INTERVIEW BY MEG MCCARTHY

Teresa Palmer sat down with journalist Meg McCarthy to candidly talk about the complexities of parenthood on and off screen and the importance of supportive set environments for all working parents.

Palmer also shares how she started a business with her two best friends, what to expect from upcoming podcast episodes, and why she loves to film in Australia.

Teresa Palmer can be seen playing Freya in the psychological thriller series The Clearing - an Australian eight-part psychological thriller television series produced for Disney+ and Hulu and was inspired by the dark story of a real-life cult with a female leader.

Teresa, whose acting roles range from psychological thrillers, action, horror, drama, and rom-com is also known for her roles in A Discovery of Witches (2018-2022), Lights Out (2016), Warm Bodies (2013), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), The Grudge 2 (2006) and more.

Teresa will also star in The Fall Guy, an upcoming American action thriller film directed by David Leitch, written by Drew Pearce, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt that is an adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name.

Through your work as an actor, author, business owner, podcaster (and the list goes on), you’ve chosen to authentically share your life and passions, which is truly inspiring. Has sharing your truth with others helped you stay true to yourself?

That's a really lovely observation. Thanks so much. I think I am such an open book and can’t imagine being any other way; I have to just be as authentic as I possibly can. One of the things that really lights me up is connection. I love connecting with people, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what side of the world they're from. [I believe] real connection is found when you can be truly revealing and share vulnerable and intimate parts of yourself with another person. From day one, when I got into this industry, I said, “I'm just going to talk about all the things, because that's [who] I am.” Any interviews I used to read from actors that I admired were always the ones that were like gaping open wounds. I learned so much from them, and it made me feel less alone. I feel like I have an opportunity to be as open as possible, and hopefully that means that it's affecting some people in a positive way.

I can totally relate. Once you can unapologetically be your true self, nothing feels better than that.

I agree. I've always just been myself, and it has served me well. So I will continue just being myself. You see a lot of other people in the industry who are much more private, and that works for them. It’s whatever works for you, but in terms of being authentic, it's the only way I can see a path forward.

In your experience, how has being a mother expanded your creative world?

Oh, in every way. My whole career cracked open after I became a mother. I had access to opportunities I never had access to previously and was less fixated on how my career should look or how it should go. I was so involved in raising this baby, that I wasn't searching for validation or happiness from anything external. I think my work got better, like my actual work got deeper and better, and I was able to access the inner workings of myself. When you're a parent, so much of your history and your childhood comes up to the surface, which can be a challenging and triggering thing, but you also get closer to yourself, in a sense. Your inner child starts to blossom and resurrect. As an actor, being able to tap into those parts of myself, maybe the more challenging aspects of my childhood, that can really shine through in a character.

I remember seeing the most beautiful photos of you on the set of A Discovery of Witches, breastfeeding and being with your children. What does it mean to you to be part of professional settings that are supportive of pregnancy and parenthood?

I've said in interviews before that I feel so grateful to be afforded the opportunity to have my children at work [with me], and that the film industry really lends itself to that. I've since reflected back on that and realized that the film industry only does that for a small, select few. For instance, if you’re in the hair and makeup department, if you’re in props, if you’re a day player, or if you have a smaller role for example, you may not have access to all the things I’ve had access to. The producers bent over backwards to ensure that I felt my children were welcome on set and that they could come to work and be in my trailer. I could breastfeed as much as I needed to. The costume department was so wonderful; they made my corsets open at the front (i.e. easy access to the boob). I never felt they were a burden or that I was a burden and wish everyone could have access to [that kind of support]. I really understand how lucky I am that this has been my experience since I started having children.

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

Michelle McNamara's book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark. In another world, I would have studied criminology and definitely would have followed this other passion of solving crimes.