Logies 2019: Random Acts of Carpetness

Once again TV Tonight has braved the TV Week Logies red carpet to quiz the stars on their current and upcoming shows, what they would change about the event and what questions media never bother to ask them.

It’s a frenzied night with no time to get in depth, and a merry-go-round of frocks, publicists and media jockeying for position.

Once again, in no particular order is the annual Random Acts of Carpetness.

Warning! Some drama spoilers ahead!

Selling Houses Australia‘s Shaynna, Andrew, Charlie on their next season:
“We’re filming again in South Australia. We always seem to go to the coldest places in winter.”

The Cry‘s Ewen Leslie:
“I’m currently shooting The Gloaming in Hobart for Stan. It’s an 8 part Scandi-noir murder mystery, with Emma Booth, created by Vicki Madden. We’ve been shooting since March and we have a month to go.”

Doctor Doctor‘s Tina Bursill:
“We’ve had a slight change of the guard with a couple of different writers and a new producer, but we still have Ian Collie. So the show has a little bit of a new feel to it. My son has become rogue and Meryl is grief-stricken, still. I don’t think anybody is really playing that but I am. I think when people have a shock in their lives they tend to ricochet from that without really knowing what they’re doing. So Meryl is a little bit reactionary this time round. That’s how I’ve decided to go with it.

“But it’s secret script business. I don’t know what I’m doing in the next 3 episodes.”

Nicole da Silva on Season 4.
“Charlie is desperately trying to get this guy back.”

Co-star Ryan Johnson added:
“She’s been away so I’ve shacked up with April aka Miranda Tapsell. The ex turns up and causes a bit of a stir.”

Neighbours‘ Ryan Moloney on risk and whether he stays in touch with former cast:

“Somebody just asked me, ‘What was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my career?’ I had to think about it but I said, ‘Probably staying on Neighbours.’ But it’s really worked out, I’m happy.

“I spoke with Andrew Bibby earlier on. I saw Blair McDonough in the lift on the way down. He’s here. There’s free booze, so you know…”

Eve Morey on Neighbours‘ recognition through nomination:
“There are so many people who work hard on that show, day in, day out, who do spectacular performances, but it doesn’t always get the recognition. So for the show to be celebrated in that way and for those moments to be recognised means too much to everybody.”

Alan Fletcher:
“In my memory it’s the biggest number we’ve had at the Logies and the biggest number of nominations. It’s so fitting that in our 35th year it’s getting recognised again.

“It’s not the same show that it was 35 years ago and a lot of people have started watching recently, so for them it’s a completely new show.”

Colette Mann on coaxing fans to vote through social media:
“I’m trying to own it! I did a lot of work, and some of it apparently was illegal but I’ve just risen above that. We have a lot of loyal fans and I think it’s fantastic that the show is finally being recognised 35 years later. This is the first time we’ve had 6 nominations in about 20 years.”

Rob Mills on his Neighbours role:
“Finn as a good guy. I’m not allowed to say that I’m turning bad. But I might be turning bad.

“To be part of the machine that has turned out so many superstars, it’s an absolute gift for me. Good crew, good company and I’m always learning.”

Richard Cawthorne on upcoming appearances:
“I’ve been working on Glitch and Harrow. I’m just here as a guest tonight. It’s the first time I’ve been to the Logies in Queensland.”

Essie Davis on Foxtel’s upcoming Lamb of Gods:
“I think it has a little bit of everything and nearly all of it is unexpected. It has comedy, passion, malevolence, thrills, fear and the struggle between the feminine and masculine. It’s a beautiful story about faith and woman’s hold on what faith means -instead of the power and politics of a man’s world.

“There’s lot of amazing juxtapositions and awkward situations that the characters confront and get caught in as they face their own pasts.”

Sacha Horler on next projects:
“I just did a small part in Black B*tch, in Winton Central Queensland, near where Deb Mailman is from, near Mt. Isa.”

Danielle Cormack on a guest role in My Life is Murder:
“It was fun and completely silly. Lucy Lawless said to me ‘There’s a role that’s been written for a male but do you think you could play it?’ I said ‘Of course! Don’t change any of the dialogue.’ Micky Malone became Nicki Malone.”

Rob Collins also on upcoming appearances:
“I’m looking forward to Black B*tch and I had a wonderful day on Tim Minchin’s Upright in Kalgoorlie.

Lisa Wilkinson on The Sunday Project:
“I think we’ve really bedded down the team now of Hamish, Tommy and myself and Susie. People are coming back because they like the combination of the four of us on a Sunday night. But we’re up against big rating shows, so we work for the people who are coming along and appreciate that the numbers are going up.”

Waleed Aly on what the media never ask about:
“Obviously on the red carpet it’s a very different sort of thing. I like it when people ask about the work we do. I always get blown away when someone has seen something we did and asks about that.”

