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This is the Things We Do podcast, a podcast about film life, television culture, mental

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health and all that fun jazzy stuff.

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Today I've got my special guest and friend Monique Warren.

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Hello.

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Hello.

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Hello.

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How are you?

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I'm very well.

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How are you?

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I am well.

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I am like surprisingly sitting in Sydney weather at the moment, which is being like a typhoon

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today, of like sunny morning and then pouring rainy afternoon and I'm very confused.

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So I don't know, I don't know quite what's going on.

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What about your day?

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What have you done today?

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I did lots of life admin today.

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I did some shopping today.

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It was sort of like day off vibes today of just getting the life things done.

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Nothing, nothing exciting.

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Look, isn't that the best way of being an adult?

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I suppose so.

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I suppose so.

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Doing chores.

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Yeah.

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That's the best.

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So when you're not doing chores and you're not doing life admin, what are you normally

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doing?

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Because imagine the people on the internet want to know who you are and what you do.

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I do.

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So many different things.

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My biggest project this year was a program where we went into regional primary schools

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and boosted their performing arts programs.

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So yeah, that's taken up a lot of my time this year, which has been really cool.

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I have met so many different people this year and sharing the arts and building confidence.

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So yeah, performing arts teach a lot.

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I work at a restaurant and I do other actory sort of things and I'm going to play at the

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moment that we're not performing at the moment, but we will be performing again next year.

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Yeah.

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I just sort of go from project to project and do different creative things, I suppose,

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is what I do day to day.

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That's awesome.

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Is that kind of where you saw your life trajectory going?

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Maybe.

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I suppose as part of the stepping stones, yeah, I've been involved in sort of performing

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arts teaching since I graduated high school.

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And I've actually just stopped doing kids parties, like saw that leaving my life and

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then it left my life.

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So yeah, I suppose so.

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I reckon I'll be teaching for maybe the rest of my life in some capacity.

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So you like educating people basically?

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I think it's more I like to connect with people and I like to help people connect with each

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other.

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I don't know that it's necessarily about education because I think if that was the case, I would

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go to a teaching degree and be like a school teacher.

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Yeah.

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Was this like starting your career and you know, basically Little Manique, which you

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know, years go by, was it always to be a serious actor or was it always to be a comedic actor

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or like to, you know, what aspect of like performing sort of drew you into it?

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As a kid, it was definitely singing, but not necessarily like pop star singing, although

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I was a huge Australian Idol fan as a kid.

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Really?

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We had Blaster in the past.

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Yeah, loved it.

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And then I don't know, I just sort of fell into more theatrical musical theatre stuff

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as a teenager.

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And then I studied music theatre and now I'm, I mean, I have those skills and I love those

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skills, but I don't know right now anyway, that music theatre is, is like the big goal.

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I think I've always wanted to do a bit of everything because it's all a bit of fun,

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generally speaking.

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I don't have a clear answer to that question actually.

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Interesting.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I like that you don't have a clear answer because I feel like people who have

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a clear answer, like it's very defined.

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They've clearly thought about it for a long time.

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I mean, I think it's more that I, there's just so many different things that I like

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to do or I want to do.

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I think that's what it is and you know, life's long, so I will hopefully get to do lots of

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them.

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So what are, what are some of the things that you want to do?

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What are some of the things that you're like desperate to sink your teeth into?

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I really, I'm hoping for the next couple of years that I can actually write my own shows.

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Yeah.

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And I'm, it scares me so much to write my own material, but I also want to write my

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own material.

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So that's sort of like the next, next creative venture, I think that if I can get my head

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around it, yeah, and deal with a self critic who's like, you don't know how to write a

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show.

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Yeah.

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Then I'll eventually write a show.

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But yeah.

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Are you a bit of a perfectionist?

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Historically, we're moving away from it.

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I like that it's historic.

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Yeah.

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I think lots of artists are, you know, but I also know that it doesn't always serve me.

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Yeah.

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I mean, that's cool as well, because I feel like in this modern era, especially in our

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generation, like writing our own material is kind of what defines us, but also kind

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of, I guess makes it more fun for us because I find like all my friends currently are writing

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their own material.

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Like they're like, oh, I'm just working on my own thing at the moment.

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So it's kind of like the self expressionism, like time.

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It's just, I think a nice way to keep the artist machine running between like bigger

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gigs.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I had this conversation earlier with one of my friends about commercial versus

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like independent art and art scene and how I think I could never give myself up to just

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full time commercial life where it's, you know, a complete sellout of everything that

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I do.

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I love independent theatre and I love independent film industry way too much because I feel

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like, you know, when you see that, especially in like sometimes on the cheap end or sometimes

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in the big budget end, it's kind of incredible what people create.

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And I think that particularly like, you know, the COVID it's kind of switched that where

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it's like, you know, more people appreciate independent stuff than they used to.

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I think the mainstream audience kind of go, oh, there's more to this than I gave it original

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credit for.

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Yeah.

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It's not always just getting up on stage and, or just grabbing a camera and giving it a

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go.

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I feel like sometimes there's that sentiment of like, oh, they're just doing things that

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are fun and easy on stage.

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And you're like, yeah.

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But there's also a little bit more involved than that.

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Yeah.

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I mean, do you still, and I guess when you were younger as well, did you get those people

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going, oh, you're one of those people when you were sort of like, oh, I want to stay

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in the arts and the theatre and performance scene.

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Did you get people going, oh, you know, that's not a real job, but you're going to get a

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real job?

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I mean, in my periphery, but I have an amazing family who I think just always been like,

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if you love it, give it a go.

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And then you can get a real job if you, if and when you need to, a real job, I say.

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Being an artist is absolutely a real job.

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I can tell I make my living, but yeah, I think the main voices, like, and my main role models

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as a kid in my close circle were pretty supportive, which was nice.

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And I also, I found as a kid, I wasn't always, like, I just was so much better at doing creative

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stuff than I was at, you know, times tables and spelling.

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And so I think I was just encouraged to continue that.

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And then here I am.

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It's funny as well, because having done a bit of research onto you and also like flicking

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through your Instagram, which looks insane.

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Welcome to the world.

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You look like a mad hatter.

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I will admit.

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Nice.

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Yeah.

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Thank you.

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Yeah.

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I thought you'd appreciate that.

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I'm actually like, I'm here for that.

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Thank you.

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I think most people as well, like, you know, you're like me, which is like very much driven

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into this industry.

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I always find like artists nowadays, like, you know, I guess it's a generational thing

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as well, especially when like, you know, people have just turned, you know, 20 and they've

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gotten internet all up in their lives.

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And then I'm just like, oh no, that's, you know, I remember the days when you had to

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kind of look around and, you know, perform a show and it wasn't like, it was just a pamphlet

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in a slide box that people don't think about.

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Like, did you, did you feel like when you graduated, like then kids today have it easier

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than I guess you did at the same time when you started in the industry?

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Just think it's different.

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I think, I think everyone has their own challenges and maybe the industry has yet has shifted

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from when I graduated, which was what five years ago.

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So really not that long ago, as in I graduated from drama school.

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Or do you mean high school or?

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Yeah.

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When did you graduate?

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So drama school, I can sort of very different, like university.

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I graduated high school in 2010.

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So I'm, I'm a prehistoric being.

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When did you graduate high school?

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2012.

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Okay.

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So you're only two years.

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Yeah.

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So like, you know, particularly because we would have grown up in the time when internet

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was just, you know, pretty new.

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The dial up, it's my impression of, you know, having to disconnect your phone cord and your,

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to get your internet working.

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So you go on MSN and then your mum's like, I need to use the phone.

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It was the best kind of time.

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I miss those times when I get screamed at any other end of the house.

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Hmm.

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I miss those times too.

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I mean, like, you know, I think that's how I imagined also like when, you know, when

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we did have dial up internet and you did kind of like, you know, MSN and, you know, I basically

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went to, I remember when a lot of websites were coming up and knew and how you sort of

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made connections and stuff.

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And there were always forum chats that were deep and dark on the web, but that you should

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avoid like 10 foot pole.

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You know, it was fun times.

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It was absolutely fun times.

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But I mean, like, you know, now I guess the thing is like young performers have YouTube,

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they can upload straight away too.

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I mean, we do, like we have that platform too, but I remember when it was only, you

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know, used as vlogs and now it's like a conglomerate of everything.

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Like every social media platform uses it.

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Same with, you know, TikTok is now new, Instagram.

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And suddenly I'm just, I'm finding it hard to keep up with all the things that people

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use.

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Do you find the same that you're just like, you stick to one social platform now to kind

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of like upload things too?

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Yeah.

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I, I think I would like to, and we'll eventually go away from Instagram, but I don't mean,

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I don't even upload much anymore other than the odd Instagram post and then, you know,

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I use YouTube to send self-tapes and things.

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It is overwhelming though.

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And I think most people would say that even though we're all addicted and we all love

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it and hate it.

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But I also know that it's such a useful tool for self-promotion and for connecting with

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people.

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And I mean, this is, I don't think this is necessarily social media as much, but over

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the last sort of 12 months or so, I've been meeting people in person that I met online

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during our lockdowns, you know?

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And I find that really cool, you know?

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And then it's been so lovely connecting to someone and, you know, bumping into someone

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I'm like, I know you, but we've never met in person.

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This is so exciting.

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So that, I don't know in that way, social media has been incredible for that.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I think that's what I love about it as well.

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And you know, the advantages that have come out of COVID, because I feel like before COVID,

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everyone was very hesitant to use it as a like networking and social platforms, like

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especially Instagram and you know, like Facebook now is used predominantly, you know, a lot

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of people who use that to communicate with each other, even if they don't know each other,

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you just kind of like message people.

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I mean, I love it.

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I think it's great.

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I do find like Instagram particularly overwhelming because there's a lot to it.

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And it's just also like, you know, like doom scrolling.

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I mean, just, you don't want to get into that like algorithm where you're like, oh, that's

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right.

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What are my friends doing?

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And then you're like, oh, what have I done with my day?

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Like I need to stop.

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That is, that happened to me a few times in lockdown.

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But I mean, like, you know, I do agree with you.

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I think like social media is great.

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It's great like platform.

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I mean, you're probably better if you're going to try and advertise yourself as having a

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00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:42,040
website and having an Instagram, but you know, like, I don't know.

244
00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:43,360
It's necessarily better.

245
00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:44,680
I just think it's different.

246
00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:45,680
Really?

247
00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:48,120
Depends how you're wanting to present yourself at the time.

248
00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,640
But you know, you can just put your internet, your, not your internet, your Instagram, for

249
00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:58,320
example, in your email signature as you would a website.

250
00:13:58,320 --> 00:13:59,320
I mean, I don't know.

251
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:05,680
I haven't really particularly cultivated anything like this for myself, but I, the, when I look

252
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:10,160
at other artists and see how, how they've done that for me, it doesn't matter if they've

253
00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:15,080
got a website or just an Instagram page or a Vimeo page, like it's about self expression.

254
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,680
So if you, yeah, if you find that that's a better medium for you, then cool.

255
00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:20,680
I mean, I like that.

256
00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:21,680
I like that.

