Why Heartbreak High heartthrob became a portrait for mental health

Archibald finalist Kelly Maree got up close and personal with Josh Heuston for men’s mental health.

Heartbreak High’s Josh Heuston used to wait tables at the Art Gallery of NSW, where today his portrait hangs on the walls as an Archibald finalist.

The piece – by Wollongong artist Kelly Maree – is haunting, not only in its likeness to Heuston but in its meaning. And it’s meant to be.

“I feel like everyone – or at least I’ve had a lot of people in my life – go through bouts of mental-health issues, so I’m very aware as to how that can affect people’s lives,” Heuston says.

“I wanted to comment on the bravery that is involved in actually asking for help, and then also being someone of support on the other side of that as well.

“For me, it’s more so stating that it’s not something to be ashamed of, and there’s bravery on both sides.”

Heartbreak High actor Josh Heuston and artist Kelly Maree with Kelly's portrait of Josh at the Art Gallery of NSW. Picture: Tim Hunter

“This painting means quite a lot to me,” Maree says.

“This topic hits really close to home for me, personally, having experienced supporting a loved one with depression, and the anguish felt when you’re unable to ease their pain.

“I think that’s the hardest thing – to watch someone you love in pain.

Mental health can hit close to home, as it is hard to watch someone you love in pain. Picture: iStock

“Because it was something that I went through, I feel many people can connect and relate to that feeling, and that’s something I wanted to capture within this particular painting.

“I wanted the painting to actually be just as much about the viewer as it is about the subject, so I tried to capture that moment in time, within that intimate space when you are supporting a loved one in the moment of need.

“You could have been lying on the bed or lying on the floor, and it’s about what the supporter actually sees being there and being present for someone you care about, right up there with him, in the moment.

“Josh’s gaze was imperative to this piece, as I strongly believe it is here, within the eyes, that we connect with each other’s pain.

“I believe it’s ever so important to speak out and raise awareness about mental health.

“Depression or anxiety does not discriminate. It’s so common.

“Most people have either personally experienced it themselves or know someone close to them who have experienced problems with mental health, and particularly men’s mental health.

“I have three little boys, and as a society, I think we need to work hard to show cultural norms, so societal expectations set around men speaking up and sharing how they feel.

“It’s so important to let others in – a friend, your family, support service centres – to know you’re not alone.

“It is such a powerful thing.

“And that’s what’s great about art as well, that it’s such a great platform to increase public discussions and awareness on important issues like this.”

June is Men’s Mental Health month, so the topic – always important – is particularly poignant now. Statistics from the Australian Men’s Health Forum show one in two men will have a mental-health disorder in their lifetime. Three in four suicides are men.

It is Kelly Maree’s first time as an Archibald finalist. Picture: Tim Hunter

It is Maree’s first time as a finalist in the Archibald, and is Josh’s first sitting. Out of 1005 entries, Heuston’s portrait is one of 57 hanging in the gallery.

“It’s a surreal experience,” Maree says of being a finalist.

“This the second year that I submitted a painting to the Archibald, but this is the very first year that I’ve been selected, which is so exciting.

“It’s surreal because it’s something that I dreamt about when I was a little girl, but it’s the dream that seems so unattainable.

“So to get the chance to actually meet a celebrity to paint, I’m so thankful to Josh for his generosity in allowing me to paint the portrait, and I’m just so happy with how it turned out.”

Heuston tells Insider: “I’m very, very happy with how it turned out.

“When Kelly approached me about the opportunity, first of all I was like it’s a crazy honour, especially because I’ve actually worked in the art gallery as a waiter a bunch of times.

“But then Kelly and I had a couple of chats about what sort of themes we wanted to express, and when Kelly shared a bit about her own life, and what she wanted to put into the painting, I felt like it was a win-win, because we could do some good with the mental health as well as making some art.”

The two were strangers before Maree immortalised Heuston in the way she has.

“I was just a fan of his work,” Maree admits.

“Particularly his role in Heartbreak High – when I was younger I watched the original Heartbreak High series in the ’90s and then we watched the remake on Netflix – and I feel a bit awkward saying this, but his captivating blue eyes and dark hair – when I was watching him, I thought, if I was to paint him, and he plays such the cool heart-throb – how could I capture a different side of him, not commonly seen.

“And then I just thought, it was worth a shot, so I reached out.”

Josh Heuston from Heartbreak High.

Maree says Heuston “was absolutely amazing”.

“He demonstrated nothing but warmth and openness … he was a dream to work with,” she adds.

From start to finish, it took her 11 weeks to complete, but around three young children, she’d chip away at it in the morning and at night.

Like most artists, Maree was always creating as a child herself.

“Throughout my childhood, I was experimenting with all different forms – oil painting, watercolours, clay – I used to dig up clay behind the primary school grounds and bring it home,” she says with a laugh.

“My parents always supported my interest in visual arts.

“They enrolled me in different art lessons as a child and introduced me to many different art styles at a young age.”

She ended up going to the National Art School in Sydney after graduating from high school, but the commute was too long from Wollongong that she only completed one year of the course. It was only during maternity leave that she picked up her passion again, and now with the kids aged seven, five and three, it’s her turn.

“I just thought, ‘you’ve only got one life, you have to do what you’re passionate about’,” she says. “So I picked up a paintbrush again.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind, actually. I can’t believe it. If you had said a couple of years ago that I’d be doing this, I never would have believed it. And I’m enjoying every minute.”

Josh Heuston (second from right) with the cast of Heartbreak High in 2022. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for Netflix

As for Heuston, his acting work has almost been back to back, so he’s one of the lucky ones.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Heuston says.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do straight out of school. I guess I’ve been taken by the wave of whatever career I’d fallen into, but as I’ve gone through that, I’ve gained a lot more direction, and better decision-making, so I do want to have a career in acting.

“And when opportunities like this pop up, it’s interesting, because as Kelly was saying, she dreamt as a little kid of being able to have a piece of hers in the art gallery and in the Archibald. And from my perspective, I never would have dreamt of someone wanting to paint me for the Archibald. It’s very much checking yourself every day to be like, ‘is this real?’ And to see how it came out … it’s perfect.”

Heuston has new sci-fi series Dune: Prophecy coming out on Binge here and internationally via Max later this year, also starring Chernobyl’s Emily Watson and The Crown’s Olivia Williams. He is currently shooing Aussie thriller Dangerous Animals on the Gold Coast, alongside fellow Aussie Jai Courtney and Yellowstone’s Hassie Harrison.

It’s been a great experience, and he’s got three weeks left of filming. After that, as is the life of the actor, “we’ll see what happens”.

“I love it,” he says of life on screen.

“It’s my truth, my passion.

“I guess it’s similar to what Kelly was explaining with her art – you get to express different emotions or themes that maybe you might not be comfortable with in life. And then each character that I get to play, you shake them off when you finish, but then they live in there for a little bit and you take pieces from each of them that you learn from. It’s the only thing I really want to do.”

He recently spent six months filming in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, and he’s happy to go where the stories take him.

“Wherever the best, most interesting story that I want to tell pops up, that’s where you’ll find me,” he says.

“I’m very grateful. I didn’t think this would be the path that I’m on, but I’m here, and it’s amazing.”

The Archibald is showing until September 8.