Asher Keddie on her Nine Perfect Strangers role: ‘It’s unimaginable’

Nine Perfect Strangers took Asher Keddie on an emotional journey she is still coming to terms with but she said the experience, with a cast including Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, was definitely memorable.

Last year was a big one for Asher Keddie. Like everyone, she grappled with the constraints of Covid. But she also spent six months of 2020 separated from her husband in Melbourne while she shot Nine Perfect Strangers in Byron Bay, playing the part of Heather – a grieving mother whose son had committed suicide.

As the mother of six-year-old Valentino and stepmother to 11-year-old Luca, it’s a pain Keddie can’t begin to fathom – but she hopes her character’s journey to healing will help others dealing with the “unimaginable”.

“The thing is I want the challenge of these kinds of roles and certainly there were some days where I would think to myself ‘Oh god, you’re a glutton for punishment, this is difficult’ – there is an emotional cost here,” says Keddie, who recently turned 47.

“And certainly I had moments playing Heather and being on the journey of that family where it was rigorous and it was hard going.

“But to be honest, the year that we all had added to the challenge.

“It’s a difficult thing to talk about because it’s unimaginable to me … I can’t bear the thought of it.

Asher Keddie filmed Nine Perfect Strangers in 2020. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty

“But at the same time, I think the journey is full enough and has been written so sensitively, that I am hoping people that have experienced the unimaginable will be able to relate, and it will be helpful in some way.”

Australian author Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers being brought to screen is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year – and for good reason.

Besides Keddie as one of the nine strangers who come together at a controversial wellness retreat run by Nicole Kidman’s character Masha, the adaptation also stars Melissa McCarthy, Samara Weaving and Bobby Cannavale.

Filmed in the Byron hinterland in the height of Covid, Keddie tells Insider its release is timely, with forced lockdowns spurring the increased need for human reconnection – the one thing all characters seek in the series.

“I think we are all trying to get on a path that feels right and we don’t know what it is at the moment and it’s really challenging – we are trying to find a better way of living, of being able to grasp the challenges that we all face – it does feel really timely to me, this project,” Keddie says.

“And it certainly did filming it as well.

“The journeys of all the nine strangers – and Nicole’s character Masha — are diverse, but at the core they are all reaching for the same thing, and that is to live better — whether they are dealing with grief and the loss of someone, or marital struggles or mortality.

“I think there is some really inspirational material in there, as much as we also hit the base notes of life – you know, the pain and the sadness.

“I think it’s really great for us at the moment to look through drama — how far we would go to reach that better way of life and that comfortability within ourselves.”

Asher Keddies plays Heather in Nine Perfect Strangers. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Hulu

Unable to cross the Victorian border for the six-month shoot, Keddie says it was tough being separated from artist husband Vincent Fantauzzo, but she was grateful she had son Valentino to come home to after the 10-hour days.

“I may have held him a little bit tighter than I normally do because the material required an emotional investment that I just wasn’t able to step away from in that six months of filming – but that was the gig and every gig is different and this one certainly meant a lot to me,” she says.

“It meant a lot to me that I did invest as much as I could and bring as much authenticity to something that is actually unimaginable.

“Vincent and I are both really positive and supportive of each other, and like I think most people in the situation last year. It was tough for everyone, but we coped and we are really strong and the children are the priority to us, always.

“We focused on that and their wellbeing and made sure they felt safe and stable at every point even though we were distanced physically.”

So triggering and compelling was the content, Keddie says the set was a happy place when the cameras weren’t rolling – because it had to be.

“It was the best,” she says.

“Nicole and Melissa are powerhouses – they are excellent human beings – both funny, both very generous, but have very rigorous work ethic which I love, and there was definitely levity outside the moments we were doing a take or filming a scene, because we needed that.

“When you’re exploring really unpredictable and painful content within a scene you need to find ways of laughing.

“And we did – that was pretty effortless I have to say.

“It was a really wonderful group of people, everybody clicked. Everyone got along very well, we were very supportive of each other because we needed to be.

“Everyone had a really tough journey through this series – in terms of character, not in terms of performance – the things and the tone we were exploring … there were so many of those standout moments through this.

“Every day felt special and every scene felt important, so it was one of those great shows where I don't think there’s a scene in it that we could do without.”

Asher Keddie described Melissa McCarthy (right) as a “powerhouse”. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Hulu

A big fan of Liane Moriarty’s before landing the role, Keddie says having the Big Little Lies author on set was a thrill for everyone.

“It was just fantastic – I had read every book and I was very excited to meet her,” she says.

“We were filming some pretty intense scenes the day she came out and of course we had such a tight set – we were in a bubble really because of Covid and there was so much protocol round that — so we only had a day with her, but it was fantastic to meet her.

“Look what she’s achieved – it’s really wonderful.”

With recent lockdowns sparking a revival of Keddie’s past work and cult shows such as Love My Way, Offspring and Paper Giants as popular as ever, she says each has a place in her heart – just as Nine Perfect Strangers now does.

“They are all special shows and I feel really grateful to have been part of shows that have moved people – and I think this show will too,” she says.

“It’s unpredictable in a way that makes event television like this at its best, so you do want more and you start to invest in the characters so much because of the depth of the writing.

“I think this is going to be really moving as well.”

From left: Delilah (Tiffany Boone), Heather (Asher Keddie) and Napoleon (Michael Shannon) in a scene from the miniseries. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Hulu

Back home in Melbourne with Vincent and their boys, who at the time of our chat are back at school after yet another lockdown, Keddie says she’s happy to be home – and looks forward to staying put for a little while longer.

“My little boys have gone back to school today so it’s not lost on me how difficult it is for all of my friends in Sydney and NSW, but I have to say the couple of weeks we’ve just moved through were challenging as well and I just want them to go back to school – I want them to be able to play their sport, see their friends and feel healthy and happy just like any parent, so it was a good morning today,” she laughs.

“We’ve had a few board games, a Connect 4 tournament that becomes heated now and then, we go for our walks, really just like any other family.

“We cook a lot, we are pretty good – we live closely anyway, so when lockdown happens we just take a deep breath and know this is how it is, and we will be fine.

“We talk to (the kids) a lot and they are really resilient, we are so proud of them able to thrive even through these challenges – they are very optimistic, up for life, little boys.

“What I want to do is just stay put for a little while – I think in this very unpredictable time I am enjoying having some time at home and being with the kids really.

“I’m really enjoying that and I want to do that – but I think later in the year there are some possibilities that I am considering at the moment, but I need a little while longer at home to rest.

“I really did feel that with this particular role, I really did need sometime to reset and recalibrate and sit still for a little while.

“It was a big year.”

Nine Perfect Strangers premieres August 20, on Amazon Prime Video.

Originally published as Asher Keddie on her Nine Perfect Strangers role: ‘It’s unimaginable’