Since the late ’90s, Deborah Mailman has been lighting up our screens. She has appeared in seminal films such as Rabbit-Proof Fence and Bran Nu Dae and groundbreaking television series, including The Secret Life Of Us and Offspring.
And yet, while we all feel like we’ve grown up with her, off-screen she’s still very much an enigma. And Deborah prefers it that way.
Despite her talent, the star has her feet planted firmly on the ground.
(Credit: Getty)“I’m a sneaky, sneaky private one, I know,” she laughs as she chats to Woman’s Day.
“But I’ve always been like that. Even as a kid, I don’t feel much has changed for me in terms of who I am or what’s deep inside there.
“I was always a quiet sort of person as a kid. I liked to hide away a bit. I quite like the quiet.”
It’s that same solitude, which the star, 51, relishes in at her home on the NSW south coast with her husband Matthew Coonan and two sons, Henry, 16, and Oliver, 13, that has kept her away from the bright lights of Hollywood.
“There was a time after The Sapphires [in 2012] where there was a lot of expectation and hype around it, and I went over there for a week. And it really was a week,” she laughs.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. But I think to be successful, you have to be there, it’s a commitment, and I just love where I am.”
“I love the Illawarra. It’s my home, so it’s never really been something that I’ve sort of cared to chase.”
The actress won an AACTA Award for Total Control in 2019.
(Credit: Getty)The actress does admit she’d love to “do a Jacki Weaver”, a term named after the 76-year-old star who broke into Hollywood at the age of 63 after she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the Aussie hit Animal Kingdom.
“You know, I’d love to do one of those films and it just takes off and the work comes in that way,” she says.
“But I’m certainly not chasing it. I’m very happy being a part of the industry here, which I love.”
The star feels the same sort of reluctance towards award ceremonies and events, adding that she’s “more of a trackies and ugg boots kind of girl”.
“The heels hurt me,” she giggles. “I’ve got flat feet.
“But it’s also just the lead-up [to the event], which I find quite stressful. You know, [thinking]
‘What do I wear, how am I going to look?’ It’s not the most comfortable place for me – some people love it, I don’t.”
Deborah says she’s at her happiest at home in her trackies and ugg boots.
(Credit: Getty)Unfortunately for Deborah, she may have to dust off those heels sooner rather than later thanks to her show-stopping performance as the full-throttle Alex Irving in ABC’s award-winning drama Total Control, which begins its third and final season this week.
Resuming two years after season two’s nail-biting finale, we find a determined – if not a little cautious – Alex continuing in her battle against Parliament for issues such as Indigenous rights and youth reform – topics that Deborah, as a private person, admits to being a bit of a release for her as she’s able to convey her own emotions out through the prism of Alex.
“It’s not often you can run around and wave your fist at everyone and get incredibly angry, like I’d probably end up in jail if I did it. But it’s incredibly cathartic to just play that real depth of emotion,” she says.
“It’s a real credit to the writers. They’re very on course with wanting to be almost ahead of the curve in regards to politics in particular, and interrogating our democracy, really.”
“Rachel is the whole package,” says Deborah of her co-star.
(Credit: Supplied)Deborah lists her character Alex, the location – the series was shot almost entirely at Parliament House in Canberra (“I just wanted to get a cardboard box and slide down those hills, toboggan-style!”) –and the cast all as reasons why the show has been her favourite to work on, and why it will be “bittersweet” waving goodbye.
“Total Control tops everything for me,” she says.
“And that’s a big thing to say, having worked on everything I’ve had the pleasure of working on. But I think this has probably been my most personal work [to date].
“And the cast are all like family to me,” she continues. “Working with people like Rob Collins, Wayne Blair, the producers, they’re all my mates.”
Deborah also singles out co-star Rachel Griffiths for constantly “raising the bar”.
“She’s such an amazing woman. Gorgeous, and funny to boot. It was a real privilege to work with her.
“I just liked to sit down and watch how she works. It’s a real masterclass in acting.”
“Why I shunned Hollywood!” Deborah Mailman.
(Credit: Getty)But Deborah certainly holds her own. Critics have long been hailing her performance, which was awarded an AACTA for Best Leading Actress in 2019.
And so it’s hard to believe that this is her first lead role in a television series.
“I mean, I’ve never looked at it through that lens, but that’s what people keep telling me! It’s very strange to think about.”
Something tells us Deborah is only just getting started.
