Phoebe Tonkin Interview and Photoshoot With Shop Ghost

[Ed. Note: Phoebe Tonkin isn't your regular actress. Even though she appears on the wildly successful CW show The Vampire Diaries and it's spinoff The Originals, she still manages to blog for Vogue Australia, and run her own health blog, Your Zen Life with fellow friend, Aussie, and actress Teresa Palmer. We met Phoebe at the pool at Hollywood'sStandard Hotel find out what she has in store for summer.]

"I've been living in L.A. for two years. I came here for pilot season and got cast on this show, The Secret Circle, a couple of weeks after I'd been here. I got lucky. Then, I moved to Vancouver and was a witch for ten months on The Vampire Dairies. After that, the same producer of The Vampire Dairies set me up with The Originals. It's a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, so it's been aired as an episode of The Vampire Diaries, but it's an independent pilot. If it gets picked up, it will go on as a whole season. [Ed note: Very shortly after we met Phoebe, it was announced that The Originals was picked up for a full season to air this September]

Before I lived in LA, I lived in Australia – it's where I'm from. I did this TV show there for four years, from when I was fifteen to nineteen years old, called H2O. It was a kid’s show on the Disney Channel. I was a mermaid. I've played a mermaid, a werewolf, and a witch! After that I did a film called Tomorrow, When the War Began, and then another film called Bait. Then from there, I came to LA for pilot season and hoped for the best.

Growing up I definitely moved around a lot. My parents were travel agents, so I've been traveling since I was a little baby. I don't think I've been in one place, solidly, for six to seven years. I've always been back and forth. In fact I was just in Australia about ten days ago. I was there for fashion week where I blogged for Vogue. It was hardcore from about seven o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock at night. There was a lot going on.

Fashion is definitely something that over the last year I've become more interested in. If I wasn't an actress, I would want to work at a magazine as a creative director, or something like that. It's really only been in the last couple of years that I've had access to the clothes that I've torn out of magazines and stuck on my wall. Obviously, meeting people in the industry has opened me up to learning more about it, as opposed to just getting dressed for an event. I feel like, especially here in LA, everyone has stylists. That's not very exciting. I want to be apart of the process. It's not fun if someone just picks out something and tells you, "Wear these dresses, and wear these shoes."

It's also fun being from Australia because you have direct access to the best Australian designers: Josh Goot, Ellery, and Dion Lee. That whole gang is the coolest. Every time I wear it over in the US, I always get so many people complimenting me because they haven’t seen it. They love it. It's not the normal Alexander Wang or Proenza Schouler stuff.

For auditions, I normally just go with a simple tank top and jeans, but sometimes you do dress more according to the character. Like this morning, I was at an audition where I had to be someone that was a news anchor, so I wore this button down shirt. I have certain clothes in my closet that I want to get rid of but I keep for specific auditions where I'll have to look more like a college student. There was one bad incident though. I thought the audition was for a period piece, and so I wore this dress that looked like it was basically from medieval times. I get to the audition, and the feedback was like, 'Can she look a little sexier? The movie is set in 2012.' I had my hair braided!

I love shopping at Zara or at Topshop. I go back to Australia, and I buy things there often. I'll buy bags and accessories here, but I'm not going to go out and spend $1,200 on a Chloé top that I'm probably going to spill something on. When I'm back in Australia, I'll buy a cool Josh Goot piece that no one has seen, and then buy the Zara stuff to wear with it.

Moving to LA has definitely changed my perspective a little. When I came over, it was kind of a culture shock. I grew up on the beach. It's just a way of life. You don't seek out that lifestyle; it's just day-to-day. You have to seek out the chill people here. That was the biggest difference I noticed. You find different groups of people that live in different areas. I've started to absolutely adore living here. I've got a green card now, so I plan on living here for a while.

I have a health blog called Your Zen Life. I came up with it with my friend Teresa [Palmer] exactly two years ago, while we were driving to Coachella. We are both super-obsessed with health and wellness. I'm not a crazy granola person. I like to wear beautiful clothes and I like having a glass of wine, but it doesn't mean I don't workout everyday and drink green juices.  It's about a sort of balance. We wanted a site that embraced healthy living and was also about being happy with whatever you can get or find within your realm and means." -- Phoebe Tonkin to SHOP-GHOST

Phoebe's SHOP-GHOST Questionnaire

Growing up I wanted to be... Well, I remember getting in a lot of trouble for writing 'BRIDE' under career aspirations at high school. It changed depending on the month.

My style icons are Kate Bosworth, Jane Birkin, Ilona Hamer, and Alex Spencer.

On a red carpet I try to dress comfortably. I've definitely had some regrettable red carpet moments.

My favorite movie of all time is Garden State.
An actress who inspires me is Michelle Williams.
One day I hope to work with Wes Anderson.
The craziest thing that's happened on set was while filming Bait 3D, sitting three months in wet clothes on a supermarket shelf, for hours at a time, watching nonchalantly as a twelve foot robotic shark swam by. I used to hide lollies in floating plastic cereal boxes for a snack. It was all very odd and funny.
The character I've played that is most like myself is... I actually don't think any of them are like me. I either get cast as very naïve and innocent, tough and conniving, or sexy. I'm yet to play "awkward and hyper" which is words I would use to describe myself.
The best outfit I ever wore was a red Scanlan and Theodore dress to my year ten formal. It was killer. I re-wore it to the Golden Globes parties in 2012.
I always picture myself wearing a Calvin Klein dress to my wedding.
I own too many hair ribbons.
I don't own enough stripey tees. I could never own enough striped anything.

I compulsively buy underwear: Stella McCartney, Bonds, Agent Provocateur.

Always eat your vegetables.

I regret wearing the scary amount of pink I wore between grades seven and nine.

I wish I wore more lace.

One thing I couldn't live without is family, sweatpants, coffee, my friends and lovers.

I shop the most at Zara and Barney's.

Vintage is for cars and wine.

Sneakers go with workout wear, exclusively.

I always try to wear something clean.

On my days off you'll find me drinking wine and making salads with friends in the sun.

A song I play in repeat is POLICA, "Lay Your Cards Out."

Never have I ever gone sky diving.

My favorite place on earth is Balmoral Beach.

I'm in love with dimples.Aussie style is the best in the world.

The perfect breakfast consists of an almond milk latte and toast with vegemite and avocado.

My go-to beauty routine is: Obagi cleanser, Dr. Spillier moisturizer, KORA tinted moisturizer,  Tom Ford Concealer, Nars Bronzer and Chanel Mascara.

PHOEBE'S TOP THREE HEALTHY LIVING TIPS

1. Green Juice

   "I'm a big green juice person, just because I'm traveling all the time, and I don't always have access to a big salad or something healthy. If I have a green juice and the rest of the day slowly starts turning to shit, I know that at least I've had a lot of green."

2. Sleep

   "Sleep is really important. I'm the biggest sleep freak. I sleep about nine hours a day."

3. Relax

   "Lastly, which is something I've learned over the past couple of months, is to not take anything to the extreme. I used to be that crazy person that was strict about what I did and didn't eat. I was so diligent with exercise. And as soon as I stopped thinking about it, I lost weight. I wasn't stressing about it. Having a glass of wine or two wasn't the biggest deal in the world. The balance and relaxing is what's really helped me."