met Jad for the first time, and we got on like a house on fire. And I remember at the end of the audition I said something like, 'oh you know I?m going to go for a surf this afternoon, do you want to come?' And Bruce Beresford?s face just dropped. He said ?you surf?? I said ?yeah?. BRUCE BERESFORD, FILM DIRECTOR: Oh I was thrilled to find that she could already surf, yes. And she could too, I saw her. So I finally had the two. She and Jad really stood out from all of the girls who auditioned for the roles. They handled the dialogue effortlessly. Also they had a nice physical contrast. One was dark, one was fair. You know they looked good together. NELL SCHOFIELD: I was 17 when I got the role and Jad was 16. Jad and I became friends on the set because we were working so closely every day and doing such intimate material too. I think Puberty Blues strikes such a chord with Australians, young Australian girls in particular, because it reveals a very raw and true side of their - the ritual of growing up. ANNE SCHOFIELD, NELL?S MOTHER: Oh well I had read the book. I was aware that it was controversial, and I thought it was great because it sort of brought out into the open this behaviour that was going on, on the beaches. I thought it was really important to get the subject of sex, contraception