Carissa Walford – Diving Into The Unknown

By Dan Hutton and Maddy Gray on January 31, 2016 in People

Where are you originally from?
I am a bogan at heart. I grew up in Greystanes in western Sydney, but I consider Greystanes to be the posh part of the west.

When did you move east?
I moved to Bondi about three years ago.

Are you still in Bondi at the moment?
Yes, I am in Bondi until I move to LA in February this year. I consider Bondi my home, but I recently bought an investment property in the Northern Beaches, and I enjoy spending time out that way as well.

What do you love about Bondi?
I just love the laid-back lifestyle, I guess. Everyone’s super chill; no one seems like they’ve got anything tying them down; they are all so laid-back and positive. I love that you can walk around barefoot and it’s considered cool. Back in Greystanes, I don’t think you’d be able to do that; you would definitely get a few strange looks. I love the beach too. Even though I grew up out west, my dad’s a surfer so we would be at the beach every weekend. I feel like I grew up near the beach, but I certainly didn’t.

What gets your goat about the Eastern Suburbs?
I’ve got a few things that get my goat. The people that grew up in Bondi, the snooty ladies that walk around thinking they own the pavement that you walk on, that’s what gets my goat. I think they think they’re elitist and that kind of annoys me. But what can I do? I’m in their town.

Anything else get your goat?
Drunk people on the streets of Bondi being loud and aggressive at all hours of the morning; Bondi doesn’t sleep!

Do you have any favourite local haunts?
White Revolver, when it was around. Do you remember that place? It was hard to get in to, but I had a membership. I used to drive all the way from Greystanes to go there and then sleep in my car and go home the next morning.

What about places that still exist?
I like Jed’s and I do spend a lot of time at Bondi Wholefoods. They’ve got the best acai. Where else do I spend a lot of time? I like La Piadina. It’s next level; it’s very cool. Well, it’s kind of cool without being cool.

In another life you were a West Tigers cheerleader; are you a Tigers fan or a Magpies’ fan at heart?
I’m actually a Parramatta Eels supporter, if you want to know.

Is it true that you once entered the Miss Universe pageant?
Yes, I did Miss Universe. I made it into the finals and met some great people. That was the year Rachael Finch won. I’d just started in the industry and I knew that to get a job in TV I needed to have a profile, so my idea at the time was to enter Miss Universe, which now, looking back, I realise is so not me. I knew it was a good idea at the time, though, and it lead to some exciting opportunities. It was purely strategic, I’ve been very strategic throughout my career.

How did you get your first television presenting gig?
My first gig was on Fuel TV. I was one of the very first ‘smoking hotties’, as they called us. They used to make me get out on a jet ski and interview all the surfers in between their heats, which was actually pretty cool, and naturally I was in a bikini when I was in the water. I continued with that for four years.

How did you transition from Fuel TV to Channel V?
They knew that I worked at Fox and if you look past the bikini thing, I had actually done a lot of interviews there and had some really cool opportunities. They knew that I existed and I had sent my showreel to Channel V, because that was the dream gig. They kept it for two years then someone left and they called me in to do an audition with a bunch of other people and I got the job.

You mentioned that you’ve done a lot of interviews; do you have a favourite?
This is the hardest question ever even though it should be simple to answer. It’s just hard because everyone’s different for different reasons. I actually like some of the interviews I’ve done that have been really difficult, like Pharrell Williams for example, who made me cry. I look back at that now and go, “I’m so glad there was so much drama surrounding that, because I remember it.” Sometimes I’ll do three interviews in a day and I can’t even remember who I’ve interviewed. That said, and I feel like I always say this, but Cara Delevingne was such a good one. She was so lovely and cool and I just love her. I was really excited for that interview, and we did a Dubsmash together.

A lot of interviews these days are controlled by publicists and driven by commercial interests; what’s the key to conducting a good, authentic interview?
I guess I try to personalise the interviews for each person. I definitely don’t start with commercial questions, although I work for a network and you’ve got to ask them somehow. When I first started out I was safe. I did exactly what I was told; I was very by the book. Then in the last three years I’ve learnt a lot about the TV industry and can see where it’s going now, you have to take a risk. You cannot afford to be safe.

