Lawyer-turned-actor joins jury of The Twelve

Every morning, as the sun rose over the balcony of her beautiful Western Australian apartment, Sharon Johal prayed. Drawing on her Punjabi Sikh roots to fully embody her role as nurse and juror Parvinder Sangar in the second instalment of Binges’ critically acclaimed and award-winning drama The TwelveJohal would wake up at 5 a.m. and effortlessly slip into the shoes of his compassionate characters.

I don't usually pray these days, says the South Australian-born actor. ReviewI am a Sikh, but I am not as devout as Parvinder.

I'm a method actor, so I would do some meditation to start my day.

The entire cast of The Twelve The film, which features big-name actors Frances O'Connor as SC Meredith Nelson-Moore, Tasma Walton as another juror and Sam Neill reprising his role as defence lawyer Brett Colby, was based in Perth for the four-month shoot. That meant Johal would stay in character from dawn to dusk, relaxing on the way home from set.

It was actually quite relaxing because there are no distractions when you're working away from home, so I could create that energy and then hold on to it to fully inhabit the character, Johal says.

It's a method she's employed for much of her career, including her breakthrough role in Australia's longest-running soap opera, Neighbors.

“I’m not going to be like Al Pacino and live homeless on the streets,” Johal says with a laugh. “But it helps you embody the character very quickly and accurately, and also in a healthy way. It also shows respect to everyone else on set to make sure you achieve that.”

The second series of eight episodes of The Twelve The show that dominated local awards shows last year once again revolves around a jury and a controversial murder trial. This time, it's set in the rural township of Tunkwell, Western Australia. Landowner Bernice Price (Kris McQuade) is found dead at the bottom of her well, with her daughter Sasha (Amy Mathews) and Sasha's ex-lover Patrick Harrows (Errol Shand) the suspects. Colby, SC (Neill) represents Patrick, while Meredith Nelson-Moore, SC (OConnor) defends Sasha.

The cast is quite diverse, which Johal particularly appreciates. The production gave her the choice in how she wanted to develop her character.

“I thought, you know what, this is probably an opportunity that won't come around again for a long time. And if anyone can do it, it's me,” says the actor, who now lives mainly in Melbourne.

At the age of 15, Johal, his brother and sister spent eight months in the foothills of the Himalayas, immersed in their religion.

My parents gave us this opportunity, in fact, they abandoned us there. [and] Now I see it as a gift. But they left us there, saying, “We want you to learn more about your culture, your roots, because living in Australia is a bit difficult.” And we took that opportunity.

It took her a little longer, though, to fully embrace her role as a role model for the Indian community. Johal grew up in Berri, in South Australia’s Riverland, where the third-generation Indian-Australian dreamed of a life on screen. But her parents Saroop Singh and Amanvir (Molly) Johal had other ideas. They even gave her a list of acceptable careers: doctor, pharmacist, dentist or lawyer.

Johal got the grades at school to do just about anything and chose law at the University of Adelaide: she thought it was the closest thing she could get to acting.

She worked for years as a commercial and litigation lawyer before returning to her childhood dream. Johal was a finalist on SBS's reality TV show Bollywood star, but didn't want to move to India and so returned to Australia. She continued to audition, but missed opportunities. She had returned to law school, ready to give up on her dream, when she got a call in 2016 telling her Neighbors She was looking for Indian actors. She then played Dipi Rebecchi for five years.

At first, there were no roles for us, Johal explains about the lack of diversity on screen. But then, and better and better, things started opening up more.

So now to be able to come to the other side, where it's a choice as to how to play this character rather than being told, it's incredible.

Johal feels the weight of responsibility but is encouraged by the response.

“I get feedback that it has paid off in a big way in terms of what it has done for others,” she shares, saying that when she was at the Sikh Games in Adelaide in March, different generations flocked to thank her.

Other parents say, “Because you set such a good example, we're happy to let our kids pursue their passions. We know it doesn't make you a bad person to be an actor, model, or presenter.”

And then also young girls. They said, “You've done so much, you've changed our lives.” And you know, that's all I would want in terms of legacy.

Her parents are also among her many fans. Johal and her husband Ankur Dogra, who tied the knot in a four-day extravaganza in Adelaide in 2018, return to their hometown as often as their busy schedules allow. The couple won't be back until Christmas, however, as they are taking her parents on a long European holiday in September.

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While Johals is looking forward to it, she is almost even more excited to see the reaction to Parvinder.

This is the first time a Khalsa woman has appeared on Australian television in a leading role, which is huge, she says. I can't wait for people to relate to this story that has so many different levels of connection and different communities.

The second season of The Twelve premieres on Binge on July 11, with new episodes streaming weekly.