How a former Queensland government minister wound up on The White Lotus

It is fair to say former Queensland government minister Liddy Clark is not missing politics, having landed an acting role in one of the most talked about television shows of the past few years.

The former Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships minister appeared on televisions around the world this week with her appearance on hit series The White Lotus.

The actor-turned-politician-turned-actor-again plays an Australian widow holidaying in Thailand with a friend, herself recently widowed, who encounter main characters Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie at a Thai resort popular with a somewhat older demographic.

Former Beattie government minister Liddy Clark (front) in this week’s episode of The White Lotus.Credit: HBO

After her character has a short conversation with Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), the main characters quickly depart, thus ending Clark’s brief moment in the global spotlight.

Clark said while the part was small, it had more reach than any other role she had played during decades of work, which included A Country Practice, Home and Away, Wentworth and Bluey (no, not that Bluey – this was a 1970s cop show later parodied by The Late Show).

She auditioned for The White Lotus about a year before filming and had given up hope of appearing in the show until luck intervened late last year.

“They did a lot of filming in Phuket, and for this particular scene, it rained and rained and rained and rained and they couldn’t shoot it, so they moved it to Koh Samui, where they were doing the final couple of weeks of shooting,” she said.

“The woman, who was [going to play] ‘Old lady #1’ – that was the character’s name [in the script] – in Phuket wasn’t available so they rang my agent and said, ‘Can Liddy do it?’ and I went, ‘Oh, let me think about that – Yes!’”

What followed was a “whirlwind” for Clark – get on a plane to Koh Samui, get into wardrobe and makeup, a 10-hour day of filming, then a day off before flying home.

“It was not that long ago – they must have been editing whilst they were over there because it has come to air really quickly,” she said.

While “Old lady #1” did not have a name in the script, in Clark’s invented backstory for the character, her name was Joyce.

Then-premier Peter Beattie with Liddy Clark in 2001.Credit: Robert Rough

Clark said working with The White Lotus creator and director Mike White to bring Joyce to life was working “with one of the greats”.

“He absolutely knew what he wanted from the scene, from everyone, and he directed everybody, so I give him great kudos for that,” she said.

“Normally, if you’ve got a small role, they just ignore you.

“The women [main cast members Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon] were terrific. The crew was terrific, and we were treated really well for something so minor.”

Clark, who now lives in Melbourne, said since her appearance, she had already been recognised while walking her dog, adding that her phone had been running hot.

“Back in the halcyon days in my youth, I did quite a lot of movies, but never on this scale,” she said.

“I have had people sending texts, people from Queensland I haven’t seen since my time there texting me. Jane Menelaus and Geoffrey Rush texted me – everybody has come out of the woodwork. It’s been hysterical.”

If The White Lotus roadshow were to find its way to Australia – so far, seasons have been filmed in Hawaii, Italy, and now Thailand – Clark hoped her role might be reprised.

“I’d love to see ‘Old lady #1’ resurrected and having a continuing role,” she said.

Clark’s five-year political career began when she defied expectations in 2001 by defeating Liberal Party heavyweight Santo Santoro to claim the blue-ribbon seat of Clayfield in Brisbane’s inner-north.

Her time in politics was not without controversy. Clark was involved in the so-called “Winegate” affair, in which a staff member took a bottle of wine on a government jet to the dry Aboriginal community of Lockhart River.

She quit the ministry in 2005 after the former Crime and Misconduct Commission found a media release issued in her name was misleading.

“While I am gratified with the finding that there had been no criminal conduct and no official misconduct, it is in keeping with the traditional high standards of ministerial responsibility (which I fully support) that I do resign,” she said in her resignation letter to then-premier Peter Beattie.

Current Health Minister Tim Nicholls defeated Clark in Clayfield in 2006 and has held the seat ever since.

Clark said life had been a little more serene in semi-retirement, dabbling in writing and the occasional acting gig.

“I’m not having to hustle any more – it’s the others’ turn to do that, and good luck to them is all I can say,” she said.

“Like politics, acting can be unforgiving as well.”

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