257
00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,400
I like that answer because it's like, you don't have to stick to one.

258
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:25,400
Yeah.

259
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,960
I mean, a lot of, a lot of the time I find people show reals on Vimeo or YouTube.

260
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:34,360
So those are like the two things, but occasionally I do find a Facebook page, which, you know,

261
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,800
has everyone's like, you know, actual official stuff.

262
00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:45,840
It's been interesting about Facebook and I hardly ever use it, but I, so I was, I did

263
00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:51,840
a fabulous play in Melbourne Fringe Festival and I did actually post like once or twice

264
00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:57,720
on, on Facebook and people who I hadn't talked to in ages who are quite a bit older than

265
00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,640
me, like it was a great way to connect with them.

266
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:09,280
And I suppose I just had forgotten about Facebook and then I used it and then I was like, oh,

267
00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:13,480
there's all the whole, like a whole lot of people that I have been not connecting with

268
00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,520
that still use Facebook.

269
00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:16,520
Yeah.

270
00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:21,320
Cause I love, I do my two favorites at TikTok and Instagram.

271
00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:22,320
Yeah.

272
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,800
Which, you know, are you a Demscroll on TikTok?

273
00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:29,840
No, I, I just like funny things and I like creative things.

274
00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,720
And then I'm like, all of a sudden I go, oh, no, we've had enough and I stopped.

275
00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,360
That's really, you have good self like management.

276
00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:37,360
Only with TikTok.

277
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:38,360
Really?

278
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:39,360
Not with Instagram.

279
00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:40,360
Yeah.

280
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:46,320
I think it's because, and it's a recent thing, I get a bit fatigued from all of the, like

281
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,240
the short clips and it's very like, you know, it's over stimulation.

282
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,040
And then sometimes I'm like, oh, hang on.

283
00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:53,040
Why do I feel crappy?

284
00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,960
Oh, because it's, I've been on TikTok for 20 minutes, two hours, whatever.

285
00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:01,160
Your brain doesn't know how to like comprehend all that information and keep going and keep

286
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:02,840
going and keep going.

287
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,040
It's like, I've got to limit it and stop here.

288
00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:07,040
And I like going outside.

289
00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,400
So I do try to put my phone down.

290
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:10,400
Yeah, I know.

291
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:16,320
I mean, like, I think it's also, you know, like, how did you go in a particularly like,

292
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,320
you know, I know COVID is a bit of the past.

293
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,960
Did you find you were more creative during, you know, not at all?

294
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,680
No, not at all.

295
00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:30,040
I really struggled to feel connected.

296
00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,040
Yeah.

297
00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:36,560
I realised that I was much less of an introvert than I always thought I was and am.

298
00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:43,200
Like I definitely have introverted tendencies, but much less so now, I think.

299
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,520
So you're very, you describe yourself as a very extroverted person.

300
00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:52,040
I've always thought of myself as a extroverted introvert.

301
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:57,840
So someone who it's like, I love socialising and then all of a sudden I'm like, no, leave

302
00:16:57,840 --> 00:16:59,260
me alone.

303
00:16:59,260 --> 00:17:08,280
But I just think at the moment, I don't always, I'm always aware that I'm craving social interaction

304
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:13,440
and then I have social interaction and I just go, ah, I feel better now.

305
00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,600
So it's like it rejuvenates you a little bit.

306
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:17,600
Yeah.

307
00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:23,480
Which is, which is, I think something I've grown into in my, in my old age.

308
00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:24,480
Yeah.

309
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,800
You're so old and ancient.

310
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,040
The white hair is already settling in.

311
00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,080
The beard, the wise beard.

312
00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:38,520
I like, yeah, I feel like that's really good as well because I mean, the coin goes either

313
00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:39,520
side as well.

314
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,640
And I feel like, you know, I've gone the other way, which is ironic.

315
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,040
I used to be a very extroverted person.

316
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:50,160
Now I'm sort of very like, I like my alone time, but, um, but I'm also like an extra,

317
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:52,920
yeah, I'm like, you know, I'm an extroverted introvert.

318
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:58,360
Like I like, I get excited when I see people, but once I've had enough and like my partner

319
00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:03,360
describes this all the time and she goes, yeah, when Marty's had enough, you just, you

320
00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:05,360
shut down and you just go, no, done.

321
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:06,360
Yeah.

322
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:10,400
Like it sounds really blunt, but it's not like it's, it's just like processing, you

323
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,200
know, your brain needs process time for me anyway.

324
00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:15,200
Yeah, I agree.

325
00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:22,960
I think, I think it's like the only way that like, I think it's also because, um, I guess

326
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:27,600
I get like, I don't want to say this all the time, but I feel like I'm, you know, like

327
00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:32,560
it's repeating, but it's, I think it's partially because of my neurodivergent brain where it's

328
00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:39,120
like ADHD kind of probably overstimulate and then needs to actually switch off.

329
00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:42,560
But I do find like, I went to this awesome thing this morning, which was, I think the

330
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:48,880
most inclusive thing and it was on an aquarium session at Sea Life in Disney, um, and Disneyland

331
00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:49,880
in Darling Harbor.

332
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,160
I was like, Ooh, that's way more exciting.

333
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,880
No, it was in Darling Harbor and it was like this Sea Life, you went around the aquarium

334
00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,240
and it was for like basically anyone who wanted to like register and do it.

335
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:03,240
It was free.

336
00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:07,840
Um, but yeah, it was like, they turned down the lights, the music wasn't on.

337
00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:12,680
Like you could actually just immerse yourself into looking at fish for like an hour and

338
00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:13,680
a half.

339
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:14,680
And we did that.

340
00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:15,680
We got there at eight in the morning.

341
00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,080
We finished at like nine 40 something and then went home.

342
00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,160
Um, but it was like the best experience.

343
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:21,520
Like it was so nice.

344
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:27,440
And I think it just made me really appreciate like the little things of going, you know,

345
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,680
and I feel like, you know, like post, post lockdown and especially like post that, you

346
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,240
know, awful era.

347
00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:40,360
Um, it's kind of just helped me really appreciate the little things that I, you know, has happened

348
00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:45,120
particularly and, and, and, and things that I can, I guess, add, uh, collectively to life

349
00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:50,520
experience because I feel like I get more out of, you know, having this sort of like,

350
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:56,320
you know, like quiet time, you know, especially without like heaps of sound and heaps of loud,

351
00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:59,760
like I'm terrible with loud auditory noises, which is ironic.

352
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:00,960
I just can't stand them.

353
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:05,000
I remember when I was in a cinema when I was a kid and just like the loud bangs in movies,

354
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,640
I was like, nah, I'm done.

355
00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:07,840
Like cannot deal.

356
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:13,160
Um, and yeah, like this experience was like one of the best, but it's very interesting

357
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:20,560
now being an adult because I think when I was like in my teens, it wasn't as well explained

358
00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:24,720
by like, you know, the way my brain was wired was not well informed.

359
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,440
And so therefore I was like, Oh, how does it, you know, like, cause I was the only interest

360
00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:32,040
in performing arts and I was very interested in all these creative things.

361
00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,200
I didn't know anyone else who was interested in those things as much as I was.

362
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:40,160
So I was like at lunchtime pretending there was a comet flying to earth and trying to

363
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:44,880
convince all my friends to play like apocalypse kind of scenarios.

364
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:46,600
So you know, why not?

365
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,600
Did you successfully convince them?

366
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,800
Like were your friends like, no, yeah, okay.

367
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:52,800
Yeah.

368
00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:55,480
I mean, yeah, look, I, I never said I didn't convince them.

369
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,280
Uh, you know, it was just, it was a.

370
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:03,200
You know, a shoddy attempt and it got them in and then we played it for like, I think

371
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,960
an hour at recess.

372
00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:05,960
It was great.

373
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,560
Like, you know, why not?

374
00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:08,560
Yeah.

375
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:14,720
I mean, kids, kids play games and make up stuff and it's so kids are just so creative

376
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:15,720
like that.

377
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,040
You know, it's, it's, it's amazing.

378
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,800
The lack of inhibition they have in that regard.

379
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:21,800
That's so cool.

380
00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:22,800
Yeah.

381
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:23,800
Like, I mean, I loved it.

382
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,080
I was kooky, you know, like I guess back then as well, I was like, Oh, is that the weird

383
00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:28,080
kid?

384
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,440
I mean, I guess that's what kids do.

385
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:36,280
But now as an adult, I just embrace that like eccentricity and weirdness that I guess people

386
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:37,680
do.

387
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:42,760
But I still like, do find people who I guess don't understand what, you know, the love

388
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:49,180
of the arts is or what the love of being creative or, you know, you know, finding enjoyment

389
00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:51,880
out of being, you know, a big kid.

390
00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:57,480
Like I guess, do you feel like, especially with other actors, because I've, I've noticed

391
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,600
this especially by loving like the arts and being, you know, like super interested in

392
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:04,600
the arts.

393
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,360
There's like two kinds of performers or two kinds of creatives.

394
00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:15,040
One's who kind of like, I guess want this, you know, deep and meaningful and introspective

395
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:16,120
kind of art.

396
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:21,160
And then the other, like I'm a bit of an in-between, which is like, you know, love those artworks,

397
00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,680
love those two bits, but I also love being stupid and silly and, you know, and weird

398
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:29,800
and wonderful and just kind of rolling with anything and rolling, seeing what life brings.

399
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,760
Are you, are you on, which side of you do you think on?

400
00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,640
Oh, definitely the silly side.

401
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:44,560
I, a couple of years ago started clowning and like one of the phrases that my teachers

402
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:48,000
say is like, you know, finding the pleasure to play.

403
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:54,420
And that whole philosophy, I suppose, just has sat with me so well.

404
00:22:54,420 --> 00:23:00,160
And so even when I am doing, you know, serious actor things, it's like finding the pleasure

405
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,800
to play that serious actor stuff.

406
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:10,040
And so I suppose it's not easy sometimes, but I know that I function best when at my

407
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:17,400
core there's a bit of silliness and a bit of play and that's, yeah, I, I just can't

408
00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,320
take it too seriously.

409
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:25,600
Cause I think, you know, I get quite existential about the world and about life anyway, that

410
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:36,400
if then my, my acting philosophy is also serious and what hope have I got?

411
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:43,160
I mean, it's interesting when you talk about existential crisis and moments like that,

412
00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,000
cause I think that's why I enjoy silliness as well.

413
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,000
It's a release.

414
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,000
Yeah.

415
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:49,200
A way to cope or a way to connect.

416
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:57,320
And I don't know for me anyway, when, when life is a bit crappy, like the crappiness

417
00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:02,920
can't really coexist with silliness at the same time.

418
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:04,600
Might happen from moment to moment.

419
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,280
You know, you might be sad one moment and then happy the next, but can't coexist.

420
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:09,280
No.

421
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:10,280
It's my theory.

422
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:11,280
I like that theory.

