Morgana & Anna WE'RE REAL-LIFE MEAN MUMS

The stars of Kiwi comedy Mean Mums reveal art imitates life!

- SEBASTIAN VAN DER ZWAN

They bring the big laughs in local comedy Mean Mums, but Anna Jullienne and Morgana O’Reilly admit motherhood is not all snorts and giggles in real life, no matter how cute their children are.

Shortland Street favourite Anna, 37 – a mum to Ted, six, and Jude, three – says parenting during a pandemic was “impossibly difficult and relentless”. And Neighbours actress Morgana, 35, confesses she’s “constantly scrambling” to juggle kids Luna, five, and Ziggy, two, with her work on the hilarious Three series, which screens 8.30 pm on Tuesdays.

Here, the two friends and former soap stars tell Woman’s Day their meanest moments as mothers, the most adorable things their rugrats say and about farting loudly on set…

What’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done as a mum?

Anna: Crikey! My life as a mother is pretty much a blur, so I’ll just reflect on this week. Depending on your definition of “mean”… If we’re talking about the opposite of nice, I sent Ted to bed without a bedtime story because he decided to write his name in permanent maker on the bottom of my brand-new handmade ceramic mugs. “Mean” as in stingy? Well, the bread for the lunchboxes was stale, so I lathered it with multiple layers of honey in the hope they would still eat their sandwiches. “Mean” as in awesome? I made a delicious lemon syrup cake, which we ate for dessert with whipped cream on a Wednesday. It was a good time.