Deborah Mailman – one of Australia’s most loved actresses – has opened up exclusively to The Australian Women’s Weekly about her lifelong battle with anxiety and insecurity and how she manages to stay balanced in an industry which is both uplifting and deflating.
“There can be absolute loneliness in this industry”, Deborah told The Weekly. “People look at the fame or the money and don’t see the times when there are no jobs. I think there are many actors and entertainers who, like me, suffer from the insecurity of that.”
Deborah Mailman
“We are in a very image-based industry. We are in front of the camera so it comes with body issues, insecurities, anxiety – and that applies to me. I don’t know many actors who don’t have a bucketful of insecurities.
“I often hear people say that being an actor must be great – and it is, it can be fantastic – but when it’s not fantastic, it can also be a really hard place.”
To combat the highs and lows of the acting industry, Deborah – who is mother to Henry, 10, and Oliver, eight and married to Matthew Coonan – relies on her family.
“Everyone has their own process for dealing with insecurity and making sure they don’t become some kind of emotional casualty in this business”, Deborah says. “For me that means leaning on my family. They are my rock and they always have been. They are the place I always come back to. They keep me grounded and centred and real. They always come first. Everything revolves around them.”
To read more, pick up a copy of the February issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now.
