Tina Bursill, proudly a difficult woman in Strife

When Tina Bursill last worked alongside Asher Keddie it was on Offspring, playing Marilyn, mother of Eddie Perfect’s Mick Holland.

Now she plays Ginny, mother of Keddie’s Evelyn Jones in Strife, set in 2012 when online publishing was flourishing.

The series is inspired by Mia Freedman’s memoir, ‘Work, Strife, Balance’, but according to Bursill, her character isn’t necessarily a portrayal of the Mamamia publisher’s own mother, whom she has never met.

“I wanted to put my own stamp on this, based on the writings that were delivered to me,” she tells TV Tonight.

“There may be similarities. I don’t know I’ve never met the woman.  All I know is that I continued to backstory, give myself a playlist, give myself an attitude, from that time in the 70s which I lived through.”

The playlist, she refers to, is a songlist she assembled to help inspire the character of a strong woman who had raised Evelyn whilst being a single mum in the ’70s. It’s a time Bursill reflects upon with fondness, if also noting some of the challenges it brought.

“When I began work on the show I had a sound list, which had all my my top music faves. One of them was I Am Woman and the other one was Difficult Woman, which was a Renee Geyer song. When I’m looking for characters, I’m always looking for pieces of arts, colours, and music,” she explains.

“I went for a loan for a mortgage when I was doing Skyways in 1979 and I was rejected fiercely from the Commonwealth Bank based on the fact that I was 28, I was a breeder, and I was single.

“I’ve always believed -and this is Ginny talking as well- that women should tell the truth, should have ambition for themselves, and those around them.

“My mother always said to me, ‘Tina, get out there, go for it, do it. Put yourself first, second and third.’ I never understood what that meant until much later in my life. And that is, how you treat yourself, of course, is how you are going to be treated by the rest of the world.”

The series also features Matt Day, Jonathan LaPaglia, Emma Lung, Alex Dimitriades, Maria Angelico, Rhys Mitchell, Olivia Junkeer, BeBe Bettencourt, Bryony Skillington, Lucy Ansell, Darcy Tadich, Lincoln Younes and Willow Speers. There’s even a cameo from one Kylie Minogue.

Asher Keddie plays a modern, imperfect woman and publisher in her journey from lounge room blogger to becoming a force in women’s media.  Churning through her redundancy package and navigating a marriage breakdown, ‘Eve Life’ simply cannot fail.

According to Bursill the relationship between mother and daughter is complex, with parental support even if the two appear to be at odds sometimes.

“What’s really good about Ginny is, she calls it as she sees it. She supports Eve always on her own terms, as she was once in that situation in a marriage breakdown. She has no filter whatsoever. It appears that she seems to undermine Eve in some instances, but I think she sees another way with which to move forward. She’s constantly reminding Eve, who is a strong daughter, that you need to face your fears. That’s how you build your resistance.”

Asher Keddie is also an executive producer on the series along with Freedman, screenwriter Sarah Scheller Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky, the late Brian Walsh and Alison Hurbert-Burns.

“I have an admiration for Asher’s work and respect. Although Stateless was wonderful work I thought in this instance, she was really energized and really riding this. She’s so passionate about it. I know she can be tough, but I think she’s terrific,” Bursill continues.

“There’s a few in our industry, younger women in their 50s, all really making a mark right now. It’s a great time for them in lots of ways. It’s confidence building and allows a voice to come forward and be true to themselves.

“(Former ABC Director of Television) Sandra Levy always said to me, and I guess I’m saying this to now this next generation: always remember to be tenacious….. being tenacious is so vital to your existence and I think also for ownership of what you are trying to deliver.

“Back when I was 50 we were always parked in a role that was ‘token grandmother or mother’ and I’m not like that.

“(Ginny is) a woman who’s attractive, vibrant, has an opinion, and is capable and has energy and is not in lace up shoes and thick 15 denier stockings.”

Strife double episode premieres 8:30pm Wednesday on Showcase / Binge.