WEBVTT - MICHELLE LIN DAVIDSON - THE NEWSREADER - ABC 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:01.680 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:05.400 TV Reload the podcast last week. Thereby, Hey guys, welcome 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:07.360 back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:11.200 clicking and downloading on today's episode with Michelle Lynn Davidson, 0:00:11.400 --> 0:00:15.240 one of the brilliant actors from The Newsreader, which returns 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.800 this week on the ABC for its third and final series. 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:22.120 The Newsreader is just brilliant and if you haven't seen 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:24.880 the first two series, I'm actually kind of jealous because 0:00:24.880 --> 0:00:27.440 I would love to go back and have that feeling 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:29.880 of watching it for the first time. It is so 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.240 groundbreaking and well made that, in fact, I'm going to 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:34.760 go as far as saying it's one of the best 0:00:34.840 --> 0:00:39.080 Australian scripted dramas of this generation. The Newsreader follows a 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:42.160 few characters point of view of the news room during 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:45.120 the eighties, and Michelle's character Noline is one of the 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:48.559 three main characters that we have followed throughout this trilogy. 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:52.080 Her character is a Korean Australian and there has been 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:55.360 so much to unpack with her character, and even more 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.760 so in series three, Michelle will unpack with me the 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.400 ways in which her character is similar to her own 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:04.200 personality and how Michelle was able to contribute to this 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:08.040 season more than just being an actress. We will chat 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.800 about the sweet spot of the Newsreader and why this 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:14.120 series has highlighted how far we have come and how 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.080 far we haven't gone with some of the biggest issues 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:20.720 in this country. I will find out about recreating the 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:23.720 logies and how kind of Minoga and Darryl Summers did 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.000 send through some approval to use their footage. We will 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.160 get everything from why this series will end this year, 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.440 what Michelle thinks of the trajectory with her on screen 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:37.200 husband played by Stephen Peacock, and what contribution to her 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:40.640 character had her asking for rewrites to make sure that 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:43.640 the conversation about race in this series and in this 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:47.480 country was handled correctly. There's actually so much to talk about, 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:50.920 as per usual, with a lot of inside revelations from Michelle. 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.560 So guys sit back and relax as we unpack the 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.680 wonderful world of The Newsreader season three, which is back 0:01:56.840 --> 0:01:59.120 Sunday the second on ABC. 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:02.080 And I view Hello, how are you? 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:05.440 I'm doing so well and I have to tell you 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:08.960 right off the bat, I'm so invested in season three. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:12.000 I'd go as far as saying season three is now 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:14.640 my favorite season so far. Is that weird? 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.240 Oh my goodness. Oh, I'm so thrilled to hear that. 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:20.360 I mean, it was just doing an interview before speaking 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:22.840 to you, but she was the first person I've talked 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.480 to outside the people who work on the Newsreaders who've 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:27.520 seen the show, but we didn't really get to talk 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.880 about that that much. So I'm so thrilled to hear that. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:31.120 Thank you for letting me. 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:33.840 Know, Michelle. It's so funny because I struggle to find 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:35.720 shows that my partner and I both want to watch 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:39.800 together that we really really Wow, he says to me, 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.360 is there another episode of The Newsreader? 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:42.560 Like? 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:43.520 We need to watch that? 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.240 So how many have you watched? 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:50.280 I've watched four episodes. I just someone told me this 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:51.800 is going to be the last season of the show. 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:54.639 But I just feel like, because this season is so strong, 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:57.080 I didn't feel like that didn't happen. I feel like 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:57.760 we need more. 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:01.440 Yes, No, it's we always knew from the start it 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:04.240 was a trilogy, and we always hope that we've had 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:07.799 the opportunity to You know, what TV's like, you never 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:10.840 know if you're going to have the opportunity to do that, 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.280 and so I think we're really privileged to finish it 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.160 off the way we wanted to put I guess this 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:18.480 is the thing about It's like knowing when to leave 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:19.040 the party. 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.079 Our call it the Seinfeld theory, which is get out 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:23.800 while it's still really good. 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:28.600 Yes, Yes, and we all because heading into it we 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.800 knew it was the final season. There were so many 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.680 things that had built up, which I'm sure you're probably 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:37.640 seeing if you've seen kind of quite a bit of 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:40.720 it start to play out like it was super satisfying 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.560 as an actor to have that opportunity and also to 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:45.360 be able to contribute to that. Well. 