Deborah Mailman has won a string of TV WEEK Logies for playing demanding character roles, such as politician Alex Irving in Total Control. But, when we ask if she’s happy to take on smaller, less dramatic roles, such as Susan Sinclair in Dear Life, she jumps in before the question is even finished.
“Yes, absolutely!” she says.
“The character of Alex in Total Control is my benchmark. She’s everything to me as a role. But it is also nice when you’re fitting in and around and supporting something more. And I really enjoy when the stress isn’t there to carry something, but you’re still doing the work.”
Dear Life is a drama about a woman called Lillian (Brooke Satchwell), who’s struggling to cope after the shock death of her fiancé, but starts to see a way out of the darkness when she reads a letter from the person who received his heart. Deb’s character, Susan, is the donation family co-ordinator, who makes sure that such letters are passed on anonymously. But grieving Lillian doesn’t want to keep things anonymous.
“What I loved is that it’s really all of us, characters and actors in this, supporting Brookie Satchwell’s journey,” Deb says. “Oh my God, how amazing is Brooke in it? It was really fantastic to see her just smash it.”
As well as Dear Life, Deb, 53, recently appeared in the family movie Kangaroo, and also has a role in Wolfram, director Warwick Thornton’s follow-up to Sweet Country. So what does she want to do next?
“Nothing!” she laughs. “For a little bit longer. It’s actually quite nice to just enjoy being at home for a while and not having a schedule.”
Deb’s sons with husband Matthew Coonan, Henry and Oliver, are still in their teens, so she doesn’t want to accept too many roles that take her away from her home near Wollongong.
“It’s that work–life balance, like everyone has to deal with,” she says. “When I do work it means I’m away from home, and so it is about trying to make sure that I’m not always away.
“I guess I’m at a stage now where it’s got to be something good for me to want to say yes.”
When she’s not working, Deb likes being “boring”.
“I get excitement and unpredictability with work,” she explains. “So, when I’m home, I just close that front door and I do housework. I do the washing, water the garden, make sure the weeds are not overgrowing, watch TV, give my dog and cat cuddles all the time…”
During her three-decades-long career Deb has starred in some of the most-loved Australian series of all time, including The Secret Life of Us, Offspring and Boy Swallows Universe.
So, if she could bring back one of her shows for one more season, which one would it be?
“That’s a really tricky question,” she says. “Maybe Secret Life. Maybe another season of Total Control… although emotionally that’s quite draining. It’d be great to see if Dear Life gets another season, as well.
“But, at the same time, I think you don’t want to squeeze the life out of a series. I think sometimes they end when they need to end.”
She says in the case of Secret Life, it would have to be told “very, very well” for her to even consider it.
Deb doesn’t rule out working overseas at some point in the future (“The money would be nice!”) or even appearing on a reality show such as I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!.
“Who knows where I’m going to be in 10, 15 years. I might be in the jungle!”
But she’s clear about what is important to her.
“For me, a lot of the work that I’m really interested in is particularly to do with First Nations storytelling,” she explains.
“And working with the next generation of storytellers and filmmakers – I want to be part of shows like Dear Life that really showcase our great writing talent, our directors and our production companies, as well as our actors.
“That’s where my heart lies.”
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