It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast last week Their Life. Welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss all the popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is
known about how our favorite shows get made. So I've been finding guests that want to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're currently making, so that you can hear all exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this podcast. I particularly love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform. This chat, I'm joined
by Kat Stewart, one of Australia's most loved actresses. This week I had the exciting excuse of calling Kat to discuss the fourth season of Five Bedrooms, which launched last Sunday on Paramount Plus and will be released weekly from there, I can tell you very exciting. The people at Paramount Plus have been very kind they've released the first three episodes, so there's a massive kickstart to this brand new series. If you don't know Cat's Stewart, I believe you might
be living under a rock. She is definitely an actor's actor and all the actors that have worked with her will tell you that. And it's no wonder that she's always getting ready to talk about a new exciting role. And Five Bedrooms, which started out as five friends all at very different stages their lives making this bold decision to pull their funds together and buy a house, has really blossomed into a much loved series set in Melbourne, and all audiences have loved it and they can really
relate to it. I will ask Cat Stewart about why she keeps coming back to Five Bedrooms and why she has chosen to stay in Australia and not to try to chase that elusive US market. Cat will talk about her iconic roles and we will get some insights into which of her most iconic characters are the most like her. We will discuss if Kat thinks that she could survive the premise of Five Bedrooms, and which beloved actor had
his role unexpectedly extended due to COVID last year. Plus, we will also get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes of Five Bedrooms, which, as I mentioned, is out on Paramount Plus. Now, anyway, let's bring Kat into the podcast and guys, I really hope you enjoyed this episode. Hello, Hi, how are you. I'm well, I'm very very excited. I
have to tell you, Oh, me too. You know, the amount of times that I have seen you at my supermarket and wanted to just quickly pull you aside to unpack your career is quite disturbing.
Do we have the same supermarket? We do?
Yes, we do.
Next time you have to stop me.
Well, during COVID, i'd often see you with your family at Homo Oval Yep. Yeah, and so and my partner would be like, stop looking at Kat Stewart. She does not want to have a sit down interview.
Oh so you've seen me in all my bedraggled glory ben.
Yes, and you've also seen me and mine as well, except that you don't know who I am. So I'm just the creepy guy, the creepy guy at the park.
Well that's the end of all that. Now I'm going to be watching.
Out Well, look, five Bedrooms is back, and I just have to ask you what makes you want to keep coming back to and exploring this character.
I was already in love with the writers. I'd worked with Michael Lucas and Christine Buttlett for you know, ten years or so oh nine years or something over that only many years of Offspring, and then having them asked me to do this was just such a kick, because I thought, this is really they write enough space that I really love. It's not often, obviously, but they know how to walk that fine line between heartbreak and comedy, and they did that so well, so I knew I
was in safe hands. And then I fell madly in love with the cast. It's a show that I really It's the kind of show i'd watch, and it's an Australia that I recognize and want to see more of. It's inclusive and it's not cookie cutter. They kind of there's this disparate group of people that somehow kind of managed to make it work with a sense of humor, and that's what it's all about.
Do you think that the show's popularity is a sign that more and more Australians have add family archetype. I guess you could say, well, yeah, I.
Think we have for a long time. I mean, I think I mean to refer to offspring too much, but that was something that was you know, that idea of it's not families are the people you choose as well as the people that you are born to, and sometimes the people you choose, you know, are your real family. I think that idea of a kind of a contemporary family is something that Australia the world has been a part of for a long time, and it's been reflected.
But yeah, I think Five Bedrooms takes it a step further, and I think it also gives us an indication of, you know, the housing crisis and you know what the challenge is that we face today, but also celebrates what kind of holds us together as well. It's an incredibly positive and generous hearted show, which is really important to me. I feel like we're putting something not sugarcoated, but just something positive about into the world.
I just keep thinking every time I watch a season when it comes back, I'm like, can I live with four adults? Because I reckon, I'm a nightmare that live with I don't think four adults would want to live with me. Could you live with four other adults with their interconnect loves.
These four or these five? I could because I adore them. In fact, we went away for a weekend with all our families and all our kids last series, and that was just so much fun. I could. I would make an exception for them. I never lived in a sharehouse. I stayed at home, and then I moved in with a with a boyfriend. So I skipped that hole, and I kind of feel a bit sad about that looking back, like I skipped that whole era. But yeah, I don't know if I could do it. I'd have to be
very picky with these guys. I think they could.
You're living sort of vicariously through les anyway, so you've had the experience exactly.
