Sonia Kruger took a stroll down memory lane on Tuesday as she paid tribute to her breakout role in Strictly Ballroom.
The TV host played Tina Sparkle in the Baz Luhrmann-directed 1992 romantic comedy, and the film marked its 32nd anniversary this week.
Sharing a series of images from the film on her Instagram, Sonia got emotional as she recalled the iconic movie.
“It was the movie that got everyone dancing! Happy 32nd birthday, Strictly Ballroom!” she wrote.
“It’s where his career started,” the 58-year-old previously told Ben O’Shea on The West Live Luhrmann’s podcast.
“I feel the same way. If it weren’t for that film, I probably wouldn’t be on TV today,” he added.
Sonia explained how she landed a speaking role in the film after initially being cast as an extra because of her ballroom dancing experience.
“I heard through a friend that there was a trend developing around ballroom dancing,” she said.
Sonia Kruger (pictured) took a walk down memory lane on Tuesday as she paid tribute to her breakout role in Strictly Ballroom.
“And since I was a professional dancer at the time, I thought I knew I was going to be used as an extra, but I would really like a role. So I went and found out who was doing the casting.”
Sonia realized the casting agent was Faith Martin and went to knock on her door.
‘I said, “Hi, I’m Sonia, I’d really like a part!” And she said, “Well, there’s this character, Tina Sparkle, but we’re not casting for her for another year.”
“A year went by and they called me to audition for Baz. They kept their word.”
The TV host played Tina Sparkle in the 1992 romantic comedy directed by Baz Luhrmann, and the film marked its 32nd anniversary this week.
“It was the movie that got everyone dancing! Happy 32nd birthday, Strictly Ballroom!” she wrote.
The Dancing With The Stars host said that when she spoke to Baz he told her she was “perfect” for the role of clueless Tina Sparkle.
“And yet I only had six lines in the movie,” Sonia said with a laugh.
She explained that Baz replied: ‘Think about it, Brad Pitt only had six lines in Thelma and Louise and look what happened to him!’
In the comedy, Paul Mercurio plays Scott Hastings, an Australian ballroom dancer who is paired with aspiring dancer Fran (Tara Morice) after his nonconformist style earns him the scorn of his conservative colleagues.
Together they set out to win the National Dance Championship title and prove to the Ballroom Dance Confederation that they are wrong when they say: “There are no new steps!”
Sonia was also a ballroom consultant on the film and helped teach her co-stars how to dance.
