‘Geoffrey Rush always championed me’: Christie Whelan Browne on the men in her life

Christie Whelan Browne is a stage and television actor best known for her roles on Mad as Hell. Here, the 42-year-old shares the passion for music she shares with her father, what she learnt working with Geoffrey Rush and standing up her now husband on their first date.

Christie Whelan Browne: “Sadly, I think everyone needs to have their heart broken, so they can learn about themselves and how they treat others.”Credit: Justin Ridler

My maternal grandfather, Leonard, was a quintessential Australian male. He’d been to war and drank beer a lot. He also kept cockatoos and galahs. He was always in the garden. Pa was a loving man and a big figure, both in his stature and presence in my early life.

My dad, Peter, is a quiet and measured man. He passed on his love of music to me, as there were always records playing at home. When I was 18, he took me to see Mamma Mia! It brought me to tears as it taught me how beautiful the theatre is, and how it made people feel.

Like my pa, Dad was a very hard worker. He did whatever it took to care for his family and often worked three jobs. At one time, he owned and ran a bingo centre.

Dad was strong and athletic and into sports, but that never came with aggression. He showed me a gentle side of masculinity and I always felt safe with him.

My brother, Marcus, is six years older than me. Growing up, he was very protective. If I look back at family movies, he’d be playing cricket and, while I ran around in nappies, he’d ensure the ball didn’t hit me. He was a sweet big brother.

As a teenager, I was a dork. I never fitted in at St Helena Secondary College [in north-east Melbourne], except with my performing friends. I loved the musicals and did them every year. Boys told me I was ugly. I explore that a lot in my new show Life in Plastic, as a remark like that stays with you. You believe it, and it’s a hard thing to shake.

My first crush was Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He was the gorgeous actor from the TV show Home Improvement. Posters of him from Dolly magazine were on my bedroom wall.

My first love at 22 was also my first heartbreak. I was going to work on a cruise ship, and he ended our year-long relationship just before I left. My time overseas was spent feeling horrendous, trying to get to the point where I felt OK again. Sadly, I think everyone needs to have their heart broken, so they can learn about themselves and how they treat others.

I have done several Melbourne Theatre Company plays with Geoffrey Rush. What I learnt from him about acting was that you’ll never know it all. You can work with actors who think they are already there, yet there was Geoffrey, an Oscar winner, who never let go of his script during a four-week run. He was still seeking something more, always trying to be the best. He takes the craft so seriously as it means so much to him.

Geoffrey always championed me. He sees you in ways that make you believe in yourself. To stand opposite him on stage made me a better performer.

In 2006, my husband, [dancer, actor and singer] Rohan [Browne], and I were set up on a blind date. I didn’t turn up, so he was left dateless. Then two years later, I finally went on a date with him, and we’ve never looked back.

Rohan is the most handsome person I’ve ever seen. He also listens, is great company, and is fun and intelligent. If you’d seen him as Lumière in Beauty and the Beast, you’d know he’s a triple threat. Rohan is always striving to be a better person. He is everything you could want in a husband.

Three years ago we had our son, Duke. We gave him the middle name August, as Rohan and I are both born on August 6. It was a way of passing on a part of us without giving him our names.

I was 26 when I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Nine years later, I was told the treatment had made me infertile. We did several rounds of IVF.

At the point of discussing an egg donor, our fertility doctor said to give it one more try with my retrieved egg, and it made our son. There’s not one day that goes by that I don’t recognise, even on the hardest days, that our boy is a miracle.

Christie Whelan Browne presents Life in Plastic at Sydney Festival on January 14.

Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up here for our free newsletter.