423
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:18,320
But I think that also the thing about art in general and, and what I think it speaks

424
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:23,640
to people, especially, you know, we talk about creating our own art is that self expression

425
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:29,960
or that self, you know, putting your own thoughts out there, which is, you know, or ideas, you

426
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:34,800
know, whatever, whatever's sort of in our brains onto a piece of paper and then getting

427
00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:38,700
other people or ourselves to perform and then, you know, show it to the world or show it

428
00:24:38,700 --> 00:24:39,700
to a handful of people.

429
00:24:39,700 --> 00:24:49,000
I think that that in itself can be an interesting experience and a very vulnerable experience

430
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:57,280
because I don't know, it's, I find it very interesting the way everyone just processes

431
00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:03,600
art and just in general, like, you know, how we, how we have ideas and then we sort of

432
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:08,520
formulate them onto scripts or we formulate them onto little notes in our classroom.

433
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,760
And then over time that becomes a bigger and bigger and bigger idea, but we have probably

434
00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:19,240
about 20 ideas or 20 feelings that we want to kind of, you know, go with.

435
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,480
And if we put all those feelings onto the, into the work, it's probably going to feel

436
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:27,600
like a mess, but it's kind of like funneling them down and trying to, you know, mash them

437
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:32,040
down this little like pipe tube and see what comes out the other end of, if it's a solid

438
00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:33,040
idea.

439
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:37,880
I mean, I've got a book upstairs, like filled with notes that I'll never probably turn into

440
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:43,120
something and some that I might turn into something that I think is interesting.

441
00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:49,320
But I do think that with, with all this and the way like we feel about, you know, projects

442
00:25:49,320 --> 00:26:00,080
and everything, I feel like us as performances, we kind of have a duty and a responsibility

443
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:05,600
in some regards to show people who might not be able to emotionally, you know, like, cause

444
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,360
you talk about connection and I feel like some, not everyone can emotionally connect,

445
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,760
but art brings us all together.

446
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,760
Like it's some amazing, like-

447
00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:16,600
Maybe, it depends what kind of art and what the message is.

448
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:17,600
Well, I mean, a lot of-

449
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:18,600
Totally devised too.

450
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:19,600
I mean-

451
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,600
You're bringing out the layers of art.

452
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:27,520
Yeah, I should go like, I don't know, go to an art history degree or something.

453
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,760
Then I'll, then I'll be able to really tell you, would that be art history?

454
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:35,760
Maybe it'd be like an anthropology degree in like, in art within culture.

455
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:39,360
Maybe that's like a PhD I'll do one day.

456
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:41,360
I mean, that would be a good PhD.

457
00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:42,360
Maybe, I don't know.

458
00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:47,920
I feel like actually I'll just do the art rather than theorise it.

459
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:52,160
I mean, do you, do you feel like though with your own creations and with, and especially

460
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:58,200
with wanting to produce your own work, do you feel like these stories are like very

461
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,720
personal to you or they've sort of stories that you've just wanted to tell since you're

462
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:02,720
a kid?

463
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:12,120
The things that I am wanting to put out into the world in the short term are just about

464
00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:15,520
silliness and sort of almost clown.

465
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:22,360
So I don't, and interestingly, if you just mentioned about being a kid, as a kid I was

466
00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:29,520
very silly, but I remember people being like, oh, Mon's the silly one, like never the like

467
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:31,480
clever witty one.

468
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,520
And now I'm like, I want to be a bit like, look at me world.

469
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:36,600
Like I wrote a funny show.

470
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,280
Ha ha ha ha.

471
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:45,480
But I don't, you know, I don't necessarily, I suppose it's just not that cognisant for

472
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:46,480
me.

473
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:54,560
I want to just do things in my life that I suppose, you know, make me feel good selfishly.

474
00:27:54,560 --> 00:28:02,120
And then, you know, I connect with others in the process and, you know, and at a point,

475
00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:08,120
if that isn't art, then that's fine too, I think, you know, in my career and in my life.

476
00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:13,840
So I just don't know that it's that sort of big and bold of like, you know, what have

477
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:16,560
you, what story have you already always wanted to tell?

478
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,560
It's not sort of that.

479
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:19,560
Yeah.

480
00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:25,800
It's just doesn't feel like it's that attached to my soul.

481
00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:26,800
It's just a thing.

482
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:27,800
Yeah.

483
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,600
Just something to try, something to do.

484
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:30,600
And to be like, I'm silly.

485
00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:31,600
I'm fine.

486
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:32,600
Yeah.

487
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,040
For myself though.

488
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:41,600
And sure, the byproduct might be someone else will laugh or they won't.

489
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,480
That's fine.

490
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:52,680
I mean, I love that as well because, you know, that's got to be the reason you do stuff and

491
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:59,480
you create stuff is kind of like this, you know, laughing about it for yourself or doing

492
00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,040
it a little bit for yourself.

493
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:02,880
Like what do you want to challenge yourself in?

494
00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:03,880
Yeah.

495
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:06,280
And I mean, it's not just, it's not that I just want to make people laugh.

496
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:12,080
I mean, you know, when I graduated drama school, I wanted to be such a, I just wanted to be

497
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:13,080
in musicals.

498
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,080
That's all I wanted to do.

499
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:18,220
But it was still the same feeling of I just, I just want to do.

500
00:29:18,220 --> 00:29:22,960
So I actually don't think at the end of the day for me, it necessarily matters what, if

501
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,360
I connect with the what, then it is the thing.

502
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:32,880
I don't know if that, it really makes so much sense, but anyway, it does in my head.

503
00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:34,480
No, it does in my head too.

504
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:39,280
Don't worry, everything that you're saying is making a hundred percent sense.

505
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:45,080
I think that's very honest and very open as well because, you know, like the what, you

506
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:50,240
know, as long as that connection is there, do you, do you kind of like write stuff, especially

507
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:54,480
create stuff as like a single player or do you like sort of creating stuff as ensemble

508
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:55,480
pieces as well?

509
00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,640
Cause I mean, do you write music?

510
00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,520
I could write music.

511
00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,840
I have written music.

512
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:06,120
To be honest, writing isn't a love.

513
00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:12,720
Like I don't, I love being in a room with other creative people and creating in the

514
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:18,920
space, rehearsing in the space, finding stuff in the space, being on set and you know, the

515
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:20,520
director being like, give me a different offer.

516
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,200
And I'm like, yeah, sure.

517
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:24,200
That's what I love.

518
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:31,520
So this new identity of creating and writing solo is, yeah.

519
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,000
I'm at the beginning of the journey.

520
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:38,040
So, and it's, it's a bit of a lonely journey at the beginning.

521
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:43,800
So I look forward to, you know, slowly processing my thoughts and then slowly bringing more

522
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:51,120
people on, on to be like, Hey, can you be my director or Hey, can you help me do my

523
00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:52,120
promo?

524
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:53,120
You know, whatever.

525
00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:56,800
If, you know, if my writing ends up being for other people, maybe it'll just be for

526
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:57,800
me.

527
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:03,440
Yeah, but I just, I've come to a point in my, I suppose, my artistic journey where I'm

528
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:10,720
like, I have to have other things that creatively sustain me between bigger or more exciting

529
00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:15,840
or more interesting creative gigs or day to day jobs.

530
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:16,840
Yeah.

531
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,320
Cause it can't, it can't all be the mundane.

532
00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:20,440
I like that.

533
00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:30,680
I mean, yeah, it's just, it's just interesting cause I guess it creates a personal challenge

534
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:31,680
as well.

535
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:36,120
You know, because I guess when we write, you know, my experience might be different, but

536
00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:40,320
whenever I write ideas, I don't think every one of them is going to be crack hard or I

537
00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:45,640
send them to probably about 20 friends and go, do you think this is decent?

538
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:49,040
You know, there's a lot of, I guess that perfectionism worry.

539
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:50,040
Yeah.

540
00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:51,040
That critic.

541
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:56,320
Which I mean, like I, I, I honestly and wholeheartedly say I'm, I'm one of my own worst critics.

542
00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:05,120
I'm very like self-deprecating and you know, um, over critically analyzing my own stuff.

543
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:11,520
Um, like it's hard to sit down and, and, and just let it exist.

544
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:18,280
Um, do you find like, especially when you perform stuff and you know, and you read other

545
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:24,880
people's work, do you get more like, I guess, imposters in, or like, I guess shocks and

546
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,080
drama, especially when you sort of want to create your own stuff.

547
00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,440
Do you look at other people's right?

548
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:32,200
And just think in the back of your head, I could never do this, something as good as

549
00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:33,200
this.

550
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:34,200
I mean, sure.

551
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:41,080
I thought it's there, but I am also like, I've become very cognizant of, of the things

552
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:46,360
that I say to myself and say to others, you know, can, can be damaging.

553
00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:52,400
And I'm not saying, you know, I can saying to myself, I can't do that is going to ruin

554
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:53,400
my life.

555
00:32:53,400 --> 00:33:01,560
But, um, if I catch myself having thoughts like that, I try my best to reframe and it's,

556
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,360
it's a lifelong journey with that.

557
00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:09,640
Actually, I have this like iconography of a star and so like on my iPad pencil, it says

558
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:15,240
you're a star and I have several pairs of, um, earrings that are stars.

559
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:19,120
And I will often say to people, well, they've just done a show and I want to celebrate them.

560
00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:24,640
Or if I say a self-deprecating thing, just in passing, I'd be like, no, you're a star.

561
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:30,880
And I think sometimes it sounds a bit facetious, but I'm, I'm like, no, it's true because I,

562
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:32,760
I don't know.

563
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:36,640
For me, there's just so, there is so much negative crap that I have to counter it with

564
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,800
some sort of positivity.

565
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:45,360
And I, you know, I've read somewhere once that, um, your brain doesn't, doesn't know the difference

566
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:49,600
between like sarcasm and truth.

567
00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:54,760
And so, you know, some expert out there can actually tell me whether that's actually true

568
00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:55,760
or not.

569
00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:01,200
But, but that has stuck with me because I go, well, if I'm giving myself sarcastic comments,

570
00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:02,960
then I'm going to start believing those.

571
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:03,960
Yeah.

572
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:12,080
But it's a journey, you know, I'm constantly trying to reframe so that my thoughts and

573
00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:19,320
critiques are constructive or, you know, not, not just living in like a toxic positivity

574
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,480
or aren't brutal.

575
00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:22,480
Yeah.

576
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,880
Have you, did you particularly struggle with that when you were younger?

577
00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,440
Like a lot of, you know, self criticism and...

578
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:29,440
I think so.

579
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:30,440
Yeah.

580
00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,240
And then my mid twenties had also hit me.

581
00:34:33,240 --> 00:34:37,200
Yeah, that's, that's, that's hard.

582
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,640
Um, you know, but I mean, it's, it's great that you've come out the other side and you're

583
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:48,400
able to, you know, put this re reinforce these sort of like self, you know, measures and

584
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,200
I guess like self improvement.

585
00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:54,280
I'm just, I'm really at peace with the fact that it's probably always going to have to

586
00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:55,280
do it.

587
00:34:55,280 --> 00:35:01,440
I'm always going to have to self manage the critic, which, you know, a couple of years

588
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:04,720
ago I was like, no, I just want to be happy.

589
00:35:04,720 --> 00:35:08,840
Anyway, for me, I have to just always work at it.

