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19-year-old Tiarnie Coupland started out as a cheeky child actress and has grown up in front of cameras, notably on the high school drama with a time traveling twist, Worst Year of My Life. Currently commuting in between Melbourne, Sydney and L.A. where she is looking for new projects, Coupland has been until recently starring in the third series of Channel 9’s Lovechild a series based on the real life forced adoption of babies from unmarried mothers in Australia during the late ‘60s and ‘70s, for which in 2013, then Prime Minister Julia Gillard offered a national apology to those affected. A lovechild with a lovechild, Maggie is a delinquent teen who returns to the Tarramar Girls Home from which she was given up fifteen years prior, now pregnant herself. It seems that this former good girl’s place is in the bad girl roles, Coupland has just appeared in iconic Aussie soap Neighbours, as Nikki Jackson, a tough cookie looking to defend her sister’s honour in a bare knuckle boxing fight. Hi Tiarnie, can you start by telling us about yourself and what you’ve done so far? I got into acting when I was 8 years old and since then I have been fortunate enough to work in a number of complex and challenging roles for both film (Killing Ground, The Final Winter) and TV (Love Child, Worst Year of My Life Again, and most recently Neighbours). You’re currently in the U.S., What is happening for you there right now? Yes, I’m back in Los Angeles right now, auditioning for roles and establishing myself over here. How does your family support you as you work as an actor? I am fortunate to have quite a close-knit family who are very supportive of my career. My dad and sister often help out with self-tapes, and my mum is always
there to support and encourage me to pursue my dreams. Love Child is now a very established TV series in Australia and starting to travel - and you landed such a fantastic role with Maggie - how did that come about? I auditioned for the role of “Maggie” at the start of 2015 in which I had two recalls; one with the executive producers of the series and another with Geoff Bennett (one of the show’s directors) and Ella Scott Lynch (who plays the role of Shirley - my mother in the show). I received a phone call from my agent not long after saying that I had landed the role, and needless to say I was ecstatic! Were there any challenges in being in such a “bad girl” role? Yes, Maggie is a very complex role as she is just a very vulnerable little girl who has just found out that her whole life has been a lie and so she goes to Kings Cross to found out her true identity, who she is and where she comes from. How is Maggie in the show different to you in real life – and how is she similar? Maggie is very different to me; she is a bit of a wild child! What tricks do you have to get into character? It’s not really a trick, but research plays an important part in being able to gain a true and honest representation of any given role. For example, to help me understand my character Maggie and her perspective, I did a lot of research on people finding out they were adopted and the impact it has now had on their life. You’ve had to deal with some big themes on Lovechild how do you prepare for intense scenes and topics? A week before production I worked with a dramaturge (Nadia Townsend) where we really fleshed out the more emotional scenes in the show; particularly where Maggie finds out that Shirley is her birth mother. This was a 5-minute scene where Maggie really had to flip from one extreme emotion to another and use different tactics to
get to her mum. For a number of other scenes including the one where I gave birth, I prepared myself by doing a lot of research online and watching real-life videos. What were your favourite parts of filming on Love Child? That would have definitely been working with such an amazing and dedicated cast and crew who really took me under the wing (as it was their third season together). It was also a blast to be able to wear clothing and work with props from the 70’s era. Do you ever get recognised and how do you deal with it? Yes, I have been recognised while I have been out and about. We usually have a bit of a chat, and of course take a selfie! What is the best part about your job? And the worst? Being able to live out different types of lives is always a lot of fun. Maggie is a rebel and a real wild child, which I am definitely not! Through acting, I get to experience things that I would never do in real-life on the safety of set. There is no particular worst part about the job, but you do have to play out the waiting game between roles. During that waiting game, what else do you like to do? I’ve always enjoyed both singing and modelling, as they are another forms of art in which I am able to express yourself. What makes you smile? Making other people smile and funny online dog videos (I mean, who doesn’t love them?!). If you could choose another era to live in, when would it be? Why? I would love to live in the 70’s because a lot of great artists came out at that time and they seemed very free-spirited and carefree. Of course, the fashion was also amazing! Give me a cute pinafore any day of the week! What’s important to you? My Family, friends and Poppi, my cavoodle. Tiarnie wears: Outfit by Christian Dior. Hair & Make-up: Wayne Chick at the Artist Group.
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