Bye Bye, Bride Why I'm at Home On A Farm

The Actress On Why She Loves Living The Rural Life Off Screen

- Amy Prebble

There’s an old showbiz adage, ‘Don’t work with children or animals’. But beloved Aussie actress Bridie Carter has spent a lot of her career working with both.

She’s most famous for her role as plucky Tess in hit television drama McLeod’s Daughters, where she grappled with horses and sheep alongside Kiwi co-star Lisa Chappell. Now, in 800 Words, her career-driven character Jan has just become the mother of twins.

Luckily, Bridie (47) is comfortable around babies.

“I’m naturally a person who adores children. I am very happy to act with any baby. I remember thanking the mother − it’s quite remarkable that someone hands over a very newborn baby to a film set. I took great, great care, I have to say!”

However, Jan is not quite such a natural. “She’s probably someone that needs a fair bit of help,” Bridie says, laughing. “The great thing about Jan is she’s a career woman, so motherhood was not really on her radar. It happens by default so to speak. It’s an interesting thing to watch a character walk into uncomfortable territory; for me it was just more great new material.”