Five Bedrooms‘ Doris Younane on enjoying a principal role:
“They’ve finally given me an opportunity to do something!

“It’s nice to just do something for myself. It’s a brilliant role, she’s a great character and it’s relating to women everywhere.

And on working with Stephen Peacocke: “I thought I would be stoned in the street by women around Australia saying ‘He’s mine, he’s mine!’ He’s a great actor and the rapport between us is fantastic.”

Kat Stewart on a potential second season:
“I loved your article about that. We’re hopeful and we know that the writers are plotting in a room.”

Roy Joseph on actress Kumud Merani who plays his mother:
“She’s never acted other than 2 short films. She’s never done anything like this. But all the instincts are there.”

Sam Neill on why he made The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill:

“Some of my family are Maori and I increasingly feel like a man of the Pacific, myself. I think we’ve much overlooked the Pacific in recent decades. Also, it’s the 250th (anniversary) of Captain Cook and I thought it really needed an objective look at things. It’s always going to be contentious so it was good to examine why.”

Hamish & Andy on whether they have any more Nine shows in their sights:

Andy Lee: “We’re going rock, paper scissors over who gets Today Extra or Today.”

Hamish Blake: “You can have it. Spoiler alert, I’m going paper.”

Andy Lee: “At the moment we’re still enjoying what we’re doing.”

Hamish Blake: “Unfortunately at the moment we’re still enjoying making highly inefficient television. It’s a lot of months to spend making something that’s only on air for a few weeks, but we love it.”

Amanda Keller on what she would like to change about the Logies:
“I do think the way the voting is done now is not for the faint-hearted. I’ve got a radio show. Tom’s a comedian, Sam’s got a bus. If you don’t have an avenue to tell people they’re going for Gold, it’s not that easy. I know the networks get behind everyone but campaigning doesn’t suit everybody.

“Many of us are quite shy in talking about ourselves. That makes it hard in this final week.”

Studio 10 crew on what they would like to change at the Logies:

Sarah Harris:
“Length. I reckon you could wrap this up in 2 hours.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley:
“In the ‘80s when Daryl Somers hosted it one night it finished at 12:36!”

Home & Away’s Emily Symons on why she has stayed so long with the show:
“I started in 1989, but it hasn’t been consecutive years. I love the core of the show, the Bay and all of its residents, the camaraderie between the characters. I love Marilyn, and playing my character. And I love the fans for keeping us on air.”

Today‘s Deb Knight on what the media never ask about:
“People don’t ask if we have fun. We actually have a lot of fun. There’s a focus on the negatives. There are laughs we have in the ad breaks that we can’t really have on air. But you’ve gotta sustain yourself somehow!”

And Sunrise‘s Sam Armytage on the same question:
“You have to keep it pretty light on the red carpet.

“It’s quite a lot of effort to get here and get dressed, and my mother always says, ‘We never see you.’”

David Koch on Logies night:
“I don’t think I’ve been for 5 years. There are budget cuts and things like that, when you have stingey boss, you just can’t go anywhere!

“We get put on a table near the toilet.

“But we’re just happy to win the ratings for 15 consecutive years.”

Tom Gleeson on whether press ‘got’ his campaign:
“Everyone kind of gets it. News.com.au prints jokes as facts, but it’s weird because it kind of suits me. All these terrible things I said about Amanda were from an attack ad parodying a political campaign.

“It was a bit of concern when my mother said to me older viewers wouldn’t appreciate what I said about Amanda, that she’s not trustworthy. But that was because on Beyond 2000 she said there would be flying cars. So let’s not forget where the quote came from.”

And on whether Grant Denyer won last year because of his help?

“We’ll never know until the figures are released. It’s possible he won it all by himself. But the truth is last year every 5 minutes on social media I had people saying, ‘I’ve never given a flying f*** about the Logies, never voted but I’m voting for this.’”

Wentworth cast on fan frenzy for their show:

Bernard Curry:
“I feel sorry for American viewers who have to wait until we finish airing, but there are all these spoilers. As soon as we finish airing the last episode, it’s up on Netflix (US).”

Kate Jenkinson:
“You can’t turn on Instagram without a spoiler but that’s part of the show. You just have to get in there as soon as you possibly can. There’s such a fanbase online that they start talking about it immediately.”

Frankie J. Holden on being nominated for A Place to Call Home:
“I’ve won a couple of things but I’ve never won a Logie. So if I win tonight, because I’m also working on Home and Away, then it would officially mean I’ve made it right?”

Rebecca Gibney on what changes she would make to the Logies:
“I wouldn’t change them. They are really fun and I love what they’ve done here. It feels like a celebration. For a while in Melbourne people started making fun of it. But really, it’s the only popular awards we’ve got.”