590
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:09,840
Yeah.

591
00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:16,000
I mean, like it's interesting as well because, you know, and I think I look back at my previous

592
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,400
self and my younger self, especially when I was trying to be an artist when I was in

593
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:24,400
my twenties and I graduated school, um, you know, and did, you know, TAFE and everything.

594
00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,560
And I was like, suddenly had my first time full time job and I was like, Oh, I'm amazing.

595
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:32,160
I've done the best and you know, like, look at me and how great I am.

596
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,960
And I know everything better than everyone else.

597
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:38,480
I didn't, I would like to say I did not.

598
00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:44,200
Um, but I had a lot of like self improvement and self learning to do and self, like a lot

599
00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:51,600
of that is it came from also self love and not, not really loving my, you know, like,

600
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:55,120
and I came to this realization, you know, about a year ago, but I really sort of like

601
00:35:55,120 --> 00:36:00,800
thought about it more so now that I remember when I was younger, because I used art and

602
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:02,920
particularly like, you know, imagination games and stuff.

603
00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:05,800
I really use that as a way to connect to people.

604
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:13,640
And because I think I really struggled with not connecting, I loved connecting and making

605
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:18,160
people feel positive and making people laugh and you know, and being silly.

606
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,440
And I really hated not being able to do that.

607
00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:26,720
And I got really worried that I wasn't, you know, valid, you know, like important or,

608
00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:29,120
um, you know, at all and anything.

609
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:37,400
And I think it was like quite a damaging time, but I think also like, um, self improvement

610
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:42,360
actually, you know, ironically came out of lockdown for me because I was able to have,

611
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:44,320
you know, I lived on my own for two years.

612
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:49,160
So I had some time away from everything where, you know, I felt like my world was crumbling

613
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:53,760
apart and, you know, I could, you know, focus on me and actually do some self improvement

614
00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,160
of like, well, why, why everyone reacting this way?

615
00:36:57,160 --> 00:36:59,160
Why is like this, this way?

616
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:04,720
How am I going to improve myself as a person, but not change fundamentally, you know, the

617
00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:13,560
core values I have, which is very different to, I guess, how I manage like anxiety or,

618
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:17,640
you know, bouts of self criticism or, you know, bouts of depression, you know, like

619
00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:18,640
things like that.

620
00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:20,240
How do I manage all these things?

621
00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:27,040
Um, and go, well, my friends don't want to hear all the time that I'm, you know, like,

622
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:28,840
oh, this is shit and this is shit.

623
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,840
Like, you know, you don't want to spread negativity.

624
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:36,040
And I was like, well, how do I just go, this is great.

625
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:37,040
This is great.

626
00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:38,600
I'm happy here.

627
00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:40,040
I'm happy here.

628
00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:44,200
And you know, as you say, it's not an overnight thing where you're suddenly like, yay.

629
00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:48,880
Um, you know, I didn't wake up one day and sort of suddenly see roses, but you know,

630
00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:55,040
I definitely gone through, you know, quite a number of years of self journey and self

631
00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,920
care to get here.

632
00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:03,480
And I think, I think it also helps like meeting, meeting all you people and, you know, like

633
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:04,880
getting to connect with you guys.

634
00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:09,640
Cause it's like you meet when you start connecting, it goes back to that route of connecting.

635
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:15,880
When you connect with people, you suddenly, you just see so many different perspectives

636
00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:19,200
and like, I, you know, I only have one perspective.

637
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,680
I, you know, value that.

638
00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:26,040
I only know it from my own lens, but that's why you, you know, we ask questions.

639
00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:31,760
I feel like that's the, that's the key lesson I have taken away from this entire journey

640
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:39,640
in like, you know, six years, six or seven years since I kind of went to that realization

641
00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:44,200
because, you know, otherwise it was just flicking people away and saying, I'm way better at

642
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:45,200
this than you are.

643
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:50,640
And you know, making worse off than, you know, realizing those are, you know, like things

644
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:52,960
that you want to connect and grow with people.

645
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:59,680
Do you feel like as well, you know, when you, when you graduated school, cause I had this

646
00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:04,040
sense of, you know, like particularly with the confines of school and the confines of

647
00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:08,080
education, once they went, there was just me.

648
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:12,940
Did you feel like that, you know, like you were a bit more like in your own head once

649
00:39:12,940 --> 00:39:18,200
you left school and you, you kind of didn't have these constant education distractions

650
00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:24,440
and you know, you suddenly, you were like, I really need to like push to be an adult.

651
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:28,120
I don't know that I've ever consciously thought of that.

652
00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:33,780
If anything, of recent years, I'm pushing to be more of a child.

653
00:39:33,780 --> 00:39:41,240
And it's funny cause I, now as we talk about it, often when I teach really young kids,

654
00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:43,680
you know, they'll say how I'll ask how old I am.

655
00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:46,080
And then I reply with, well, how old are you?

656
00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:47,080
And they'll be like, I'm seven.

657
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:48,640
And I'll be like, can I be seven?

658
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,000
And they're like, no, like, why not?

659
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,000
Why can't I pick?

660
00:39:54,000 --> 00:40:01,000
So I don't, yeah, I don't feel like I necessarily have had that sense graduating high school

661
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:05,560
that I was desperate to be an adult.

662
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:13,560
I mean, maybe, but that's not really something that's entered my self reflection at all.

663
00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,440
That's totally, that's totally.

664
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:19,920
I'm sure, I'm sure as a teenager, there was that sense of like, you know, I can't wait

665
00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:20,920
to be growing up.

666
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:21,920
Can't wait to do all these things.

667
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:27,520
And, you know, I'm sure the day I got my license, I was like, woo, I'm so adorbs.

668
00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:36,240
But it's not been a big overlying thing for me of needing or wanting to be, you know,

669
00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:41,320
you know, different age space than I was physically.

670
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:42,320
I don't think anyway.

671
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:45,320
You haven't been rushing it or going like there's, you know, I need to be this.

672
00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:50,560
I mean, I possibly have been, but I haven't been cognizant of it.

673
00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:51,560
I like that as well.

674
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:56,240
I mean, it's, I love the fact that you are a big child as well.

675
00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:57,880
Like that you embrace your silliness.

676
00:40:57,880 --> 00:40:59,480
We try, we try.

677
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:00,480
It's hard sometimes.

678
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:06,560
I mean, I mean, it's also like, you know, it's that constant battle, isn't it?

679
00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:07,560
Yeah.

680
00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,920
But, you know, I mean, do you feel now, you know, and you mentioned, you know, do you

681
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:15,360
feel way more on top of, on top of it?

682
00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:17,600
Because I feel like your entire personality is just silly.

683
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:18,600
On top of what?

684
00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,800
Well, on top of your silliness and clownishness.

685
00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:23,280
No, I feel like a baby clown.

686
00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:25,280
You feel like a baby clown.

687
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:33,880
Totally a baby clown, but I feel, I feel more at ease to be who I am, I suppose.

688
00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:37,920
And I think I was already heading that way and I, you know, have some beautiful friends

689
00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:38,920
that bring this out of me.

690
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:46,080
But for me actually coming into, into clowning and like starting to learn the craft has really

691
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:54,520
helped me just be like, say that what's that classic thing of like, you know, you are enough.

692
00:41:54,520 --> 00:42:01,680
I don't necessarily use that language for myself, but I do think that that's part of

693
00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:05,400
what clowning has given me is, you know, all I've got is me.

694
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:07,480
So let's try just be it.

695
00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:13,240
Cause I want to talk a bit like about, you know, the fact that you did children's parties

696
00:42:13,240 --> 00:42:15,080
and the fact that you did clowning.

697
00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:20,560
I mean, too big, you know, cause you talk about like, Oh, I've left that chapter of,

698
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:22,160
you know, children's parties behind.

699
00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:27,960
Which is so funny because two weeks ago, my friend was like, my kids party, um, work is

700
00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,480
desperate for someone to fill in this afternoon and you're free.

701
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,960
And I was like, yes, I'm free.

702
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:35,960
And I literally, like I literally retired.

703
00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:37,840
And then I was like, fine, I'll do kids parties.

704
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:40,080
It just cause I, I have free time at the moment.

705
00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:41,520
So I was like, Oh, fine.

706
00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:45,480
But the intention is not to do kids parties if possible.

707
00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:47,360
I mean, did you enjoy it for the years?

708
00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:48,360
Like was it a fun?

709
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:49,360
Yeah.

710
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:51,160
Yeah, absolutely.

711
00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:58,280
Because because children are hilarious most of the time.

712
00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,360
I mean, what was the most interesting parties that you went to?

713
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,800
Like, did you have to dress up as characters or did you kind of just like, what was, what

714
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:06,800
did it involve?

715
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:13,600
I have done all sorts of different parties, but most recently I was doing princess parties.

716
00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:17,880
And look, I find, I did find that quite hard at times.

717
00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:22,840
Like I fit into the sort of princess mold quite easily in that, um, you know, I'm tall

718
00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:29,480
and lean and white and put some mascara on me and, and a wig and I'm, I look like Elsa,

719
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,960
you know, like found that a little bit tricky.

720
00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:37,680
Um, I suppose just, I would just in general, I'd find it really interesting.

721
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:43,120
Um, you know, going in and just not knowing what sort of party you were going to get,

722
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:48,680
because some parties you'd have parents who just be like, let you just do your thing and

723
00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:50,640
let their kids just have a good time.

724
00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:55,320
And it's all just about everyone just enjoying each other's company and being silly and having

725
00:43:55,320 --> 00:44:00,360
a sing and playing games, you know, and then there'd be parties where parents really want

726
00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:01,960
you to do something really specific.

727
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:07,000
And that's fine, but it doesn't always necessarily work for the three year olds in front of you

728
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:10,920
because you know, sometimes, well, not sometimes three year olds can't focus for an hour and

729
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:12,960
a half, for example.

730
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:18,000
Um, yeah, it was, it was a great people watching exercise.

731
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:23,960
Nothing is springing to mind of like a particular party, but I'm sure they were, if I went through

732
00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:27,520
my journals, I'm sure they'd be went to this party.

733
00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:28,520
It was crazy.

734
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:29,520
Oh my God.

735
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:32,280
I'm so sorry about that, it's gone from my brain.

736
00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:33,280
I love that though.

737
00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:37,920
I mean, it's interesting that you raised the fact that like, did you feel like parents,

738
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:43,280
you know, as particularly when you sort of said, oh, I fit into this Elsa kind of thing,

739
00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:48,240
particularly, was that an identity crisis there or was it just kind of weird because

740
00:44:48,240 --> 00:44:49,600
it didn't match your personality?

741
00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:57,320
Um, Elsa was certainly my favourite, um, princess because she, the costume, there was no, um,

742
00:44:57,320 --> 00:45:00,600
no corset and I could wear boots rather than heels.

743
00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:05,720
And also I quite like singing Elsa's songs because they are, you know, like into the

744
00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:12,960
unknowns a little bit, cupsier than, um, I don't know, what does some of the other ones

745
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:13,960
seem?

746
00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:14,960
I really can't remember now.

747
00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:18,580
Gosh, my brain, my brain is just like, no, you don't do that anymore.