But the other thing is this series is for me, the central theme for certainly Liz, and I think you know, for the series generally, is when does this arrangement stop being a good thing? You know, they were soft landing and they looked after each other. They were all kind of you know, floating around in the in their lives and needing a safe landing space, and they provided that for each other. They did become a de facto family,
But are they now hindering each other at all? And I feel that, particularly with Liz and Harry, that perhaps maybe they're stopping each other from you know, being, you know, pursuing who they really should be. So there's that question at the heart of it too, like at what point does it out live its usefulness.
Once you mix people like this. I mean, I feel like I'm a fairly extroverted social person, but then I feel like the person that I am at home is quite introverted, and that's quite complicated to complicating to sometimes navigate with people because it's kind of like a bit of a duality. And then if you're living with five other adults who are navigating their own dualities and then putting it all together, I mean, it's a recipe for drama, great idea for a TV show.
Yeah, absolutely, you're so right, because our private and versus our public designers are so different. Yeah, no, you're so right. So it is complicated, and I think when they went into this they didn't really factor that in.
Is there a storyline that's a particular favorite to you now looking back, you know, maybe holistically over the four seasons, Like is this something that you've really particularly enjoyed getting into the menu.
I think what we were just discussing in terms of when does something stop being healthy is interesting. But also we had some glorious We had everyone back this season. Last season in series three, we were filming during the fifth lockdown. It's probably when we crossed paths on one of our walks and so we couldn't get any interstate cast in. So we had core cast, but we had to recast and the writers had to do radical rewrites to make the show happen. So that is a real thrill.
That was a thrill for all of us just to have everyone back after you know, basically two years not seeing some of our amazing supporting cast. So that was we had people like Tracy Mann and Alan Dukes just just glorious. You just wanted them to write. I was happy to just be in a scene, not saying anything, just watching Tracy Man. That was a real thrill for me just generally, but also seeing Kate Jenkinson tear it up. She's so funny. I loved. I loved having the guest cast back. That meant a lot.
Who was your favorite Five Bedrooms character that is not your own, like is there someone that you particularly really enjoy unpacking and watching.
Oh that's hard because I love them all and it's hard to separate the actors from the characters when I know so.
Well, Oh, Sophie is joice, sop is Joe.
That's what it is, just like that band. What have you done? I probably when you know, when I first read the very you know, I got sent three scripts that were so organized they'd already written three complete scripts which barely changed. They were brilliant the very beginning. I thought, Heather is an absolute cracker of a character, and Doris has done something with her that is so nuanced and
real and grounded and beautiful. So yeah, I think she's extraordinary and in that character is an absolute, absolute cracker. It's a beautiful marriage that actor in that way.
Absolutely, you know, it's one of my favorite Australian. I mean, I'm in my forties, so I've grown up with her and you know, what was And I've spoken to on this podcast about this. You know, we've often seen her in secondary characters and she's always bright and steals the scene. Like some movies she's in for five minutes and you go,
oh my god. And so I was really happy to see her in this show where she is a main character and she is a prominent feature of the story, which you know, I feel like has been a long time coming for her.
In some ways, She's always been a queen and just to see her getting her rightful, her rightful notices just so right. The first time I remember seeing her was on See Change. She played the character that the wife of Willie McGinnis, so thin she dies after an episode, but she was so luminous that you can't you couldn't believe that she was in it for such a short period of time. She's just magnificent and a great stage actor too. She's fantastic.
I've seen her in pretty much everything. I've seen you in pretty much everything as well. My MTC membership is
mainly because of you, to be fair. Ah, what about the chemistry though, you know, do you have particular chemistry that you've found maybe even over the years that you know it really resonates because you know, you're in this with Roger Corsa, not that you know when you're in Underbelly you had that many scenes with him, But is there an actor that you've every time you're on screen you go, oh, this is palpable again.
You're doing the sofa's choice Bene Roger's another one, and he's just delightful. And when he was cast as Stuart, I was thrilled and horrified simultaneously because I built up the character of Stuart, who we hadn't meant in series one as this dastedly, kind of horrible, manipulative older man. And then this, you know, dashing Roger Corso's you know, charming comes along and you think all of them, it
was kind of it tipped the scales a bit. I thought, all, wow, it makes makes it a lot more believable that Liz could find herself in this situation because he's so charming. But sorry, going back to your question, I think, do you know who really surprised me is Stephen Peacock. That man can do That man can do anything. He is a I love watching him work. He's so spontaneous and he loves throwing in you know, different, a different little something in each take. But he's so grounded and he's
so physical and he's so funny. I just I think he's really special.
