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Perth Now
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Asher Keddie in her producing era but isn't quitting acting
When watching a comedy movie or TV show, you may wonder if the actors struggle with trying not to crack up when reciting their lines on set. For one of Australia's most adored actors Asher Keddie, becoming hysterical mid-line is something she is very good at. These latest crack-ups came when playing Evelyn Jones, the lead character in Strife, which follows the modern imperfect woman and publisher on her journey from a blogger to a force in digital media with her startup Eve Life. After the first season in 2023 became Binge's biggest original series premiere of all time, the second season premiered on May 8 and sees Keddie's character exploring the complexities of womanhood, relationships, dealing with the threat of a new rival women's website, and tackling nasty trolls — all the while keeping up just the right level of lighthearted gags. 'This is the sort of show that incites so much mischief and laughter,' Keddie says on a phone call from Sydney. 'The whole ensemble is always engaged in shenanigans and humour and, you know, so much fun behind the scenes. It's about creating a certain level of hysteria when you're doing comedy drama, I think.' It's something the actor, who also serves as executive producer on the show, always encourages 'to the point of being probably the most unprofessional of the lot of them'. 'I'm terrible when it comes to hysterical laughing in the middle of a scene,' she says. 'It's not my strong point, put it that way. if I'm amused by something, I find it difficult not to respond in the moment, and this cast is incredibly amusing, so we've had such fun together.' Asher Keddie as Evelyn Jones. Credit: John Platt In among the comedy, of course, is the importance of telling authentic female stories. After all, the series is a fictionalised adaptation of Mia Freedman's 2017 memoir Work Strife Balance, about her experience of leaving magazines to launch women's lifestyle website Mamamia. 'It was just so incredible listening to the stories at the beginning that Mia had of her experiences throughout, and the challenge of presenting her ideas online and putting them out there and using her voice no matter what the consequences were, and sometimes the consequences in the cost to her were huge,' Keddie says. 'We explore in the second series trolling, which became a really big thing around the time that Mia started up Mamamia, so that's a really interesting storyline.' The Offspring star says viewers need to see women's vulnerabilities on screen. 'What I want to see is not to apologise for getting it wrong and failing sometimes and not being able to achieve that kind of elusive perfection that we put on ourselves all the time,' she says. 'I think those themes that we explore in the show, particularly in the second season, are the things that I really want to lean into as a woman and a viewer, so I'm hoping that other people feel the same way.' Asher Keddie attends the 2025 AACTA Awards. Credit: Dan Peled / Getty Images for AFI The Melburnian reunited with Bruna Papandrea, whom she worked with for roles in Nine Perfect Strangers and The Lost Flowers Of Alice Heart, to produce the show. Keddie found it helpful rather than challenging to be a producer as well as an actor. 'Being able to produce and being in conversation about how we can write it, how we're going to perform it, where it's gonna be, all the different millions of choices that you make on the entirety of a production, it's so involving for me that it's almost easier to be a bigger part of it in that way than it is just to deliver a performance,' she says. Despite loving the production side of things, Keddie isn't stepping away from acting. 'Oh no, I'm not gonna give up my day job,' she says. 'I love acting. I always have. I enjoy it more now actually than ever so no, I still love what I do but I just like combining the two.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nicole Kidman Worked With 19 Female Directors in Eight Years After Vowing to Do So: Things Only Change by ‘Actually Being in the Films of Women'
Nicole Kidman made a vow in 2017 to work with a woman director every 18 months. To say she has made good on that promise would be an understatement. The Oscar winner has teamed up with a women director either as a producer or as an actor 19 times over the last eight years, with more female-directed projects already in the pipeline. Speaking in a new interview with Time magazine, Kidman explained that one of her reasons behind making the vow is a double standard that women directors face. These filmmakers are under pressure to 'be perfect' when their movies get funded and there's no room for error. Whereas male directors are more likely to get a chance to rebound, female directors are knocked down if they don't deliver a perfect movie. More from Variety Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's L.A. Home Broken Into and 'Ransacked,' Police Say Nicole Kidman's 'Babygirl' Gets Valentine's Day Theatrical Rerelease (EXCLUSIVE) Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman Score Acting Wins as 'Better Man' Leads Australia's AACTA Awards and 'Shōgun' Rules TV 'It can be changed,' Kidman said, 'but it can only be changed by actually being in the films of women.' Kidman's most recent theatrical release was Halina Reijn's 'Babygirl,' and she's now the star of 'Fresh' director Mimi Cave's suburban thriller 'Holland.' Her recent television work has included Lulu Wang's 'Expats' on Amazon Prime Video and Susanne Bier's 'The Perfect Couple' on Netflix. Time noted that 'Kidman is able to partner with so many female directors in part because she never stops working,' which is somewhat true. In addition to the projects listed above, Kidman also stars in Paramount+'s 'Lioness' and shot the second season of Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' last year. She's starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in the series 'Scarpetta' and is in development on a sequel to 'Practical Magic.' Kidman told Variety last year that part of the reason she stays so active as an actor is because 'there are so many opportunities in terms of being able to be of service to the people who are coming up, and using what I have and can do for people like Helena [Reijn].' 'It's very hard for me to go, 'Okay, I'm just going to take care of myself,' because I'm so much about taking care of other people,' she added. 'I'm thinking, 'I can create more work for people. I can create jobs for people.' And also, I love it. I have the passion. I've just got to take care of my body. I wish I had superpowers because I would love to be everywhere.' Kidman concluded, 'This is what I dreamed of since I was a little girl. I love what I do so I'm going just give it my all, and then I don't go out. I go home to be with my family. We do things together. I'm not going out to nightclubs.' Next up for Kidman is the SXSW premiere of 'Holland,' co-starring Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill and Gael García Bernal. The film is set for release on March 27 from Amazon MGM Studios. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