Why is it that you love interviewing people?
I like connecting with people. There’s something nice about that. We’re human beings, running around the earth, frantic, trying to make a living. I think we forget about really being able to connect with someone. When you’re talking to an artist or a musician who has done extraordinary things and they’re really talented, it’s interesting. Music is my number one love, so to talk to a musician about where they wrote their song, or to get that interesting story out of them that maybe only their sister knows, that’s really cool.

Do you sometimes think, ‘F**k musicians; they’re wankers’?
Oh yeah. It goes through my head whilst I’m doing the interview sometimes.

The television industry is clearly on the wane, and I noticed that you have a fairly snazzy blog; is that some kind of insurance policy?
I feel like maybe a year or two ago, when blogging started to come into play and it was this big trend, I thought that I had to try and get on that bandwagon. I got the website, some great people put it together and IMG (Carissa’s management) were like, “I really think you need to have some sort of digital platform.” They were right, because I do want to follow the times, but at the same time I didn’t want to be a blogger. I did the website more to showcase my work as a host, a presenter and an interviewer.

There are a lot of former presenters from Channel V who have gone on to do amazing things; do you have any favourites and is there anyone whose career trajectory you might like to follow?
A few years ago I’d say yeah, maybe a mix between James Mathison and Yumi Stynes, but the industry has changed so much since then. They were presenters, they were journalists, essentially, and that’s all they focused on, whereas I feel like when I started at Channel V five years ago, it was the end of their era and now you have to be able to do everything: present, social media, act, write, produce.

In a broader sense, do you have idols in the industry?
Maybe Alexa Chung, because she started out on a pop culture show, but she’s got this real fashion presence as well. She’s bringing personality back into fashion and bringing her TV presence into that, which I think is kind of cool.

Did you always want to get into television?
Not exactly; I went to NIDA and I trained as a dancer and a singer. My dad’s a singer and that’s what I wanted to be to begin with. I was singing in bands and singing here, there and everywhere with my dad, and dancing and cheerleading. Then I went to NIDA and did an acting course and a presenting course, and that’s when I got the Fuel TV gig, and then I did Fashion TV in between as well. I realised then that I really just wanted to get a full-time job rather than being a struggling singer/dancer.

Did you have any success with your singing?
I’ve been on Australian Idol, and I got to the top 100. There you go.

You’ve got your own show these days, [V] Trending; can you tell us a bit about it?
It’s really just about things that I love that I think are trending, not necessarily what’s trending on social media. We do keep it broad, so in a sense it’s not trending that day; it’s more about what events I’m going to, and which actors and musicians, both locally and internationally, are in town. We package it all together into a half hour show of what’s trending that week.

Is it the dream gig?
Yeah, I think so. I guess here in Australia, it’s the dream gig. I’ve been on many shows on V – The Riff, the Countdown Show and now [V] Trending. They’re all live and I’ve always had multiple co-hosts, so to be able to do this by myself, it’s kind of where you want to get to.

Do you prefer working solo or is it more fun with co-hosts?
It is very fun with co-hosts. I can’t tell you the amount of prank jokes and whatnot that Danny (Clayton) and the boys have played on me on The Riff. They know exactly what buttons to push. It makes for the best television I think, in the end. I’m 27 now, though, so I’ve kind of moved on from the whole skit, sarcastic, funny, joke element that shows like The Riff brought.

Are you a more serious presenter these days?
I’m definitely the Richard Wilkins of Channel V. Presenting is life.

Do all you VJs get on well?
Oh yeah, we’re like brothers and sisters. It’s like one minute we love each other, next minute we could be screaming at each other. It’s very intense. We all know everything about everyone, and it ends up being the topic of conversation on the show. It’s very invasive at times.

You’ve been in the industry for 10 years now; how do you feel about being a veteran at the age of 27?
Yeah, it’s been a while. I feel like it’s all I’ve ever done. I feel like one of those child stars. I relate to Bindi Irwin.

