I see myself more as a character actress than a celebrity.

My parents weren't in the arts, but we grew up in Balmain, which at that time was an artistic, bohemian suburb of Sydney. It's a lot more gentrified now. It was very working class, pubs on every corner because it's right by the water so a lot of the guys on the ships and the boats used to go and drink there. It's very posh now.

I think it's only through learning, and doing something uncomfortable, that you can actually change. That's why I wanted to do a play. I was so scared of it and I knew my brain would really be stretched and it was going to be hard. And it was hard and uncomfortable. Instead of naturally wanting to avoid all those feelings I need to lean toward them more. But saying that, don't ask me to make a lasagna or a Coq au vin.

TV is a completely different discipline, which I think I am still learning about. You just have to learn how to work fast and pace yourself.

The good thing about having a kid is you don't think about that as much. Like when I turned 30, for instance, that was much more momentous. Forty is particularly great for a woman. It's a big thing.

The writing is so great on TV now; it's such a pleasure to watch.

I'm absolutely as vulnerable as the next person in terms of being swept up in aspirational Instagrams. You just have to know what is fantasy and what is real. It's always good to have a diverse feed in your life and in your social media.