When Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood steps out of her trailer and into the beautiful countryside that serves as the backdrop for much-loved Aussie period drama A Place To Call Home, she quickly apologises for “holding us up”.
As it happens, TV WEEK Close Up has arrived just in time to see Arianwen’s husband, Marcello, and their nine-month-old daughter, Serafina, on the set. The gorgeous bub arrived on Christmas Eve, 2017.
“It’s a bit of a juggle going back to work with a baby, but it’s wonderful,” Arianwen, 31, says as we stroll to a nearby table.
“I’m fortunate my husband can step in and help. They often come to work with me so I can keep going.”
As a new mum, the actress reveals she’s slowly learning to navigate the highs and lows of parenthood – as well as trying to remember her lines.
“I’m pretty tired, yes,” Arianwen admits when we admire her commitment.
“There’s a next level of tiredness I didn’t know existed. I also have no short-term memory either, so my continuity on the show is horrible – I feel bad for the writers and producers! And then an hour into filming, I think, ‘How’s my baby doing?'”
Arianwen is enjoying balancing both her acting career and being a mother.
Before we continue, Arianwen pauses. Then, with a strength not unlike that of her character Olivia Bligh, she gives a moving account of the heartbreak that preceded Serafina’s arrival.
“More than two years ago, I suffered a miscarriage late in my pregnancy,” she explains. “It was an incredibly sad and difficult time for us.”
At the time, one of the storylines in A Place To Call Home compounded her sorrow.
“The storyline where Olivia is being put in a wheelchair and taken to Emergency drew parallels with my own life,” Arianwen says.
“I remember being at the hospital, thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh – this is exactly what I did as Olivia and now it’s happening to me.’ It was a surreal and emotional experience.”
In the midst of her heartache, Arianwen recalls longing for answers that, sadly, didn’t come.
“The doctors didn’t tell me for a long time [what was happening] and I wish they had,” she says. “I had so many questions about whether there was any hope, what was going on, and could the situation be saved…”
Arianwen and Marcello found themselves at a loss with grief. Over time, however, the couple found ways to cope. They also began to consider trying again.
“Not until after my first baby’s due date was I ready [to try for another],” she explains.
“It took me a long time, and I wanted to honour what would have been her journey.”
After Serafina’s safe arrival, though, Arianwen is urging Australians to remove the stigma and talk openly about miscarriage.
“Having gone through that experience, I try to talk about it, because a lot of women don’t,” she says.
“It’s so important to know that it does happen and you go through that loss. We need to have a cultural shift and more communication.”
“Because of our experience, we cherish Serafina so much more dearly. It’s a new chapter for us and we’re aware of how lucky we are.”
Arianwen is suddenly called to film her next scenes and our chat comes to an end. As she prepares for her turn, she says her love for Serafina will hopefully lead to more children – just not yet.
“An hour after she was born, I thought, ‘Let’s have another one!'” she says with a laugh.
“But I think I was high on endorphins. I’d love to have a big family, though… one day.”
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