Secret Daughter my most vulnerable, says Jessica Mauboy.

The Secret Daughter is only Jessica Mauboy’s third acting role, following on from successes with Bran Nu Dae and The Sapphires.

And while it is a career opportunity she relishes, it is also one of the most exposing projects for the star who found fame as a singer on Australian Idol.

“It’s still very new,” she tells TV Tonight.

“I’ve found a huge love and respect for it, so taking this project on was very serious.

“It’s the most vulnerable I’ve felt with any project. I take music very seriously and film… I guess, in my heart, I just wanted it see what it felt like.

“But I think there’s a lot I have to learn. There’s a lot I have to practice and study when it comes to the deep-in-thought of acting.”

“This season really represents growth and reflection”

Returning as country pub singer Billie Carter, the untrained Mauboy has to hold her own beside seasoned performers such as David Field and Rachel Gordon. This season picks up after Billie has turned her back on the wealthy Norton clan and a record deal, running back to Walperinga.

“There is definitely more independence,” she says of her character.

“As a lot of people have experienced, whenever you want to dream big, or find love, you have to travel for it. So for Billie the idea of family and the woman she needs to be, this season really represents growth and reflection. Knowing who you are and where you come from.”

Yet Mauboy admits the acting bug is also getting under her skin, tapping into emotional energy.

“I felt really in tune with my body and every pocket under my skin, through my blood and a different energy when I was really connected to it. Spookily. I really needed to do that to be able to play this role.”

Episodes 4 & 5 will include “hot-headed heat” between Billie and Susan Norton, but Mauboy acknowledges her working relationship with Rachel Gordon couldn’t be more different to that depicted on screen.

“The relationship between Billie and Susan is so dominant and powerful from a female view, but we are the opposite,” she explains.

“We’re very friendly, having conversations about what we did the day before. Getting our make-up done at the same time, eating lunch together. So it’s a very different scenario when it comes to playing our characters.”

“It pours out of him every single time”

David Field, as wealthy hotelier, is another whose experience she admires on set.

“He is phenomenal. He’s been in the game so much longer so to watch him gracefully turn into these emotions, changing and forming his face every single time on set, really drew me in,” Mauboy explains.

“That’s real acting. He is someone who loves it with all his heart so it pours out of him every single time. There were laughing moments but as soon as the camera rolled he was so inviting and welcoming to me.

“He had so much advice, being right there by my side. He didn’t have to be, so I can’t thank him enough for all his love and support.”

If a third series is approved, Mauboy hopes to expand on her character’s Indigenous backstory, but
her next project sees her return to music. The Secret Daughter soundtrack album, which like the first have been a chart hit, include covers and originals.

“A whole new Jess record would be really nice. A new “artistry” record is something I am currently working on in the studio and thinking about new material to release,” she says.

But first there is a series to screen.

“I’m looking forward to sitting on the couch and watching it with my family.”

The Secret Daughter returns 8:45pm tonight on Seven.