Emma Lung, actor and producer, 41: Q&A
Emma Lung, 41, stars in the new series Strife, an adaptation of Mia Freedman’s memoir Work Strife Balance. So how does she balance career and motherhood?
As a teen, you went to New York to study acting. What was that like? It was dreamlike. I was 15, and I went with my boyfriend whose mum had just moved there, into a Central Park South building that Marilyn Monroe had once lived in. We were both going to study at the Professional Performing Arts School, where, at the time, Britney Spears and Claire Danes were students. Arriving in New York, it was this shock of wild energy – like no place I’d ever been before. I would often walk the streets for hours just to talk to people. You learn so much just by talking to local people.
We’re about to see you in the new Binge series Strife, an adaptation of Mia Freedman’s memoir Work Strife Balance. What was it about this show that you were drawn to? Asher Keddie [who also stars] was a pretty big drawcard. She is out-of-control brilliant, and watching her act is a masterclass. Also working with producers Bruna [Papandrea] and Jodi [Matterson], who have made so many amazing things.
You play Lucy, a nurse and the steady best friend. Is she a bit like you? No, Lucy is so different from me – I would say that I am full of neuroses, and she is unflappable. I actually have a friend named Lucy who’s a doctor, who I used as a reference for this character because she reminds me so much of the way this character is written.
Looking back, what roles are you most proud of? I did a movie with Emily Browning called Stranded (2005). That role was so well written, and director Stuart McDonald gave me so much space and time. Also The Jammed: that was so run-and-gun – done on the smell of an oily rag, guerrilla style.
What about the future, is there a dream role? There are dream people I’d like to work with. The Coen Brothers would be a nice box to tick off, even if it were just a tiny little role.
It looks like you had a few years off before you returned to acting in early 2022 with Wolf Like Me. What was happening then? I was living in New York with my husband, and we’d just had our son Marlowe. It was not easy for a time there – I was very scared that I’d never work again. Then, when I came back to Australia, Wolf Like Me happened, and then Strife. I hope it doesn’t stop because I’m loving every moment of it.
Has motherhood changed the way you approach your career? I feel like I’ve hit an age where I won’t audition for anything that I don’t think is worthy of my time. I’m a bit more selective. I still want to be strong, ambitious, and try to do it all. I’ll still do all the wild things I did before having children. I want to be a hands-on mother but also a role model for my children. Their mum is committed to them but also committed to aspirations of her own.
You were also in an episode of Entourage, a defining TV show of the 2000s. What was that like? It was wild. Kevin Connolly, who plays Eric in the show, is part of this boy gang with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and a bunch of other actors who were in the movie Don’s Plum. On their off days, they would all come down to set. So I’m there, not only having to shoot my first American show, but do it in front of Leo DiCaprio. It was extremely cool and terrifying.
Strife is now streaming on Binge.