Just like your friendly neighbour, Brooke Satchwell is a face Aussies have grown accustomed to seeing a lot of over the years.
Whether it be in seminal dramas like Neighbours, Water Rats and Packed To The Rafters, or award-winning limited series like Mr Inbetween, The Twelve and Black Snow – Brooke has always been at the forefront of telling stories that have helped Australia shape its culture and identity.
“I think it’s so important that we keep telling Australian stories,” she tells Woman’s Day. “It’s really important that, globally, we chart our way.”
SHUNNING HOLLYWOOD
Even though, at certain times throughout her career Hollywood has beckoned, Brooke, 45, has always preferred to stay close to shore.
“I kind of paddle my own canoe, I’m that type of girl,” she says.
“When I was younger and when I was coming up, I did look at it being the mecca, which is odd. But I think there’s always something to be said about just staying true to your path, whatever or wherever that may be.
“I’ve had the most fortunate, beautiful life in this extraordinary country,” she adds.
REMEMBERING HER ROOTS
Unlike a lot of her contemporaries who got their start from soaps, Brooke credits a lot of that fortune to Neighbours, saying the long-running drama, which, at age 15, was her first gig in 1996, will always be “the generous and exciting springboard” into her career.
“For a kid coming into such a foreign environment like that, it was my beginning. It’s been one of the most fortunate things to happen to me. I turned 45 years a couple of weeks ago, so it’s been 30 years. That’s crazy.
“I’m just really grateful that I came in at a time where it was such a tight family. I mean we went bowling together, we had picnics together, we went to music festivals together. It was a proper family, and they’re still family now,” she adds.
Brooke notes the show’s cancellation last year is a sad outcome for the industry, and adds it’s a main reason why she’s lobbying for the Australian government to legislate that international streaming platforms invest 20 per cent of their Australian revenue back into Australian stories.
“I think unfortunately the market did a dirty on Neighbours. It deserved better. But that’s up to us both as an industry and the public that consume a lot of their news, information and entertainment through screens.”
A NEW ROLE
As well as lobbying in parliament, Brooke is busy spruiking her new project, Stan’s new tear-jerking drama Dear Life.
In it she plays Lillian, a lost woman who has her life reinvigorated after learning the identities of the recipients of her recently deceased fiancé’s organs.
It’s a challenging role, but one she identified with for a surprising reason.
“I’ve had a lot of near-death experiences and big things happen in my life. So this subject matter, and the point of reflection that it causes, I am familiar with that and that’s why I wanted to play her because I actually understand it and how it does kind of crack you open a bit and asks you to have a broader lens on the world than you might have had previously.
“It’s messy and ugly and chaotic and beautiful and hopeful. I can’t wait for people to see it,” she says.
Stream Dear Life on Stan.