748
00:45:18,580 --> 00:45:19,580
Stop thinking about it.

749
00:45:19,580 --> 00:45:26,440
Um, but yeah, I did find sometimes, you know, if I was dressing up a Cinderella or a punzel

750
00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:32,840
and I, you know, did look in sort of Disney terms, beautiful, uh, towards the end I was

751
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,320
like, I don't really like this.

752
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:43,240
I don't, it doesn't feel good for people to be, maybe this is a really like privileged

753
00:45:43,240 --> 00:45:48,120
shitty thing to say, but it doesn't feel good anymore for people to value me just on what

754
00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:50,280
I look like and be like, oh my gosh, wow, you're so pretty.

755
00:45:50,280 --> 00:46:00,880
I'm like, thanks, but you know, what I, what I suppose I value in other people or try to

756
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:03,160
value in other people is not just what they look like.

757
00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:04,160
Yeah.

758
00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:08,120
I think that's, I think at the end of the day, I think that's part of why I have stepped

759
00:46:08,120 --> 00:46:15,120
away from kids parties because yeah, that sort of superficiality, although it's part

760
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:19,840
of our society and our culture, it just was becoming too much to do every week.

761
00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:20,840
Yeah.

762
00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:23,520
But gosh, kids parties are also hilarious.

763
00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:29,360
Like I've had some great times and I learnt so much and I remember, cause I first did

764
00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:31,320
kids parties when I graduated high school straight away.

765
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:32,320
Oh wow.

766
00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,440
I was doing disco parties and I used to get so anxious, you know, knocking on someone's

767
00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:39,360
door and being like, hi, here I am for a kids party.

768
00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:40,360
Please love me.

769
00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:45,480
Whereas now I go into a party and be like, hi, here I am.

770
00:46:45,480 --> 00:46:46,480
Hope you like me.

771
00:46:46,480 --> 00:46:51,600
And there's that, that's been really like gratifying, I suppose to just not have that

772
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:52,600
anxiety anymore.

773
00:46:52,600 --> 00:46:53,600
Yeah.

774
00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:54,600
It's a shift.

775
00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:55,600
I've grown.

776
00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:56,600
You've grown.

777
00:46:56,600 --> 00:46:57,600
Look at that.

778
00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:04,640
I feel like that's also great because it's interesting that you enter the superficial

779
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:05,640
thing.

780
00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:07,280
It's hard with our profession.

781
00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:11,560
Being an actor is for me anyway, a visual medium.

782
00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:12,560
Yeah.

783
00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:18,440
You know what I mean, like that's probably why I lent to radio as well because like,

784
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:21,640
and I fell in love with radio and radio plays because you never knew what anyone looked

785
00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:22,640
like.

786
00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:25,720
So you could, your brain could imagine and it was based entirely on performance.

787
00:47:25,720 --> 00:47:33,640
Um, I don't know that I, I love and hate like a lot of it.

788
00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:40,720
I think beauty standards are completely wrong and subverted and not honest and true and

789
00:47:40,720 --> 00:47:41,920
complicated.

790
00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:42,920
It's complicated.

791
00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:48,360
I mean, also, because I guess I have, uh, you know, the, the slightly, you know, privileged

792
00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:53,880
position, but you know, I do photography so that for their, I have a huge judgment on

793
00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:58,640
Photoshopped images and I don't touch Photoshop with a million years.

794
00:47:58,640 --> 00:48:04,360
Like I only use Lightroom to adjust colors and you know, half the photos I take, actually

795
00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:08,360
all the photos I take, I've never altered any of them, um, are a hundred percent of

796
00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:09,800
how people look.

797
00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:18,920
And I think that has gotten me a lot more, a lot more respect from, um, you know, female

798
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:25,360
identity, not fine people and, and women, or, you know, particularly because it's like,

799
00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:31,000
I just think they look forward to seeing not adjusted body images and stuff like that.

800
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:34,880
And I think that's a very sort of like male gaze view though, isn't it?

801
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:35,880
Yeah.

802
00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:36,880
Yeah.

803
00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:38,920
To have something so, um, manicured and airbrushed.

804
00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:39,920
Yeah.

805
00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:46,520
I think that's what sort of intrigued me about you as well, because you know, your entire

806
00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:53,320
social is just kooky and crazy and doesn't feel like, you know, it's interesting, you

807
00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:57,200
know, like it doesn't feel glitz and glamour or, you know, it just feels kooky and silly

808
00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:58,800
and you know, and fun.

809
00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:04,280
And I think a lot of the time when I see performance outlines, especially, you know, female outlines,

810
00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:09,000
it is very catered to a generalised male gaze audience.

811
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:14,120
And I guess like you forget, you forget that artist side of it where it's like, well, we

812
00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:16,640
are performing, we are doing this thing.

813
00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:21,720
And I think, um, there's, you know, like, I'm not saying people shouldn't look pretty

814
00:49:21,720 --> 00:49:24,520
or elegant if they want to, but I don't think...

815
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:30,600
Well, I mean, I have, and I do also still, but it's complicated.

816
00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:31,600
Yeah.

817
00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:34,160
It's, it's, it's not as straightforward.

818
00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:40,280
And I feel like it's hard on kids, especially going in with that expectation of, you know,

819
00:49:40,280 --> 00:49:44,440
you know, being adults because, you know, like I talk about it often, but like my cousin's

820
00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:52,600
kids are very much like very close to me and they're like 10 and 13 and one of them's non-binary

821
00:49:52,600 --> 00:49:59,920
and talking to me about like, you know, queer identity and, you know, and not conforming.

822
00:49:59,920 --> 00:50:03,600
And it's funny because I talk to them all about like, you know, friends I know and my

823
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:06,280
own experiences in the community and everything.

824
00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:12,400
And I just try to give them like positive reinforcement.

825
00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:14,360
And you know, they live in Canberra.

826
00:50:14,360 --> 00:50:18,320
So you know, like, I don't know what Canberra scene is like, but I know Sydney's scene,

827
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:23,080
you know, particularly in the nineties and the early 2000s was completely different to

828
00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:26,520
it is now where it's like so many people I know are just like so open.

829
00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:35,360
I'm like, I wish I had that kind of level of, I guess, not worry and not fear of like

830
00:50:35,360 --> 00:50:40,200
being who I was and being different and embracing every aspect of myself.

831
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:45,160
And I think as adults, you know, there's, you know, like, you know, you're saying that

832
00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:48,920
about kids parties and being like, oh, okay, I'm going to move away and, you know, and

833
00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:52,560
do other things because I don't want to sort of, I guess, you know, I don't want to be

834
00:50:52,560 --> 00:50:57,840
that like kids always saying that as well, but you know, for yourself moving away, I

835
00:50:57,840 --> 00:51:00,360
don't want to, you know, do it.

836
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:03,920
It's really like, it shouldn't be noble, but it does feel a bit noble.

837
00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:04,920
Yeah.

838
00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:08,280
I mean, it's a choice, especially in music theatre.

839
00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:12,160
There are so many roles and Disney is a big part of that.

840
00:51:12,160 --> 00:51:17,920
And I'm not saying I never will and I don't, because I definitely do, you know, and can

841
00:51:17,920 --> 00:51:19,960
present like that.

842
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:29,680
But I suppose it truly, there was just a big shift in me from, from clowning and it, it

843
00:51:29,680 --> 00:51:36,840
just opened up this mind, this minefield for me of like, I, yeah, it just was the, it was

844
00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:40,200
the instigating event, I suppose of hang on.

845
00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:43,000
Why am I in high heels?

846
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:47,520
You know, at this event, I don't, I'm not comfortable.

847
00:51:47,520 --> 00:51:53,200
So and, and, you know, these other people, predominantly men are not in high heels.

848
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:54,840
So why am I?

849
00:51:54,840 --> 00:52:01,640
And also just meeting different people and not just being part of, you know, a small

850
00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:09,620
group of people that I do have and hope to have continually in my life, a wide range

851
00:52:09,620 --> 00:52:14,360
of people that I interact with both in my closest circles and my wider circles, you

852
00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:20,960
know, of different ages and different, different way that they identify and different, you

853
00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:27,320
know, different cultures and I don't know, it just becomes exhausting if you're worried

854
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:29,720
about skincare all the time for me personally.

855
00:52:29,720 --> 00:52:30,720
Yeah.

856
00:52:30,720 --> 00:52:34,960
I mean, were you doing clowning basically at the same time?

857
00:52:34,960 --> 00:52:40,120
And that was the incentive reason to drop kids' parties?

858
00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:41,120
Yeah.

859
00:52:41,120 --> 00:52:47,880
No, I, at the time I was doing, I was a captain starlight, the Royal Tourism Hospital.

860
00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:48,880
Oh, wow.

861
00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:49,880
Yeah.

862
00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:50,880
And like, that was great.

863
00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:53,680
And it was sort of a trial by fire a little bit in clowning.

864
00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:57,240
And I definitely, that was a great job.

865
00:52:57,240 --> 00:53:01,800
Like I learnt a lot about myself in that job.

866
00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:07,440
But it's how I got into actually wanting to learn about the craft of clowning a bit more.

867
00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:11,240
And my clown teacher was my colleague at work.

868
00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:19,640
And I only went back to kids' parties because I lost a few jobs during the pandemic.

869
00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:22,880
And so I was like, oh, okay, I'll go back to kids' parties.

870
00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:26,720
And I loved it for a hot minute, you know, and then, and then I just knew that I needed

871
00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:28,440
to not do it anymore.

872
00:53:28,440 --> 00:53:30,920
I mean, what does clowning entail as well?

873
00:53:30,920 --> 00:53:31,920
Like what?

874
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:32,920
Oh, I'm really not an expert.

875
00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:36,160
I'm still a baby clown.

876
00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:42,440
My understanding of it at this point in time is very much about the actor-audience relationship.

877
00:53:42,440 --> 00:53:48,240
So they're clown wanting to play with the audience and make the audience laugh and,

878
00:53:48,240 --> 00:53:50,760
you know, experiencing the flop together.

879
00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:53,680
And I'm still figuring it out.

880
00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:59,240
But there's a lot, it's about play and silliness and inner child work.

881
00:53:59,240 --> 00:54:02,520
But it's so much about audience.

882
00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:05,920
Like there's this amazing clip of, what's Mr. Bean's name?

883
00:54:05,920 --> 00:54:06,920
Rowan Atkinson?

884
00:54:06,920 --> 00:54:07,920
Rowan Atkinson, yeah, yeah, yeah.

885
00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:13,120
And this clip at like a huge sporting event and they're in a big stadium and there's like

886
00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:19,720
an orchestra and he's playing the piano and he fucks it up because he's a clown and he

887
00:54:19,720 --> 00:54:20,720
can't do it.

888
00:54:20,720 --> 00:54:26,000
But he's just like so hopeful and like living his best life and having the best time.

889
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:27,000
And it's hilarious.

890
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,880
I mean, like his entire motif is to play to the audience as well.

891
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:32,000
Yeah, that's exactly right.

892
00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:35,200
And that for me, that's what clowning has been about.