Crush on him. And you can't see this because it's a podcast and people listening at home, they also can't see this, but I'm actually mimicking his hair from this series and right now. This is how odd the podcast is going to get. People will like if it was weird at the start, it's weirder. I just I don't know. Maybe I'm trying to mask myself up a little bit, but yes, I'm definitely wearing his hair right now, and hopefully that will help me with the charm in my life.
It will. It's like, I think hair's half of it. Honestly, hair is everything, as they saying, pleabay.
And this is another question which is hopefully it's not a Sophie's Choice question, but it's These are all the questions I've always wanted to ask you. Which character that you've played is the most like you? And I'm assuming as an actress, you know you are using you know, fibers of who you really are. I mean, is Liz or Nat Manning from Tangle Billy Proudman? I mean obviously
not ROBERTA Williams, because you're a gangster's wife. You know, it's a particular character that you go, oh, that's probably the closest to who I am.
I think it's sort of hard. I think the longer you spend with a character, probably the more you kind of melt into each other. I think that was certainly the case because I did Billy Crowdman for so many years. She started off being quite abrasive, and she sort of softened, and I think we kind of met each other sort
of halfway by the end of it. I think you're right, Ben, I think there are elements of me and each character, but they're amplified for a particular role, and you try and find what's truthful about you when you bring it out. But I don't. I need a bit of distance, otherwise I'd get self conscious. So I think I'm lucky that lucky that I'm not quite any of those people.
I loved that you said that you didn't go back and do Underbelly, because when they asked you to go back and do Fat Tony, I can't remember what that show is called now, And then you didn't want to go back because you didn't want to kind of impersonate your performance because you know by that point she'd be Roberta. It becomes sort of more prominent in the media, so there was different influences.
So yeah, that's right, that's right. Look, I didn't have that access to the real person, and she wasn't nearly as famous or she wasn't. You know, there was some there was a little bit of footage, but not much. So I kind of took some creative license I had to in doing that betrayal. And but then going back, I would have been working off a different kind of completely different kind of set of influences, So yeah, it would have been strange. So I think my mate Holly Andrew did a great job.
Yeah, No, she was, she was fantastic. I mean, it's very hard to take on a role which has been made sort of significant like that. You know, Matt Lucas very good friend of his it's m Rossiano, and he came out publicly and said that, you know, Billy from Offspring was kind of based on his friendship with her. Did you ever meet m Rossiano and have a conversation about this or did you use her in any way to help you with that role?
See, I have found this out, I think a couple of series in Okay, so I didn't find out, and I've since got to know him quite well and I love her, But I didn't know particularly at the time, and I've sort of got to know her more since Offspring finished, really, but yeah, he did, he did mention, and now that makes so much sense to me looking back.
I just mate you being with em and you're like, just like being with Billy, Like I mean, she's saying, Billy brings back to me what's going on here?
Yeah, she's Oh, I love her so much. Yeah, Yeah, she's a and I'm honored to have some of her DNA and Billy. Yeah.
I mean Matt also, you know, is so prominent in Five Bedrooms. Do you think or has he spoken to you about any influences that he has with Liz, Like, is there a real person in real life similar to that Em Rosiano comparison?
No, and I Michael's. He was very clear that he was really keen for me and Christine. They were keen for me to play someone who is very different to Billy since we'd work together so much on Offspring. But in terms of where she comes from, I don't think that there's a particular person in mind, and there's certainly
that's the thing about Liz. I mean, the challenge for her is kind of she was a little bit unner at the very beginning of series one, and then we I think it was only episode five we actually found out it was actually going on with her and why she was so careful to keep up the facade and not let anyone get too close because she had this terrible disaster she was trying to avert behind the scenes.
And then subsequent series have been about kind of dismantling her armor and kind of challenging her in different ways and you know, humiliating her from time to time in the most delightful ways, whether it's you know, dooing herself in a bath with Harry's mother or whether it's I get a a urinary tract infection. This series, like they've they've find new and interesting ways to kind of challenge her dignity and her persona of having her shit together.
That's why she's so choosy and so tasty, you know what I mean.
Well, I just she really she really does try to play things by the book, but she's got a lot
of status anxiety, and she is a little bit everyone. Yes, yeah, but she has she's quite stoic, and but she makes a lot of mistakes and I'm really fond of her and She's challenged this series in a new way too, because she, without giving away too much plot, she kind of decides she makes some decisions that are a bit a little bit dubious, and she tries to make amends by making some really significant personal sacrifice, and that's really
interesting for her. She sort of lets go of all the shine and the glamor and actually gets her hands dirty and tries to do the right thing. And that was really interesting to play.
