Actress Larissa Bonesi, who is of Brazilian descent, believes it's her strikingly attractive "south Indian looks" that helped her clinch the role as the leading lady in the upcoming Sai Dharam Tej-starrer Telugu film "Thikkaa"."Although I'm a Brazilian, I think I look like a south Indian and that's what caught the eye of my producer who saw me in a television advertisement and offered me the role. I fell in love with my character and immediately decided to be part of the project," Larissa, who is making her Telugu debut with "Thikka", told IANS.In the film, which is directed by Sunil Reddy, Larissa plays a character that's very close to her real self."It's an extension of my personality and hence, I could easily relate to it. I got really excited when I first heard the narration and I knew right away I wanted to do this role," she said.Admitting she was initially nervous because she's completely alien to the industry and language, Larissa, nevertheless, managed to pull off her role with ease.
"The whole credit goes to my teacher who prepared me for the role. I spent a lot of time with her before we went on the floors. Instead of being lectured on how to play the part, we went out to coffee shops, to shopping, and in the process studied how girls of my age behave and talk," she said.Larissa also heaped praise on her co-star Sai for being very supportive."We've become good friends. He was very supportive and understanding and didn't mind if I ever took extra takes for a shot. We had so much fun shooting together and I loved working with him," she said, adding she'd love to work him with again.Larissa hopes she's made her director and producer proud."I'm really grateful to them. Even though I'm a foreigner, they believed in my capability and offered me this project. It means a lot and I'll always be indebted to them, said Larissa, who has been modeling since the age of 14.Having been part of several advertisements and also seen in brief roles in Hindi films such as "Go Goa Gone", Larissa doesn't want to restrict herself to one industry."I'm open to work across industries. I'd love to work with stars such as Mahesh Babu and Prabhas," she said.