893
00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:38,480
Do you think mime would interest you then?

894
00:54:38,480 --> 00:54:39,920
Like doing some mime classes?

895
00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:43,040
I don't really know anything about mime, but maybe.

896
00:54:43,040 --> 00:54:44,040
I'll do anything.

897
00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:45,240
I love go to class.

898
00:54:45,240 --> 00:54:49,040
Because I mean, like one of my favourite things about comedy is physical comedy.

899
00:54:49,040 --> 00:54:53,160
I've always been a very physical human.

900
00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:58,580
And I love being silly with my body, which is always kind of like, you know, with it.

901
00:54:58,580 --> 00:55:02,880
And I think as a kid, I just, you know, I would practice, you know, falling over, you

902
00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:07,920
know, doing the slapstick, hitting, you know, hitting the wall first with your hand, making

903
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:08,920
the sound of the thud.

904
00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:09,920
Yeah.

905
00:55:09,920 --> 00:55:12,440
And then just landing your head calmly on the back of your hand.

906
00:55:12,440 --> 00:55:13,440
It's like magic.

907
00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:16,840
And then falling off the wall, which I scared my mother a few times, like, you know, whole

908
00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:19,840
heartedly think I've injured myself.

909
00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:21,840
But I hadn't.

910
00:55:21,840 --> 00:55:27,480
But you know, like I did, I did an A2YP course, which is Australian theatre for young people.

911
00:55:27,480 --> 00:55:31,600
And I did like a week's course where it was about clowning and it was about comedy.

912
00:55:31,600 --> 00:55:32,600
And I loved it.

913
00:55:32,600 --> 00:55:33,720
I thought it was like the bee's knees.

914
00:55:33,720 --> 00:55:38,720
I loved like twisting my body into like different, you know, positions where I could be like,

915
00:55:38,720 --> 00:55:42,480
oh, okay, I'm like this jester with a hunchback and everything.

916
00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:44,280
And I thought that was so cool.

917
00:55:44,280 --> 00:55:48,320
And I think, I think I've always sort of like, I love comedy.

918
00:55:48,320 --> 00:55:55,000
I think it's just kind of like the thing that I remember growing up and going to the hospital.

919
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,120
And I used to have a very big fear of clowns.

920
00:55:57,120 --> 00:55:58,120
Yeah.

921
00:55:58,120 --> 00:56:01,000
Still kind of like hate clowns a little bit.

922
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:05,720
Like there's something, it's not like people who do clowning, but I just hate the makeup.

923
00:56:05,720 --> 00:56:06,960
And I think it's because it's terrifying.

924
00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:07,960
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

925
00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:10,080
Yeah, clowns get a bad rep like that.

926
00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:11,880
It is, it's just the thing.

927
00:56:11,880 --> 00:56:13,680
It's just, it's just something about that.

928
00:56:13,680 --> 00:56:15,440
It's like masks.

929
00:56:15,440 --> 00:56:19,160
But I always felt, you know, loved the appreciation because they would come to the children's

930
00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:22,760
hospital, which was Westmead's Children's Hospital, and they would come and entertain

931
00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:23,760
the kids.

932
00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:27,720
And like, I often say, you know, my partner and I discuss regularly that I should go and

933
00:56:27,720 --> 00:56:32,440
do that and entertain kids, like, you know, because it's the, as you say, it's the bee's

934
00:56:32,440 --> 00:56:38,360
knees of helping small children feel better about themselves.

935
00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:46,160
But you know, like, do you think with your own like style, do you think you're going

936
00:56:46,160 --> 00:56:51,680
to like become, like, do you take inspiration from Rowan Atkinson as a role model?

937
00:56:51,680 --> 00:56:57,560
Or do you have particular role models of clowning or particular like styles of comedy that you

938
00:56:57,560 --> 00:56:58,560
love?

939
00:56:58,560 --> 00:56:59,880
Like, I've got lots of role models.

940
00:56:59,880 --> 00:57:03,840
I don't actually know I'm going to end up being like a comedian.

941
00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:13,780
It's just, it's like clowning and playfulness is just, I suppose, a way of acting that's

942
00:57:13,780 --> 00:57:16,480
just really sat with me.

943
00:57:16,480 --> 00:57:19,080
And I find, I just find it really useful.

944
00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:21,240
It's got really useful tools in it.

945
00:57:21,240 --> 00:57:28,160
I mean, gosh, I would, I would love to be, you know, have a funny show and be a comedic

946
00:57:28,160 --> 00:57:34,360
actor and I hope that that's in my toolkit, but I don't know that it's necessarily the

947
00:57:34,360 --> 00:57:37,120
dream to be like a clown.

948
00:57:37,120 --> 00:57:41,360
It's just, as I said, yeah, part of my actor toolkit.

949
00:57:41,360 --> 00:57:47,360
But in terms of role models, there's this magnificent actor, French actor called Camille

950
00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:48,360
Catton.

951
00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:54,160
I feel like, sorry, French speakers, I might've, might've really butchered that one.

952
00:57:54,160 --> 00:57:57,900
But anyway, she's hilarious.

953
00:57:57,900 --> 00:58:05,920
She has this movie where she is convinced that she's going to marry Prince Harry.

954
00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:14,640
She goes to London from Paris to, to marry Prince Harry and does some like crazy, crazy

955
00:58:14,640 --> 00:58:18,000
shit that hasn't been pre-organized.

956
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:22,320
Like it's sort of a mockumentary documentary style filming.

957
00:58:22,320 --> 00:58:26,480
So she's, she's a bit of a inspiration.

958
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:33,280
I really, I try to see as much theater as possible and I love, I love seeing people

959
00:58:33,280 --> 00:58:35,000
just own their power on stage.

960
00:58:35,000 --> 00:58:40,000
And I, you know, I've seen Virginia Gay twice this year on stage.

961
00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:50,680
I saw Cyrano and Boomkac Panto and I was just like so here for how much she just had amazing

962
00:58:50,680 --> 00:58:52,160
grounded presence.

963
00:58:52,160 --> 00:58:55,680
Her power on stage was so cool.

964
00:58:55,680 --> 00:58:57,920
She's totally an inspiration at the moment.

965
00:58:57,920 --> 00:58:59,920
Who's your inspiration at the moment?

966
00:58:59,920 --> 00:59:03,520
At the moment I've got a few.

967
00:59:03,520 --> 00:59:07,280
See, it's a hard question when, when someone's like, who?

968
00:59:07,280 --> 00:59:09,000
And you're like, I don't know.

969
00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:14,280
If I go directors or like styles of things that I love, especially with writing style

970
00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:17,320
or direction style, I love Greta Gerwig.

971
00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:18,320
She's amazing.

972
00:59:18,320 --> 00:59:23,440
She is like little women was phenomenal.

973
00:59:23,440 --> 00:59:28,400
I'm very excited to see Barbie and see what she does with that because yeah, Lady Bird

974
00:59:28,400 --> 00:59:31,120
and Little Women hands down amazing.

975
00:59:31,120 --> 00:59:38,280
I loved, I loved Pretty Woman, which was very depressing, very depressing film, but very,

976
00:59:38,280 --> 00:59:40,480
very insightful.

977
00:59:40,480 --> 00:59:41,480
And I love Carey Mulligan.

978
00:59:41,480 --> 00:59:44,960
Like anything that Carey Mulligan does, I'm always there for.

979
00:59:44,960 --> 00:59:47,760
She is a phenomenal performer.

980
00:59:47,760 --> 00:59:53,600
I know I just find those sort of stories, you know, particularly like very raw stories

981
00:59:53,600 --> 01:00:01,360
about emotion and or, you know, I guess the word like escapism, because it goes back to

982
01:00:01,360 --> 01:00:04,700
like how do we avoid things and how do we sort of like scoot around?

983
01:00:04,700 --> 01:00:08,040
And I guess that's the way I write, which I love writing, like people not saying what

984
01:00:08,040 --> 01:00:09,440
they truly mean.

985
01:00:09,440 --> 01:00:13,880
Like I love, you know, and I think it's why I love like musicals and stuff growing up

986
01:00:13,880 --> 01:00:18,800
as well, because, you know, everyone's singing how they feel in this absurd way.

987
01:00:18,800 --> 01:00:20,960
And it's just like, yeah.

988
01:00:20,960 --> 01:00:26,960
And I've seen a lot of musicals and I think like, I was really, one of my favourite ones

989
01:00:26,960 --> 01:00:32,040
of recent years is Tim Vincenzo's Matilda, which I hands down loved.

990
01:00:32,040 --> 01:00:37,040
And I can't wait to watch the Netflix adaptation of that.

991
01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:41,160
I was really sad to see the Book of Mormon that I didn't get to see it.

992
01:00:41,160 --> 01:00:44,080
So I was very disappointed with that.

993
01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:49,040
But I mean, like, yeah, it's, you know, and it goes to like, you know, like a little bit

994
01:00:49,040 --> 01:00:57,040
of love for theatre and film, like my passion was in theatre, then fell into film and then

995
01:00:57,040 --> 01:01:00,040
into performing like radio dramas and stuff like that.

996
01:01:00,040 --> 01:01:05,760
And I think I have a love for all mediums and particularly like different kinds of styles.

997
01:01:05,760 --> 01:01:11,240
But yeah, like because my first and foremost love was performing, like ever since I was

998
01:01:11,240 --> 01:01:12,600
a kid, I always loved performing.

999
01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:19,680
I thought it was just the funnest thing, being silly, being stupid, like it was just absolutely

1000
01:01:19,680 --> 01:01:26,400
adorably fun to be a big idiot and make people laugh.

1001
01:01:26,400 --> 01:01:31,600
And I think that that sort of projected in my very young self, which, you know, like

1002
01:01:31,600 --> 01:01:37,280
made short films made like, you know, things when I was 10 or 11, with my parents and trying

1003
01:01:37,280 --> 01:01:44,280
to see, you know, like, as we talked about before, seeing the playground.

1004
01:01:44,280 --> 01:01:51,840
And yeah, there's a little bit of like, I guess, I guess, yeah, it's trying to challenge

1005
01:01:51,840 --> 01:01:56,920
myself now, especially with all my inspirations and my love and people who inspire me.

1006
01:01:56,920 --> 01:01:58,960
But a lot of a lot of them have come from friends now.

1007
01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:04,440
A lot of my inspirations have come from like friends and family members.

1008
01:02:04,440 --> 01:02:12,280
And I think that's really become quite clear because, you know, like I'm going to be moving

1009
01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:15,900
overseas with my partner, we're going to be moving to Canada.

1010
01:02:15,900 --> 01:02:22,160
And so I really think, and I'm like, I'm getting that age where, you know, like, I don't want

1011
01:02:22,160 --> 01:02:31,400
to say the age because I'm always going to be young at heart, but I do really want to

1012
01:02:31,400 --> 01:02:36,720
make things with people and connect with people and have fun with people.

1013
01:02:36,720 --> 01:02:40,980
And I love this because I always want to support, like I'm such a big supporter and like making

1014
01:02:40,980 --> 01:02:45,280
people's dreams, like wanting to, and I think that's because ever since I was a kid, I just

1015
01:02:45,280 --> 01:02:47,700
want to see people succeed.

