Sarah Snook, Xavier Samuel and how to make it in Aussiewood

Sarah Snook, Xavier Samuel and other hot young actors reveal life in La La Land among the Gumleaf Mafia.

Scratch the glamorous surface and Hollywood can be an alienating place, so it’s no wonder the Gumleaf Mafia are a tight-knit bunch.

“I thought the scene would be very competitive and very isolating but I found the exact opposite,” says rising star Sarah Snook. “LA is a strange place and it is different, so there is an element of sticking together.”

Sarah Snook and Xavier Samuel. Pictures: Cameron Grayson

No longer a novelty in Hollywood, the ranks of Australian actors are swelling daily, with new opportunities opening up through streaming services such as Netflix, on top of traditional film and TV roles.

Snook joins Elizabeth Debicki, Margot Robbie, Teresa Palmer and Xavier Samuel (see video above*) at the forefront of the next wave of Aussies set to join Nicole, Cate, Russell and Hugh in the starry firmament of household names.

In the new-look Weekend Australian Magazine tomorrow, we speak to our hottest young actors about life in La La Land, what’s considered “making it” and the never-ending hustle of looking for work.

Tomorrow’s The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Adelaide-born Snook, who last year starred in films The Dressmaker and Steve Jobs, as well as the ABC TV series The Beautiful Lie, says Australian actors are well-regarded in Hollywood for their work ethic and training.

“Part of it, also, is the solid community we’ve built there,” she says. Aussies in LA will happily hand on the metaphorical survival handbook which “you then pass on to the next person: don’t worry about this casting director, he’s always like that, these people over here are lovely, hey there’s a barbecue, why don’t you come?”

The growing expat community is constantly sharing contacts and insider tips, including where to get a good flat white (Coffee + Food on Melrose Ave, for the record).

The Aussie posse also bonds over a shared tendency to cringe when ordering the “affirmation” dishes (“grateful” kale salad, “transforming” tacos) at Café Gratitude, a chain of celebrity-endorsed vegan restaurants that are currently the place to see and be seen. But they still go. “You’re in town so people have to know you’re in town,” says Sydney-born newcomer Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

Read the full story tomorrow in the new-look The Weekend Australian Magazine, relaunched with 68 pages, new and expanded sections and added columnists.

*Exclusive video above from the Melbourne International Film Festival opening night film The Death And Life Of Otto Bloom, starring Xavier Samuel.