosen by Newcastle writer-director Cameron Utiger through casting website StarNow to play the lead in Utiger's debut feature film, Cooked.
Half of the $35,000 budget came from Utiger himself, with the rest being raised through crowdfunding,
Cooked tells the story of a bunch of teenage friends who mark the end of high school with an 18th birthday party before they all go their separate ways.
When Ethan (Menegazzo), the glue of the group, suffers serious burns in an accident that night, he finds out just how strong - or weak - the bonds of friendship and family really are.
Menegazzo had a big decision to make: after he landed the film, he found out he had been accepted by the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and had to choose between them.
His father asked him if he wanted to go to school or act in a movie.
When it was put like that, the choice was obvious.
Menegazzo said he might audition for WAAPA again next year.
He was originally cast as Ethan's outgoing best friend, a character fairly similar to himself.
But the originally cast lead pulled out - to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art - so Menegazzo was bumped up to the lead, a greater acting challenge.
"One of the hardest things for me to do was pretend I couldn't skol a beer," he said.
Menegazzo was in year 11 at Lake Ginninderra College when a close friend who was at Hawker College urged him to transfer there and study drama.
"I thought it was silly," Menegazzo said.
But he moved to Hawker College for year 12 and, he said, "My first drama game in, I fell in love with it."
Menegazzo had been interested in rugby league but acting quickly became his passion.
"I love being able to make people feel emotions from my acting."
Among his inspirations were Marlon Brando and Leonardo DiCaprio ("That man can pretty much do anything").
He said he had done some stage work including a monologue in Fragments at The Street Theatre. In 2017, Menegazzo came first in the NSW/ACT auditions of the New Faces Talent Academy and came third in nationals, landing an agent.
During the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, Menegazzo has been working in the learning support unit at Kingsford Smith School.
But, he said, he will go back to acting when he can.
"I'm definitely a dreamer."
He had another show business aspiration that wasn't too far removed from acting.
"I want to be a WWE superstar."
Cooked is now in postproduction with a release to be negotiated. See: thefilmcooked.com.