1016
01:02:47,700 --> 01:02:53,080
And it's all about having fun, you know, doing any of that.

1017
01:02:53,080 --> 01:02:57,920
I always get, you know, like when, you know, that perfectionism stuff sort of creeps in,

1018
01:02:57,920 --> 01:03:00,960
I can't let it control me and just go and tear it away.

1019
01:03:00,960 --> 01:03:05,640
Like, that's where I see a lot of my inspiration, you know, like reminders that, you know, my

1020
01:03:05,640 --> 01:03:10,120
mum and dad were in short films and they couldn't act for anything, but they did it because

1021
01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:11,640
it was fun.

1022
01:03:11,640 --> 01:03:16,640
And they wanted to support my, you know, love for things like that to me.

1023
01:03:16,640 --> 01:03:22,840
And the fact that, you know, like you did kids' parties and stuff, it's that sort of like childhood

1024
01:03:22,840 --> 01:03:29,400
joy and then, you know, like, yeah, obviously like I recently had to step away from a project,

1025
01:03:29,400 --> 01:03:32,600
which just wasn't bringing me any more joy anymore.

1026
01:03:32,600 --> 01:03:33,960
And it was a good move.

1027
01:03:33,960 --> 01:03:39,620
Like it was emotionally a good move for me because I was like, okay, tick off that chapter,

1028
01:03:39,620 --> 01:03:40,860
that project's done.

1029
01:03:40,860 --> 01:03:43,760
I don't feel like I need to add any more to it.

1030
01:03:43,760 --> 01:03:49,560
But I'm looking forward to so many more that, you know, are coming my way and so many more

1031
01:03:49,560 --> 01:03:51,800
ideas that I'm writing.

1032
01:03:51,800 --> 01:03:57,560
And that's kind of like, that's where I get, yeah, it's, yeah, there's no straight answer.

1033
01:03:57,560 --> 01:04:00,000
That's a very long-winded answer as well.

1034
01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:01,000
But you know, like-

1035
01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:07,360
I think at the end of the day, maybe what we're talking about is that life is inspiration.

1036
01:04:07,360 --> 01:04:14,920
So if you can, you know, meet people and work with people and be with people from all different

1037
01:04:14,920 --> 01:04:20,080
walks of life, then there's going to be inspiration, whether they be the big fancy famous ones

1038
01:04:20,080 --> 01:04:26,560
or the person you meet, you know, in the supermarket because they can't reach the top shelf.

1039
01:04:26,560 --> 01:04:30,040
And so, you know, you get the kind of suit for them.

1040
01:04:30,040 --> 01:04:34,560
Like it's, it is just, it's supposed to be about paying attention to the people around

1041
01:04:34,560 --> 01:04:38,560
you for that, like all kinds of inspiration, isn't it?

1042
01:04:38,560 --> 01:04:44,080
I was thinking about this actually, just cause those that know me well know that I'm quite

1043
01:04:44,080 --> 01:04:47,960
obsessed with my sister.

1044
01:04:47,960 --> 01:04:55,400
And you know, she's a wonderful human, but she is, I find her so, I mean, because she's,

1045
01:04:55,400 --> 01:05:00,360
we're so close, but I find her inspirational because of the things that she's overcome.

1046
01:05:00,360 --> 01:05:06,840
And it's been not necessarily huge, crazy things, but being part of the process and

1047
01:05:06,840 --> 01:05:11,280
watching her grow was like, Oh my goodness, you're amazing.

1048
01:05:11,280 --> 01:05:12,280
It's nice.

1049
01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:13,280
It's very nice.

1050
01:05:13,280 --> 01:05:14,280
I like it.

1051
01:05:14,280 --> 01:05:15,280
I love that.

1052
01:05:15,280 --> 01:05:23,040
I think, you know, I'll never say anyone's experiences in life, you know, are, you know,

1053
01:05:23,040 --> 01:05:29,520
small or insignificant because you know, the amount of experiences that, you know, I talk

1054
01:05:29,520 --> 01:05:34,880
about with my family and my partner and I, you know, it's like you and your sister, you

1055
01:05:34,880 --> 01:05:40,520
know, I just get excited for every achievement, even, you know, even in the last two years,

1056
01:05:40,520 --> 01:05:45,200
so many things have changed and you know, confidence and you know, and outlook and everything

1057
01:05:45,200 --> 01:05:47,400
and defining, defining things.

1058
01:05:47,400 --> 01:05:49,720
It's just, yeah, it's, it's nice.

1059
01:05:49,720 --> 01:05:51,200
Like I always look up to my partner.

1060
01:05:51,200 --> 01:05:57,840
I always think that she's like, she's my inspiration on a daily basis to kind of keep, keep doing.

1061
01:05:57,840 --> 01:06:03,720
It sounds really mushy, but you know, like, you know, it's a hundred percent the reason

1062
01:06:03,720 --> 01:06:12,920
I love her because, you know, she's just such a hugely positive person, even when life is,

1063
01:06:12,920 --> 01:06:17,040
and life has not been fair on either of us, but you know, particularly I've never met

1064
01:06:17,040 --> 01:06:25,040
someone who makes, you know, so much time and so much love for people unconditionally

1065
01:06:25,040 --> 01:06:28,200
like time and energy into people as much as her.

1066
01:06:28,200 --> 01:06:33,240
And I think that is a huge, like, you know, and I think she says the same about me.

1067
01:06:33,240 --> 01:06:34,600
It was like, it doesn't matter what happens.

1068
01:06:34,600 --> 01:06:36,320
You could get kicked down a thousand times.

1069
01:06:36,320 --> 01:06:39,240
You'll still get back up and keep going.

1070
01:06:39,240 --> 01:06:43,720
And I think that's to me is inspirational people.

1071
01:06:43,720 --> 01:06:48,040
That's when it gets exciting because yeah, life, life, as we say, isn't fair.

1072
01:06:48,040 --> 01:06:51,120
It's not always going to be an easy road.

1073
01:06:51,120 --> 01:06:57,760
But at the end of the day, it's those connections, it's those moments, it's those things that

1074
01:06:57,760 --> 01:07:04,120
we make people smile and you know, they're, you know, like the moments you have with your

1075
01:07:04,120 --> 01:07:08,040
sister and the moments I've heard from you today, those are the moments we live for.

1076
01:07:08,040 --> 01:07:10,920
Those are the things that we get excited for.

1077
01:07:10,920 --> 01:07:14,520
And I believe that everyone has a story.

1078
01:07:14,520 --> 01:07:20,560
Doesn't matter how insignificant or, you know, silly it sounds, everyone has a story.

1079
01:07:20,560 --> 01:07:21,560
Everyone's important.

1080
01:07:21,560 --> 01:07:28,000
Which is crazy because if we try to, we try to transcribe and write all eight billion

1081
01:07:28,000 --> 01:07:34,640
of us like, wow, and then think about all the future, oh my goodness, all the future

1082
01:07:34,640 --> 01:07:41,160
people and because you, you know, we, we have positioned ourselves as very important beings

1083
01:07:41,160 --> 01:07:42,160
on this world.

1084
01:07:42,160 --> 01:07:47,960
Like, you know, humans are like, they're the most important.

1085
01:07:47,960 --> 01:07:52,440
I'm not quite sure what I'm saying when I'm just like, my brain is just like, wow, I think

1086
01:07:52,440 --> 01:07:57,480
I'm coming to terms with just right now in this interview of how many people exist and

1087
01:07:57,480 --> 01:07:59,040
have existed and will exist.

1088
01:07:59,040 --> 01:08:00,040
It's like,

1089
01:08:00,040 --> 01:08:01,040
It's overwhelming.

1090
01:08:01,040 --> 01:08:02,040
Like that's just occurred to me.

1091
01:08:02,040 --> 01:08:03,040
Can I just say

1092
01:08:03,040 --> 01:08:14,680
The ripe old age of 28, realizing that I cannot comprehend what eight billion people looks

1093
01:08:14,680 --> 01:08:15,680
like.

1094
01:08:15,680 --> 01:08:16,680
Just don't think about it in a day like that.

1095
01:08:16,680 --> 01:08:17,680
Okay.

1096
01:08:17,680 --> 01:08:21,680
I'll just, I'll just, um, just keep it to right here right now.

1097
01:08:21,680 --> 01:08:23,440
And then I'll never think about it again.

1098
01:08:23,440 --> 01:08:25,040
La la la la la.

1099
01:08:25,040 --> 01:08:28,580
You know, this is the rule I share is there's, there are a lot of creatures under the sea

1100
01:08:28,580 --> 01:08:29,580
that we will never see.

1101
01:08:29,580 --> 01:08:30,580
Oh my gosh.

1102
01:08:30,580 --> 01:08:31,580
I know.

1103
01:08:31,580 --> 01:08:32,580
Right.

1104
01:08:32,580 --> 01:08:33,580
How cool.

1105
01:08:33,580 --> 01:08:34,580
I know.

1106
01:08:34,580 --> 01:08:35,580
It's nuts.

1107
01:08:35,580 --> 01:08:36,580
I actually know on a cool note, I saw a dugong this morning.

1108
01:08:36,580 --> 01:08:37,580
Did you know?

1109
01:08:37,580 --> 01:08:38,580
Yeah, I did.

1110
01:08:38,580 --> 01:08:39,580
Oh yeah.

1111
01:08:39,580 --> 01:08:40,580
The aquarium.

1112
01:08:40,580 --> 01:08:41,580
Yeah.

1113
01:08:41,580 --> 01:08:42,580
So cool.

1114
01:08:42,580 --> 01:08:43,580
So fucking cool.

1115
01:08:43,580 --> 01:08:44,580
And I just like, I watched it eat this morning.

1116
01:08:44,580 --> 01:08:45,580
I was like, oh my God, no one ever sees this shit.

1117
01:08:45,580 --> 01:08:46,580
Nice.

1118
01:08:46,580 --> 01:08:49,580
I was like, I'm going to eat it in the morning to watch a, watch a dugong eat.

1119
01:08:49,580 --> 01:08:53,120
It was a good experience, but you know, like, yeah, I try not to think.

1120
01:08:53,120 --> 01:08:57,480
I think I had like, it's funny it was years ago, but I had that existential crisis of

1121
01:08:57,480 --> 01:08:59,960
like, you know, we're all mortal.

1122
01:08:59,960 --> 01:09:04,160
And I literally had to like talk myself out of it for five minutes.

1123
01:09:04,160 --> 01:09:05,880
I was like, it's fine.

1124
01:09:05,880 --> 01:09:06,880
It's fine.

1125
01:09:06,880 --> 01:09:07,880
We're here.

1126
01:09:07,880 --> 01:09:08,880
We're alive.

1127
01:09:08,880 --> 01:09:09,880
It doesn't matter.

1128
01:09:09,880 --> 01:09:12,120
But I was like, oh my God, my own mortality.

1129
01:09:12,120 --> 01:09:13,120
Nice.

1130
01:09:13,120 --> 01:09:14,120
That's a big one.

1131
01:09:14,120 --> 01:09:15,120
Yeah.