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.680 It's also so delicious, Like I've seen you in seventy 0:03:49.760 --> 0:03:52.000 different roles and I always love you as an actress, 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.760 but I feel like we're not. It's something there's some 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:58.520 real vitology, there's some real gravitas that you have in 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:01.160 this role. And I always I wonder when you get 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.800 to talk to actors, what do you relate to when 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.960 it comes to picking up the script and reading this character. 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.920 Are there similarities or similar ideals that you share. 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:13.400 Yes, I mean to quote Michael Lucas as a creator 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:17.120 of the show. He's always an interview saying that everyone's 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:19.880 so different from the characters except for Michelle. Michelle's probably 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.040 the most like Norlleen or like Nolen, you know, like 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:25.400 and I find that at first I found that kind 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:27.919 of strange, and then everyone until it will be like, 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:29.800 we've got to admit, this is quite a bit of crossover. 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:33.119 It's doating that both of you. I think maybe what's 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:36.599 unique about Noline for me is that even though I've 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:40.040 never worked in the media or in journalism, I feel 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:44.640 like there's a crossover experiences with working in the entertainment industry, 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.200 and I'm able to contribute a lot of I guess 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:53.320 my experience or my perspective into the role. I think 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.120 what's unique for me as an actor and as the 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.360 series has gone on is that i work a couple 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:03.120 of functions, and so I'm in development in the writer's room. 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:07.040 I help kind of set and contribute to Nolin's story, 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:10.279 and I also work as a cultural consultant, which I 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:13.080 was kind of I give it much more work for 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:16.080 season three. That is kind of I guess actors don't 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:20.200 really get to you can suggest things creative team, but 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:22.640 to have that kind of level of input, so that 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:25.680 it's seeded within the work, it's not something that you 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.080 bring in over the top of it. I think that 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:32.400 helps me try to make the role more authentic. But yeah, 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:35.800 like it's kind of w I switch hats. So even 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.000 when like if if we're filming at Nolin and Rob's house, 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:41.280 for example, I come in and you know, I collaborate 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:43.599 with the art department. They send me photos of things, 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:45.840 and then I come in separately to my job as 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:47.960 an actor and I come on set and they say, oh, 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:50.039 you need to move this here or blah blah blah, 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:53.960 or know these are the wrong something, or yes this 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:58.080 is good blah blah blah. And so that also is 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:00.720 I mean, such a privilege to be I could pot that, 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:03.200 but it's a completely different hat I wear on the 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:06.400 show as well. So I think that's current of crossover 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:11.600 between myself and Noline's quite strong because of that involvement. 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:13.359 Does that sort of answer your question? 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:15.440 It really does. And I just think this show to 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:18.000 me because I love television. I've grown up since a 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.920 child loving television so much. When I was I think seven, 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.679 I asked for the TV Week to be my birthday present, 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.240 to have a subscription to the Techne Week and my 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:30.919 dad got to go to the TV week logis for 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:33.720 the first time in the logis that's in episode one 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:37.719 of season three. So the details, no, and the detail, 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:41.080 the perfection of all of the detail is so real 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.360 to me. And I was sitting there watching episode one. 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:45.559 I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a moment 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:49.440 where an award goes off and you see Sam's character 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:53.560 going up against Kyler Minoag and Darryl Summers, and I 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:56.279 remember who the award goes to, you know what I mean. 0:06:56.240 --> 0:07:00.040 So like, oh my gosh, yeah, I mean, I just. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:02.720 Loved loved television as a child. In an unusual way. 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:04.920 We had a missing from Darryl. I'm pretty sure. 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:08.080 It's Daryl, right and won yeah it is, yeah, yeah yeah, 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:10.240 and Daryl, well you want to get Daryl on board, 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:11.720 I can tell you. I've worked with Daryl. 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:15.480 I'll have you and Kylie as well, kind of know 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.320 everyone like they're just people were just so kind of 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.440 like I think Kylie Minogue sent to you a message 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:23.840 back through her people being like, oh, how cute is 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:25.920 the footage? I mean, you would have picked up on 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:28.240 the detail, were actually filmed in the exact same room. 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:29.960 Yeah, I know that I heard. 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:33.280 Which is so lucky and yeah, to have access to 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:37.720 archival footage and to intercept it with I guess our 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:42.480 modern television making. It's pretty amazing that it did feel 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.200 like we were actually at the Logis. 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:46.920 I met you once, Lois, it was a few years ago, 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:50.080 and so I've seen you in Logis in real time, 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.480 and I've seen you at the He's in the eighties, 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:57.720 it's very unusual. You know, there's show tackles sexuality, race, feminism, 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:00.640 abuse of power. I mean, the list goes on. Do 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:04.080 you think that this show sweet Spot is the juxtaposition 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:08.200 of the eighties versus today with how you tackle some 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.840 of those issues and putting them up against each other. 