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Asher Keddie hints at Producer ambitions

She's already the country's most popular actress, but could Asher Keddie turn her hand to Producing next?

According to the Logie Awards she is the country’s most popular actress, and soon Asher Keddie may be adding Producer to her list of credits.

Like her former Love My Way co-star Claudia Karvan and Logie winner Lisa McCune, Keddie’s popularity gives her options to explore opportunities beyond acting.

“I’m interested in pushing myself (in ways) that I haven’t explored yet. I’m very much enjoying the situation I’m in now and some great opportunities are starting to present themselves,” she says.

“I guess there’s some part of me that feels like I’d like to stretch myself just that little bit further.

“I like to make things uncomfortable for myself so that I can see whether I can step up. Producing or Directing is definitely something I’d be interested in the future if the project was right and I felt passionate about it.

“I feel ready to just try something new. Perhaps it would be nice to see if I have something more to offer creatively. I’ve certainly been given that opportunity on Offspring where my creative input is welcome.”

And Keddie also bucks the trend to pursue overseas work, preferring to focus at home.

“I’d feel really excited to find some great new Australian stories and see whether we can bring them to the screen,” she says.

“We’ve got some terrific stories to tell so in that respect I’m really happy to keep working in this country as well, as opposed to go and seek opportunities overseas.”

Tomorrow night she returns as Nina Proudman in TEN’s third season of Offspring, but while everything seems perfect for her, Nina can’t help but attract trouble. Professional success is constantly contrasted by personal drama.

“It’s the big question for most of us: how can we be so successful in one area of life whether it’s work or personal, and not in others? I guess it’s what you focus on and where you put your positive energy,” says Keddie.

“I think for Nina I’ve tried to show her in her work environment as being a very in-control obstetrician and very focused with great clarity.

“I think it’s probably a very common thing in most peoples’ lives. It’s difficult to be successful at everything because you’re focusing very seriously on one aspect of life and other aspects start to fall by the wayside.

“I know I struggle with that and every single person in my life does. So it’s no different for her.

“But there’s more depth for Nina. We find her with pretty much everything she wants. She’s nailed the guy and got a relationship with Patrick. Work is going really well, the family as far she’s concerned is in a good place. So of course she thinks ‘Oh god, when is it all going to go wrong?’ being the neurotic that she is.”

Joining the third season are singer Claire Bowditch and renowned actor Garry McDonald. Keddie says the third season expands the character arcs for the family members.

The Logie-nominated drama also maintains its humour and trademark fantasy scenes.

“They kind of take on a different flavour. They’re not so much about her paranoia –we see a little of that early on. But they’re more about having the encourage to look at herself and acknowledge her own shortcomings so that she can succeed in a relationship as opposed to wanting it to be something that it’s not,” she explains.

“Some of them have become hopeful as opposed to paranoid.

“One fantasy I found hilarious was that she creates a reality show on her own life.

“She dreams up these scenarios about her and Patrick and having this fabulous life. She’s a very successful obstetrician and everything’s just fallen into place after years of longing and hungering after the wrong people. I found it quite amusing to play out.

“We’ve really tried to find as much humour as we possibly can in every situation and I have to say that’s one of the aspects of this third series shoot that I’ve enjoyed the most.”

Offspring airs 8:30pm Wednesdays on TEN.

One Response

  1. Good for her..

    hopefully she’s already gotten the hint not to produce anything for TEN unless she wants her project to be axed once the gov rebate expires.

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