I've only seen the first three episodes, and you know, it's really funny. Was I got out my exercise bike. I've got one a home, which you know, basically I just yelled at in the corner of the room that never does anything. And I got on the exercise bike and put on the episodes and they rolled. So I watched the three together. And I've never done so much exercise or you know, being consistent on the bike, because I've kind of got a bit of ADHD so I
get bored with things. But I watched three episodes and I'm now thinner than I've ever been because I was so engrossed.
Oh wow, I am so glad to be a part out of your exercise routine.
Yes, of course, what an odd thing to say. You know. I had image In Banks on the podcast last week. We're talking about her new show Safe Home, which is amazing.
Watched it all? Have you watched it all? I watched I finished it two nights ago.
But Imagen, though, brought up that she was talking to the collaborators for Tangle, and just before she spoke to me, she was like, I've just got a text message. Funny that you're mentioning Tangle. I'm saying, you know, Tangle season four? Would you be interested? And so we were talking that particular show and you know, wanting to go back and see where those people are. Is that a character that you would want to go back?
And actually I have been pestering Imaging for years saying, I reckon, they're out of jail. Now I reckon they're out. I reckon, It's time to see where they're at. Yeah, yeah, yes, yeah, I would do Nat Manning again in a heartbeat. I just I love doing that show. That was a dream a dream cast. I'm saying that about everything, but it really was it. Really I do that again in a heartbeat. I love Net Everyone so naughty.
Actually, all of the actresses another series where the actresses sort of overshadowed the men somehow because they were just so deliciously played by all of you.
You know, just think Clark and Keta Mcclearan's May of Friends.
I want them to be my friends.
No, I mean, strictly speaking, I don't. I don't hang out with any of them, but when you're working together, you know, we don't, you know, just I mean, I just if I see them, I'm so pleased to see them, but it's a moment in time where you just you're kind of connected by the shared passion. And yeah, I'm such massive fans of them both. I'd love to do that again. And also the kids have grown up and done amazing people.
Oh of course, of course, so many of them have become so so massive, like you know, getting a lot of more heaven overseas. It's the one thing I always think of when I see you in an MTC production. I'm watching you on television, however I've found you. I'm always thinking about Australians wanting to work overseas and what it is about you that has wanted to tell more Australian stories. I mean, I'm sure that there's been opportunities
to sort of audition for things in different markets. But is it a conscious decision on your behalf to not be one of those Australians to play an overseas career.
Well, I kind of. I'd been working kind of in obscurity here for a long time before I got a break here, and it was in the age. I'm sort of the age group where you didn't automatically go overseas. You tended to go overseas with some kind of calling card, and I didn't get that calling card until my thirties, and at that point it was I mean, I auditioned
for things. In fact, I did a couple of deals where I was, you know, I'd signed away seven years in my life a couple of times, and then they cast the more famous person in I. But I kind of wrapped my head around doing that and got close to some big couple of big network things. But ultimately I didn't want to go over and do the whole coup surfing thing because I just thought, my life's here and my family's here, and if something happened, I'd always
be open to it. But really, I've been fortunate enough to be busy enough here so that I didn't kind of need to. Yeah, yeah, And there have been quiet times, of course, and it's during the quiet times that you think, you know, maybe I should, But I've got kids now, Like, there's no way, there's no way unless I went over with the job that I do it, I can't go cauchsurfing with you know, an eleven and a seven year old is just.
Going to bring my children and my husband and we're.
Going to go, yes, oh yeah, I'm sure she'd have a lovely big couch. Unfortunately I'm not on couch surfing terms. Through the cold kidneth.
But also I think as well, we've been extremely lucky to have you because I think your exploration of Australia and Australians and the human condition without making it sound very oprah has been fascinating to watch because all of these collected characters are in some ways a representation of who we are and the culture that we have here in Australia. And I think, you know, what an amazing career to continue to explore that.
Ah Ben, that's so lovely. Thank you for saying that. I really I love that I've been able to tell Australia stories and For me, acting is more than a job. It's a real genuine passion. It's what I love to do, and I think it's a really great way to explore different points of view and different lived experiences. And I've learned so much about myself and about humans by playing these different characters.
Where as we as an audience get to do through you vicariously. You know, we explore these things that you go through because they feel just as real as the people that we know in our real lives.
You couldn't have said anything nicer to me, Ben, Thank you. I think that makes me very happy.
Well, another stupid question for you before you go finishing up.
Let's down.