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:15.960 Yeah, I think maybe the eighties. How do I explain 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.920 that eighties and the kind of now that overlap that 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:22.200 then diagram? I mean, I want to say that we've 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:24.680 progressed a lot more than we have, and we have 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.240 in many ways. But I'm also struck by the amount 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:30.640 of people that work in the media who have told 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.920 me how much their experience aligned, especially to Nolein, because 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:37.200 I think we're seeing her work up as a junior 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.520 and through the ranks and coming up to be a producer, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:43.240 and people like, oh, you know, that's exactly you know 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.360 what my boss was like in the newsroom. Or I'm 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:49.160 just like, you know, it's great because it means the 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:54.080 show's authentic. But also I've always got Sady Terra and 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:57.640 things like in episode one, which you've seen, where they're 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:01.840 talking about how Norleine has applied maternity leave. Yeah, but 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.680 it hasn't been granted that that comes from one of 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:08.840 our real consultants who work in newsrooms in the eighties. 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:11.040 So we have many consultants that work on the show 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.120 that feeding and give us, you know, accurate information down 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:16.880 to like auto Q experts and all those kinds of people. 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:18.920 And that's something that actually happened. 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:23.040 Unbelievable. I mean it's unbelievable. Yes, as that scene happens, 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.240 I was googled. You know, that's what's sort of fun 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:27.080 about this as well, Like I was googling on my 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:30.760 phone things because it's so interactive. I was like, is 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:33.600 that right? You know, how long has it been since 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:35.960 women were allowed to go on maternity leave and have 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.080 their roles still held? You know, those sorts of things 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.360 to me, are really interesting too, and also frightening to 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:43.640 look at where you say, oh my god, that that 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:45.480 hasn't been around for as long as we think it 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:46.200 should have been. 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.200 Yes, And I think what you're talking about that juxtaposition. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.760 I think where the show's success lives is not just 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.640 in that. I guess that macro kind of thing of 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.920 like we're examine feminism and sexuality and all of the 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.040 those things. I think it's because what we do is 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.040 we play them out in very kind of human relationships, 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.960 like for Noline, and you see them have these conversations 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.400 like you've seen the apartheid episode in episode yeah that's 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:17.120 episode four, and yeah, you're seeing kind of that really 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:18.959 tough conversation they have in the kitchen, which you know 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:22.000 is building. You know, we hoped we'd have that from 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:23.920 season one. We always knew we were going to kind 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:25.760 of get to the point where they actually have this 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:31.240 conversation and Norlin actually confronts Robin some way, and people 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:33.720 can connect to that because not being lectured on these moments, 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:36.280 you just seeing two very real people deal. 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:40.400 With uncomfortable situations. But I was thinking, these are such 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.800 likable characters. We love these two so we love watching 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:46.720 them so when we see them in pain, when we 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.880 see them and they are uncomfortable, it is so immersive. 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:53.760 And then I wonder whether or not the pressure that 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.200 you feel to bring those sort of storylines to the screen, 0:10:56.240 --> 0:11:00.320 you know, representing the caxities of multicultural Australia, of what 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:03.520 those conversations have been like and what they're still like. 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:08.800 Yes, look, there are many elements in annuline storyline that 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.520 comes directly from my life or you know, are inspired 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.880 by these moments. And we actually went back and forth 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:18.920 on the script for that particular scene quite a bit. Wow, 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:22.120 they're killing Michael and I because I was like, no, 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:24.719 it's not quite right yet. And I think Ado, who 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:26.800 wrote the episode as well, just like in this kind 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:28.800 of like back forward, back and forward, back and forward, 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:31.359 and I was like, no, this is not the right words, 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.760 not the right words. And what she wants to do 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:37.360 is say you're not seeing me. And I feel like, 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.360 not just racially, but I think it happens in a 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:42.880 lot of partnerships where you're like, are you seeing me 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:46.160 right here right now? The version of me that you 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:48.720 want to believe, or that's easier for you to believe 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:52.040 that are you actually seeing who I am now? And 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:54.640 can you be the person that I need you to 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:58.040 be in support of where I'm at? And that is 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:02.079 that's the kind that's what I find painful watching all 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:06.679 those kinds of scenes because it's it's not what's very. 