Martin Scorsese backs Russian-born Victoria Haralabidou

ACADEMY Award winning director Martin Scorsese hails her as one of the world's best actresses and now Russian-born Victoria Haralabidou is playing in an Australian film, Daimon.

In what is shaping up to be a golden year the actress, who will soon be seen on hospital drama All Saints and crime telemovie The Informant, says her career drought has finally broken.

It was love that forced the star, who was hand-picked by Gangs of New York director Scorsese for her leading role in 2004 drama Brides, to relocate from Europe to be with her Australian husband three years ago.

"The first year was great, but I haven't enjoyed the past year, it's been dead silence," Haralabidou, 36, said from her home in Sydney's Darlinghurst.

Watch our interview with the Russian darling here.

"It was tough, but now since doing East West 101 for SBS last year I haven't stopped working."

For her latest role Haralabidou is teaming up with Mike Wilcox, who directed the Kylie Minogue movie The Delinquents in 1989.

Agreeing with Scorsese, Wilcox says his new leading lady possesses the X factor needed to tell the story of a social worker in her late 20s who after the murder of her parents discovers she has a healing gift.

Written and directed by Sydney-based newcomer Kosta Nikas, Daimon will begin filming in Sydney in April with Ralph Cotterill starring alongside Haralabidou.

The actress joins a string of foreign leading ladies being lured to Australia including Chinese actress Joan Chen (The Home Song Stories) and German star Franka Potente (Romulus, My Father), to undertake challenging roles in locally-produced films.

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