You’re pretty much the Macaulay Culkin of Australian television…
Oh my God, I love that. I love Macaulay Culkin. I’ve been lucky, but I’ve also worked my arse off. Like I said, I’ve been very strategic with what I’ve done to get to this point and I am a very determined, motivated little maniac.

If you didn’t make it in the entertainment industry, did you have a fall back plan? Do you have any other skills?
No. I don’t have any other skills – just singing, dancing, acting and talking. I was so fearless when I was younger that I just didn’t want a plan B. I knew I was going to work in the entertainment industry and that was that.

Do you have a career highlight thus far?
Singing with Jessica Mauboy on air.

How did you hold up against Jess?
You know what, she was pretty impressed. Ever since then, she’s declined to be interviewed by Channel V and myself. She got really busy after that point in her career and I semi-think it’s because she’s scared I’m going to ask her to sing with me again – ha ha.

What sort of music are you into yourself?
I grew up listening to George Benson, Etta James and Earth, Wind & Fire. Personally, I love rhythm and blues; that’s my thing. Tina Arena is my idol,at the ARIAs she got inducted in the Hall of Fame and her performance was next level. I’ve watched her speech about three times now. It went for so long. Right now I’m listening to Meg Mac, Vance Joy, and I also love my hip hop, so Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and Drake.

If you could go to one gig in the history of the world, who would you go and see?
Oh God. I’ve been to a lot. I’ve probably seen every single person I’ve wanted to see. Is that terrible?

They can be alive or deceased…
Oh. Michael Jackson or Luther Vandross then. It would be pretty cool to see Earth, Wind & Fire too. I did see Whitney Houston before she died, which was amazing, though she sang the final note of ‘I Will Always Love You’ an octave down because she couldn’t get to that note, or maybe she was scared that she would fail.

Do you have any projects in the pipeline? What is next for Carissa Walford?
Next? LA is next. I’ve been over there that many times and I need to go over and actually live there for a couple months and just see what can happen. It scares me a little bit, but I feel like I’ve done everything possible here. It’s almost like I’m not really challenged anymore. I want to feel what I felt when I was 19 or 20 again, where I was so driven, so I’m going to go to LA in February.

Would you consider a Ruby Rose-esque acting path?
Although I’ve trained in acting I wouldn’t go over there for that, but I would be open to it. I’ve got such a great showreel and I should be able to land a home as a host, hopefully.

You’ve appeared on Home & Away before, haven’t you?
How did you know about that? Yep, was it Marissa, Michelle or Melissa? It was Melissa I think! I keep saying Michelle to people…

Do you support any charities?
I support the Starlight Foundation and anything to do with mental health and anxiety, because that’s what I’ve developed in the last couple of years. I’m always there to help out, but I’m not an official ambassador for anyone. That said, I’ve done quite a bit of work for Beyond Blue and Headspace in the past.

You’re on the telly, but you don’t have a Wikipedia page; why not?
I’m not sure, I don’t think I am famous enough. That’s really sad. I want a Wikipedia page. Can’t you do something about that?

Who are your role models in the industry?
Karl Stefanovic. He’s extremely hilarious, he’s incredibly smart and I just think there hasn’t been a host like him who has been able to play up on camera, but then deliver the news at the same time. He’s like our version of Ron Burgundy.

Do you have any advice for youngsters looking to get a break in the television industry?
Say yes to everything, unless it means you have to take all of your clothes off. You might have to take some of them off, because that may be what gets you to the next step, but make sure retain your dignity.

You recently hosted the Cleo Bachelor of the Year Award presentation; how was the talent in 2015?
This is the second year in a row that I’ve hosted. The talent was pretty good. I had a few friends in this one, which was a bit weird, but a lot of fun.

Social media: good thing or bad thing?
I have a massive love-hate relationship with it. I turn my phone off at 8:30pm every night. I have a social media curfew now. I feel like because I have anxiety it created even more tension and stress in my life. Everyone knows it’s fake, everyone knows that someone’s promoting something and getting paid to do something.

In an ideal world, what does the future hold for Carissa Walford?
I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been able to predict and have certain expectations of my life for the last ten years. It’s all been well and good, but I’m really excited to be able to dive into the unknown.