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:08.520 Raw, kind of very raw. 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.880 Yeah, yeah, and I think, yeah, we are playing really 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:13.360 good people. 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.480 I mean, I've been in those situations myself where I 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.679 think one of my really good friends said to me, 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:22.800 you know, I'm Asian Australian and I feel like I'm 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:25.480 held back in my work. And I said to him, oh, 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:27.960 I don't think that's happening, you know. And the reason 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:30.240 for my motivation of saying that to him is because 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.480 I love him and I don't want him to feel 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:35.280 like that. But by simply lying to him about his 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:39.319 truth makes him feel uncomfortable. And what happens in these 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:42.640 dynamics is that you want to say the right thing 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:45.400 to that person to make them feel loved, but that 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:47.720 isn't going to make them feel any better if that's 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:48.400 not that truth. 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.640 Yes, I think it's that kind of it sounds really harsh, 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:53.680 but I don't mean it like this, but like dismissing 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:57.439 that experience. Of course, it's often because the other person 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:01.120 doesn't want to feel uncomfortable, and so you know, it's 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.040 a tricky thing to not prioritize your comfort over someone 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:07.840 else's experience. And I think that is so much of 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:10.560 what Rob has done. He just sees the world and 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.240 he's treated in such a different way. And because he 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:16.600 treats Noline, we're just like love and care and respect. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.640 He just thinks that there's no problem. There's no problem, 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:22.520 but there is. It's a really big problem. 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:26.120 I think that's the spaces and places that we find 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:30.560 are the most damaging is when we're in situations where 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:34.199 people are sort of skating over it because they think 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.800 they're doing the right thing, which means that you internalize 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:39.520 it more. That's the more dangerous space is where you're 0:13:39.520 --> 0:13:42.320 sort of like, I feel like this and you've just 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.600 tried to make it something else, and I know that 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:46.200 you're trying to do it for the right reason, but 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:49.960 that is suppressing some very deep mental health issues for me. 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:50.680 I see that. 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:51.560 Oh yes, I. 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:55.120 Think that's where the news reader sings is by looking 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:59.000 at all of those minorities in some way and handling 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:00.079 them with some dignity. 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.280 I think you're completely right, and I think as well 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.280 as where the show I think really connects to people 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:07.920 is is that we play a lot of those moments 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:11.960 in the shadows. You see that between Dale and in 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.520 a lot of his relationships with different characters, Lucie, Helen, 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:19.560 when she's most vulnerable, all those kind of personal scenes. 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:22.640 I guess it speaks to that public private you know, 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:25.720 the public image of being a newsreader and you know 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.560 who you are off screen. It really sets us up 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:34.560 to be able to explore those more intricate moments, those 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:39.440 darker moments, truly vulnerable moments, and we get to see 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:43.160 them in a murky, sometimes not very palatable way, And 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:47.560 I think that's what people connect with. But certainly I've 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:51.760 got people from all different backgrounds, not just culturally, but 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.000 you know, all like telling me how much they relate 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:59.760 to that partnership between Nolin and Rob and the struggles 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:03.880 for us, you know, them having a baby, having Hannah 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:07.560 is really what kind of helps us move Noline to 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:11.680 really step into I guess herself and be really secure 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:13.760 and be like, this is not what I want for 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.000 the woman I am today, This is not what I 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:17.840 want for my child I'm going to have to get 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:19.960 in there and deal with it. And that's, you know, 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.480 exciting because it opens us up to There was three 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.480 big resolutions. And when I said resolutions, it's not like 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:28.160 we wrap them up in a nice little bow. But 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.160 it was three big things that I was very keen 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:34.160 to explore in this season. And it was confronting rob 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:39.560 about his I'm not seeing her and not understanding her 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:43.840 position as a Korean woman working in Australia or just 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:47.160 existing in Australia. The second one was her power dynamic 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:51.240 with Helen. Again very similar but her not because you 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:54.000 haven't seen the episode. I don't think you didn't see it. 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.800 Haven't seen episodes five and six, right, No I haven't. 0:15:57.040 --> 0:15:59.480 I mean I'm going to ring Tracy Taylor from publicity 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.040 and beg for. 