Rose Byrne on Puff Wonders of the Reef: 'It’s a call to arms’

Australian actor Rose Byrne says her new project is a “call to arms”.

The kaleidoscopic marvels of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will dazzle in a way you’ve never seen before, through the adventures of a baby puffer fish.

Netflix documentary Puff Wonders of the Reef, directed by Nick Robinson marries eye-popping underwater filmmaking and an accessible, family-friendly narrative to explore the interconnected worlds of the reef.

And to take everyone through it is actor Rose Byrne, a self-confessed animal documentary lover, who narrates the story.

Byrne talks to news.com.au about why Puff Wonders of the Reef is a call to arms.

How did you get involved and what was the original pitch?

They came to me about the story with this incredible innovative, groundbreaking storytelling and footage they’d achieved. And it was kind of hard for me to imagine it until I saw it, and then they sent me the footage and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness’.

I’m a geeky documentary person who loves animal documentaries and video. My Octopus Teacher, I was on the floor.

I felt very, very moved by it, instantly, and was just delighted by this. It’s a call to arms, for us to take responsibility as a human race, to try and protect this ecosystem that is just spectacularly complex, divine, unique and delicate. It’s just a little grain of sand towards that.

Rose Byrne narrates Puff Wonders of the Reef. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

Were you familiar with filmmaker Nick Robinson’s work before?

A little bit, and then I took more of a dive in once I was on-board. He’s a fascinating guy, and it was thrilling to see the intricate ecosystem of this world, which I really had no idea about its complexity. And how divinely orchestrated it all is.

That was something I don’t think a lot of people know in general. I felt it was very enlightening in a really beautiful way.

Same. When I was watching, I was thinking, ‘How do I not know about this already? Why is this such a revelation?’. I take it then that you learnt quite a lot about the reef ecosystem by working on this project?

I did. I had been to the reef, I’ve gone scuba diving on the reef, but by no means had I any clue about the intricate functions of the place. Everything is alive and everything is a chain reaction, and everything is part of a greater purpose of growth and protection.

It’s just extraordinary, the complexities of the place. From the most minute grain of sand to the biggest fish in the sea, it’s a really exquisite example of how nature functions in this seamless way.

But if one thing’s off, then everything is triggered. And it’s a lovely way to show it, through the eyes of Puff, for a story to really have this perspective on it.

So, it’s not just information, but it has this great narration of this journey that this little fish is going on.

Puff Wonders of the Reef is on Netflix now. Picture: Netflix

I really liked that structure because it was very accessible, as if it’s a family film that, hopefully, kids can take something away from.

Accessible is a good way to put it, for something that could be more intimidating. It’s definitely a far-reaching way to introduce people to bigger ideas.

Have you shown your children the film yet?

I haven’t but I will. I absolutely will and I can’t wait. I think they’ll be pretty blown away. They’ve watched a few animal documentaries here and there, but they’re still pretty little. I think it’ll be fascinating to them. I’ve got lots of books on the Great Barrier Reef and they’re into fish and all that stuff.

Earlier, you used the phrase ‘a call to arms’. Do you hope to see political action as a result of this movie being on a global streaming platform?

Any opportunity to expose people to the effect of global warming which is happening on Earth and directly affecting this complex ecosystem under the sea, and the ramifications of that, which are endless.

I’ve been to the reef, I’ve seen some of the damage, but to see all the intricacies that the film goes into – the only ones that are responsible are the human race, we’re the ones responsible. It’s quite audacious, and it’s very confronting in that way.

It’s only through seeing things and understanding things can you have empathy for a situation and therefore make an effort to change.

Puff Wonders of the Reed is streaming now on Netflix

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