1132
01:09:15,120 --> 01:09:19,440
And it's the little brain, the little voice, the little voice in my head, you know, I soften

1133
01:09:19,440 --> 01:09:20,440
it occasionally.

1134
01:09:20,440 --> 01:09:21,440
Yeah.

1135
01:09:21,440 --> 01:09:28,880
But no, I mean, before we wrap up, before we sort of like end on a high note.

1136
01:09:28,880 --> 01:09:29,880
Yeah.

1137
01:09:29,880 --> 01:09:33,360
I feel like, I feel like it's been a rollercoaster or an interview and I kind of loved every

1138
01:09:33,360 --> 01:09:34,360
second of it.

1139
01:09:34,360 --> 01:09:35,360
How's it now?

1140
01:09:35,360 --> 01:09:36,360
Okay.

1141
01:09:36,360 --> 01:09:37,360
That's exciting.

1142
01:09:37,360 --> 01:09:38,360
Why?

1143
01:09:38,360 --> 01:09:41,880
Well, you have, you have more, more data to compare it.

1144
01:09:41,880 --> 01:09:43,600
Like I haven't been doing your interviews.

1145
01:09:43,600 --> 01:09:46,440
So if it's a rollercoaster, cool.

1146
01:09:46,440 --> 01:09:47,440
That's true.

1147
01:09:47,440 --> 01:09:48,520
No, I think you've done great today.

1148
01:09:48,520 --> 01:09:49,520
I think you're phenomenal.

1149
01:09:49,520 --> 01:09:50,520
Oh no, no, no, no.

1150
01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:52,440
It's not, not about like how I've done.

1151
01:09:52,440 --> 01:09:55,600
I just mean like, I have nothing to compare it against.

1152
01:09:55,600 --> 01:09:56,600
That's true.

1153
01:09:56,600 --> 01:10:00,120
This is our first interview together, you know, you've done many of these.

1154
01:10:00,120 --> 01:10:03,400
I have, I have, I mean, it's very scary now.

1155
01:10:03,400 --> 01:10:07,960
I've done over a hundred and I'm just like, what is my life?

1156
01:10:07,960 --> 01:10:10,600
It's amazing.

1157
01:10:10,600 --> 01:10:11,760
Here's my question for you.

1158
01:10:11,760 --> 01:10:12,760
Okay.

1159
01:10:12,760 --> 01:10:18,480
If you could tell, if you could tell your past self, your young self advice that you

1160
01:10:18,480 --> 01:10:23,720
have now and lessons that you have learned, what would you tell young Mon?

1161
01:10:23,720 --> 01:10:29,080
What a great question.

1162
01:10:29,080 --> 01:10:34,360
It'd be something about intuition, knowing that I know the answers.

1163
01:10:34,360 --> 01:10:42,680
I think I, um, as a, as a kid and as a teenager, was there like a really good girl, you know,

1164
01:10:42,680 --> 01:10:46,080
followed the rules and did what I was told to do.

1165
01:10:46,080 --> 01:10:51,200
But sometimes that was at a detriment and I didn't necessarily listen to what my needs

1166
01:10:51,200 --> 01:10:52,200
were.

1167
01:10:52,200 --> 01:11:00,320
Um, and you know, this is probably a lifelong thing, um, and a very human thing, but, um,

1168
01:11:00,320 --> 01:11:06,360
I probably would say to, um, you know, like 14 year old Mon, you, you know, the answers

1169
01:11:06,360 --> 01:11:10,200
and it's okay to act on how you feel.

1170
01:11:10,200 --> 01:11:12,360
I love that.

1171
01:11:12,360 --> 01:11:14,640
But it's, it's the same as before about the self critic.

1172
01:11:14,640 --> 01:11:19,960
Like that's something I think I will be forever reminding myself.

1173
01:11:19,960 --> 01:11:22,440
I love that.

1174
01:11:22,440 --> 01:11:29,760
I know I, you know, I will say this and this isn't kind of with any sort of like, you know,

1175
01:11:29,760 --> 01:11:32,280
input from you, but I think you are an awesome person.

1176
01:11:32,280 --> 01:11:35,840
You are very like, thank you so much.

1177
01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:39,640
But yeah, no, you're very like, you're very interesting.

1178
01:11:39,640 --> 01:11:46,000
And I think, yeah, like I can see you going far and, you know, just being very like creative

1179
01:11:46,000 --> 01:11:47,000
in life.

1180
01:11:47,000 --> 01:11:48,000
You're very good.

1181
01:11:48,000 --> 01:11:49,000
Thank you.

1182
01:11:49,000 --> 01:11:50,000
You're very good at what you do.

1183
01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:51,000
I'm trying.

1184
01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:52,000
I'm trying.

1185
01:11:52,000 --> 01:11:54,000
I believe in you.

1186
01:11:54,000 --> 01:11:55,120
I believe in you.

1187
01:11:55,120 --> 01:11:56,760
Even though that's self-critic, I believe.

1188
01:11:56,760 --> 01:11:57,760
Thanks.

1189
01:11:57,760 --> 01:11:58,760
I believe in you too.

1190
01:11:58,760 --> 01:11:59,760
Thank you.

1191
01:11:59,760 --> 01:12:00,760
Crazy.

1192
01:12:00,760 --> 01:12:01,760
The crazy pair that we are.

1193
01:12:01,760 --> 01:12:05,680
Like, you know, we're not a figment of anyone's imagination.

1194
01:12:05,680 --> 01:12:06,680
We exist.

1195
01:12:06,680 --> 01:12:07,680
We do exist.

1196
01:12:07,680 --> 01:12:08,680
We're here.

1197
01:12:08,680 --> 01:12:09,680
We're real.

1198
01:12:09,680 --> 01:12:13,720
Isn't that thing, is it like, you know, if you believe in the tooth fairy, the tooth

1199
01:12:13,720 --> 01:12:14,720
fairy is then real or?

1200
01:12:14,720 --> 01:12:15,720
Oh yeah.

1201
01:12:15,720 --> 01:12:19,440
There's probably some like Disney summation of that thought.

1202
01:12:19,440 --> 01:12:22,040
I just imagine it's Dwayne Johnson from that movie Tooth Fairy.

1203
01:12:22,040 --> 01:12:23,040
Oh yeah.

1204
01:12:23,040 --> 01:12:25,040
I haven't seen that movie, but I know what you're talking about.

1205
01:12:25,040 --> 01:12:26,040
Yeah.

1206
01:12:26,040 --> 01:12:27,040
Yeah.

1207
01:12:27,040 --> 01:12:28,040
It takes you back though.

1208
01:12:28,040 --> 01:12:30,120
Weird times of early Dwayne Johnson career.

1209
01:12:30,120 --> 01:12:31,960
All right.

1210
01:12:31,960 --> 01:12:36,720
My final question, my final question of the night, where can people find you Mon?

1211
01:12:36,720 --> 01:12:38,880
Where can they stalk you?

1212
01:12:38,880 --> 01:12:41,920
Where can you stalk me?

1213
01:12:41,920 --> 01:12:45,360
Instagram or come find me in the park.

1214
01:12:45,360 --> 01:12:49,800
Just randomly on a bench?

1215
01:12:49,800 --> 01:12:55,080
I'm often in the park, especially when the sun's out, out for a walk.

1216
01:12:55,080 --> 01:12:56,080
Come find me in the park anyone.

1217
01:12:56,080 --> 01:12:57,080
Come say hi.

1218
01:12:57,080 --> 01:12:58,080
I love a chat.

1219
01:12:58,080 --> 01:12:59,080
Come say hi.

1220
01:12:59,080 --> 01:13:00,080
It'd be great.

1221
01:13:00,080 --> 01:13:01,080
No.

1222
01:13:01,080 --> 01:13:02,080
I don't know.

1223
01:13:02,080 --> 01:13:03,080
I don't like this question.

1224
01:13:03,080 --> 01:13:04,080
Which one?

1225
01:13:04,080 --> 01:13:09,440
I don't know, I don't like this question, which you know, that is an interesting thing

1226
01:13:09,440 --> 01:13:13,680
in itself because I would like to be more comfortable with self-promotion.

1227
01:13:13,680 --> 01:13:19,920
But yeah, my Instagram is something like monstagram or something.

1228
01:13:19,920 --> 01:13:20,920
I don't know.

1229
01:13:20,920 --> 01:13:22,920
It will be in the bio.

1230
01:13:22,920 --> 01:13:23,920
Okay.

1231
01:13:23,920 --> 01:13:28,240
You've really, you've really like uncovered a bit of a raw spot for me.

1232
01:13:28,240 --> 01:13:32,640
I'm like, but actually, actually here's some self-promotion.

1233
01:13:32,640 --> 01:13:38,640
I am part of a play called Pillow Fight and we have a few different tour dates that haven't

1234
01:13:38,640 --> 01:13:44,200
been finalized, but we are doing some fun performances next year.

1235
01:13:44,200 --> 01:13:53,120
So if you want to see a wonderful play by Laura Lethline about patriarchy, sex and power

1236
01:13:53,120 --> 01:13:58,520
and consent, search Pillow Fight and you'll see me in that.

1237
01:13:58,520 --> 01:13:59,640
That's how you can stalk me.

1238
01:13:59,640 --> 01:14:00,640
That's fucking cool.

1239
01:14:00,640 --> 01:14:01,640
Yeah.

1240
01:14:01,640 --> 01:14:06,200
And I think it's a wonderful theatre company in Melbourne.

1241
01:14:06,200 --> 01:14:09,520
It's magnificent play.

1242
01:14:09,520 --> 01:14:15,240
I feel so incredibly grateful to have been a part of it and we had a lot of fun putting

1243
01:14:15,240 --> 01:14:16,240
it together.

1244
01:14:16,240 --> 01:14:23,600
Lots of silliness, but you know, heavy play too, which I sort of love being part of a,

1245
01:14:23,600 --> 01:14:24,880
you know, wider conversation.

1246
01:14:24,880 --> 01:14:29,200
I really hope it comes to Sydney when and if, because that would be awesome to see.

1247
01:14:29,200 --> 01:14:31,800
If you want to make that happen, I'll be there.

1248
01:14:31,800 --> 01:14:32,800
I'll talk.

1249
01:14:32,800 --> 01:14:33,800
I'll talk to my people.

1250
01:14:33,800 --> 01:14:34,800
I'll make it happen.

1251
01:14:34,800 --> 01:14:35,800
Great.

1252
01:14:35,800 --> 01:14:39,160
But no, it was an absolute pleasure talking to you tonight.

1253
01:14:39,160 --> 01:14:40,160
Right back at you.

1254
01:14:40,160 --> 01:14:41,160
Thank you.

1255
01:14:41,160 --> 01:14:45,800
And if you want to go and check out more episodes of The Things We Do, you can check them out

1256
01:14:45,800 --> 01:14:47,440
on Apple and Spotify.

1257
01:14:47,440 --> 01:14:51,280
I'll be speaking with another guest next week and I'll speak to you all later.

1258
01:14:51,280 --> 01:14:52,280
Goodbye.

1259
01:14:52,280 --> 01:14:59,920
Bye.