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:05.200 Them because those episodes kind of start dealing with for 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:09.880 nolein the difference between being a Helen and a Nolean 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:15.360 in the working world and the power and so yeah, 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.680 so there was Robert Nolean moment. There was dealing with 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:22.360 Helen and her understanding that being a white woman very 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.240 different to being a Kareean woman and some of the 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:27.640 things that she applies to survive just simply are never 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.160 going to work for Nolean and I wish we going 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.800 to deal with that with Helen. And the other one 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:36.800 was dealing with Willie mcinness's character with Rimsey and the 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:39.520 kind of years of abuse. And so it's kind of 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:41.760 fun because as an actor, it's fun Like I've known 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:43.680 William for a long time, you know, we did a 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:46.240 play together at Melbourne Theater Company way before we shot 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.080 The news Reader together, and so it's funny to kind 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:56.120 of be so loud. It is really good at yelling. 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:02.520 It's amazing, amazing, but it is very accurate. I mean, 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.160 I've worked in newsrooms. I've worked as a journalist, and 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:06.960 some of the nastiest things that have ever been said 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.840 to me have been in the workplace. And it's sad 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:12.200 to say that that's the reality of it. I remember 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:14.920 getting off from doing a breakfast show where I was 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.480 reading for teleprompter and all I could think about was 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.600 was reading the teleprompter, okay, and then this, you know, 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:22.760 the general manager came up to me and said that 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.720 shirt you were wearing today, that's who you are. You're 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:30.320 Richard Reid, like a really camp news reader. Like you're 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:34.320 like I remember feeling like people might listen to me 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:36.800 hearing that story being retold and think that's not a 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:40.440 negative thing to say. I felt so personally attacked by that. 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:45.479 I was like and I remember going home and couldn't 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:48.200 shake it. I couldn't shake it. And that's what this 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:53.320 show does for Noline, for so many of these characters. 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:56.439 I think in some of these situations, I mean, it's brilliant. 0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.040 And you know what, Michelle, if you could get an 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:03.679 award for this particular season, like You've been great, but 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.679 this particular season and I'm only up to episode four, 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:11.520 you would have to be so proud of what you 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.040 bring to it and what the audience feels from you. 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:17.840 And tackling these conversations is hard, and in the form 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.760 of art, which is what this is, You're doing it 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.800 in such a digestible way that I think everyday Australians 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:26.400 who will watch the show on the ABC will get 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:29.400 to ask themselves some questions about their own humanity and 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:32.040 their own morality of that. So I want to thank 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:33.240 you for being so proud. 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.280 Yeah, oh, that's so kind of you. I feel well, 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.200 I just feel very privileged to do what I love 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.320 and it is kind of when we finished all finished. 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:47.560 As we were finishing season three, everyone is saying, it's 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:50.400 just been a Unicorn show for all of us, and 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.680 it's been such a collaborative process, like you'll hear Anna 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:57.760 talk about on interviews and in interviews and Sam and 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:00.600 myself and you know, all the other people that work 0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:03.440 on the show. It's so much of us has invested 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:06.840 into the roles, especially for me because Noline is so 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:11.520 close to who I am, and it's wonderful to hear that. 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:14.800 You know, people can see it and can see that 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:17.920 work and connected to it. And that's all you can 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:22.080 really hope for is an actor, is that people will 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.880 I guess see your kind of character with compassion And yeah, 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:28.160 I feel very lucky. So thank you so much for 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:30.639 letting me know. It's very very kind of view. And 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:32.200 as I said, you're like the first person I've got 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:33.000 to really speak to. 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:35.760 Yeah, I can imagine. I mean, it's a role of 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:37.520 a lifetime, lots of ways. I mean, I think it 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:40.520 will open up so many doors for you internationally as well. 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.760 But I think you know people, I know so many 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:46.080 actors that you know want to work and want to 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.520 do good work and want to find good roles and 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:52.000 speak to them and it's not it's not given to you, 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:53.760 you know what I mean. So like the opportunity for 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:57.080 you to have that, that's quite amazing, Yes, And. 0:19:57.040 --> 0:20:00.720 I think it's the opportunity to mold it, to be imagined, 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:02.920 knowlling to be what she turned into. 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:03.760 Yeah, exactly. 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:05.639 Know, as each season is progressed, I've got to do 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:08.080 more in line, Like she's actually the only other character 0:20:08.119 --> 0:20:11.040 other than Helen and Dale, She's the only other time 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:15.600 the serious perspective like you follow her POV. And so 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:17.280 that's kind of unique. 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.680