We're bringing it right down, now, bring it. I love Paramount Plus. I'm literally obsessed with It's one of my favorite streaming services. Hopefully not none of the other publicists from any other streaming services are listening to this episode. They probably are, and I apologize, but I'm obsessed with Yellowjackets and so many other shows. But do you get a lifetime subscription At this point, you've done four you know, like you've done four seasons of this show. You'll probably
do five. I feel like they owe you a free subscription for what.
Well, you know, I did get like a subscription and I lost the thing, and I actually I went to give myself a little refresh of the Five Bedrooms episodes before in doing some chats today, and I couldn't log on and I can't find the we got to get that sort of So at the moment, I'm locked out at Paramount Plus. But I'm not meant to be. It's just my own incompetence.
That's so fascinating because you know, when you return to characters like this, of course, I feel like you'd need to go back, and in no other industry can you pop back in and just catch up on that character. It's fascinating to know that that's something that you would do. Or is that more to talk to the media or is that yeah, you know.
Just just just so I could think, you know, what happens in this episode, what happens in that Episodecuse it becomes a bit of a blur after a while, yeah, because you're filming a couple of episodes at once, and it was, you know, we finished just before Christmas, so it's a little while ago now, but I remember the basics. But yeah, I'm locked out at the moment. I'm locked own.
It'd be awkward that people were saying, you know what about this scene with Roger Corser and you're like, what do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about. What are you working on next? Have you got another project lined up? Is there something else coming up that we can look forward to?
Well? While I was breaking Paramount Plus, yes, I filmed something finished in April. It's called One Night, which is going to be on Paramount Plus. I'm not sure when I think it'll be later this year or next year. It's completely different. It's about three women and their friendship going back and sort of flashes between the nineties and current day and a traumatic event that happened to them, you know, to late teenagers, and how they've dealt with
it subsequently. And it's got a brilliant international and this local cast. I'm playing opposite Jodie Whittaker, who's doctor who and has done broad Church and all sorts of great things. I play her wife, and I'm playing a British character and it's a support role that I was up and down for Sydney for that, and I'm just I think it's it's going to be an absolute ripper.
Well, it might be a little bit AMBITI but I think we're going to have to get your logged back into Paramount Past by the time that comes out.
Yes, yeah, I need to make some someone calls do we.
Know anything about series five? I know that we're talking about series four and it might be ambitious on my behalf, But do you know whether or not? Because I know with some shows and I was talking about that with Image and that sometimes you can sign up for three to make sure that you lock in a cast. Are you allowed to even talk about it? Can we expect more.
To be honest with you? Then often it's the actors that are the last to know, like they put it all together before they talk to us. But we're not optioned for anymore. That we love doing it, like anything's possible. But I kind of think where they leave us at the end of a poor you could leave it there. But also Michael and Christine as such magicians, they could make anything happen. I don't know. We'll see my hope, see what the audiences think.
Yeah, the last question I ask everyone who joins the podcast, thank you also for being so generous and being here is what if something from behind the scenes of Five Bedrooms, something that we as an audience wouldn't see, maybe like a bit of a funny story that's happened behind the scenes, well kind of.
Probably the biggest shenanigans behind the scenes was not being able to get any any supporting cast in. I don't think he'd mind me saying this, or he'd be open. Roger, course, was only meant to come for one episode in series two. That was it. It was meant to be the end of him, and I was meant to go on to have a big romance with Ben's brother, played by beautiful Daniel Joseph. He played Joseph. He's fantastic and so that was cooking. And then the pandemic hit and we had
to fly him out. So he leaves quite abruptly, and they were able to bring Roger, bless his cotton socks, agreed to come back, even though it was quite stressful and you know, COVID was really heating up. He came back and we were able to pick up on that relationship, which was gold because I think they were really happy with our chemistry and so they were really excited to explore it more. But that wasn't the original plan, so that was just the way things worked out. So that
was a bit of excitement behind the scenes. He's the real deal Roger and such funny, good company and it's completely down to earth, no funt about him at all. And then but when the camera rolls, he just clicks in. Yeah, yeah, I love working with him.
But for people out there that are listening to this, definitely tune in. If you haven't seen any of Five Bedrooms, then you are so wrong and you need to go and fix that immediately and catch up on it. The new season comes out this week, which is so good, and Kat, can I just say that, what an honor to have this time and to talk to you And it's yeah, a bucket listening for me for sure.
Oh Ben, I am so chucked. And now that we know where we're neighbors, there's no stopping here, so next time we'll talk.
So you're pointing at your kids, that's the widow, that's the one over there. You watch him. I'll do the supermarket shopping and we'll get out of here, all right, don't make eye contact.
Quick walk