66 The Australian Women’s Weekly|MAY 2019
Interview
Theassemblyof actors,producers
andexecutives,burstintouproarious
applause.Mirandasmileda withrelief.
Now,shehada chanceto puther
moneywherehermouthwas.Shewas
travellingto theNorthernTerritoryto
secureseedfundingfora rom-comshe
waswritingwithfellowactorJosh
Tyler.Thetwohadbeenspit-balling
ideasfora script.Joshhadrecently
returnedfromtheTopEndandsurprised
Mirandawithhisenthusiasmforthe
place.“I said,‘really?’Becauseeveryone
who’s been there tends to talk about
practisefortheupcomingreal-life
wedding,andshewasright.Thepair
tiedtheknotin Decemberlastyear,not
longafterthefilmingwrapped.They
weremarriednearWollongong,
surroundedbyfamilyandfriends.
Mirandasaidhervowsin a custom-
madedressof fineoystersilkandthree
differenttypesof lace.Fortunately,she
says,herownceremonywasn’tquiteas
trouble-plaguedas thatof heron-screen
alterego– thoughnotwithouthitches.
“ThePAsystemdidn’tworkso
everyonespeakingandourcelebrant
hadto project,”shesays.“Mymumwas
slightlyconcernedat howlowcutmy
dresswas,butshegotoverthatreally
quicklyoncethemusicstartedplaying.”
Thethingthatcaughtheroffguard
wasthenervousnessshefeltbefore
walkingdowntheaisle.“It’sweird
becauseI’musedto steppingonstage.
ButI think,becauseI wasn’ta character,
I hadnothingto hidebehind,”Miranda
muses.“I didn’thavea maskon.I’m
vulnerablewhenI haveto bemyself.”
Ofcourse,shehadnothingto fear.
Thecoupleareincrediblyloving
towardseachother,withJames
mountinganInstagramcampaignto
winMirandaanotherLogie.Hehad
beena fanof Miranda’sworkbefore
theymet,butMirandadidn’trealise
howmuchheadmiredheruntilafter
theyweretogether.“Thestoryhelikes
to tellis thatI pursuedhim,”shesays,
laughing.
Jameswasoutedbyfriendand
comedywriter,BecShaw,whoTweeted
a privatemessageJamessentherafter
Mirandastartedfollowinghimonthe
socialmediaplatform.“I cannever
tweetagain.Shecanneverknowhow
muchI loveher,”hegushed.
“I justlovethefactthatourfriends
continueto roastmyhusbandon
Twitter,”Mirandasays.“It’svery,very
funny.Theyjustcompletelyshiftedthe
narrativeandsaid:I thinkyouliked
beingpursued.”
WarmthemanatesfromMirandaas
shetalksabouthernewhusband.“It
reallytouchesmewhata goodfriendhe
is. Heis friendswithsomanywomen
andthat’salsogreat,”shesays.“Our
daywasreallytouchingbecauseso
many of our friends have investedinwhoproducedthefilm,andThe
Sapphires, in whichMirandamadeher
filmdebutas Cynthia.“WhatMiranda
hasachievedbycomingupwithanidea,
gettingthatearlyseedmoneysothatshe
couldwritesomethingandbringit to
someonelikeusandsay:whatdoyou
think?Hundredsof peopletryto do
that– evenmore– thousandsacrossthe
country.She tooktheinitiative.It’sreally
easyto makea speechaboutit, butit’s
hardto getyourhandsdirtyanddoit.”
Today,Mirandahasa glowof
satisfaction about her. She’s sitting,Lefttoright:MirandainThe
Sapphires, withJessMauboy
andDeborahMailman;withher
parents; filming in the Top End.
JOHNPLATTPHOTOGRAPHY.FAMILYPHOTOGRAPHSSUPPLIEDANDUSED WITH PERMISSION. OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK SCOTT.grinning,in a blackbanquetteset
againsta concretewallin anindustrial
chiccaféin Brunswick,whereshelives
withhernewhusband,comedywriter
JamesColley.Despitehavingjust
emergedfromthebusiestperiodherlife- at thesametimeasTopEndWedding
waspremiering,Mirandawasplanning
herownwedding– sheis fullof the
charismaticenergythat’sbeencharming
fanssince2012.Herlargebrowneyes
sparkleas shegushesaboutbothher
ownweddingandtheexperienceof
bringingherTerritorylovestoryto life.
Onset,Miranda’smother,Barbara,
had remarked that the film was all good
howthereweretoomany
mosquitosandit wasvery
expensive,”shesays.“We
sharedthisloveof rom-coms
andhesaid,‘weshouldtotally
setoneupthere.’”
Formostpeople,thestory
wouldendthere.Whohasn’t
practisedtheirOscaracceptancespeech
in thebath?Butdespiteneverhaving
penneda screenplay,Mirandastarted
writing.Beingsetin theNorthern
Territory,herfilmwouldbe,as muchas
anything,a loveletterto herhomeland.
Almostfouryearslater,herfilmis
makingitswayintotheworld.TopEnd
Weddingpremieredat theSundance
FilmFestivalin Januarythisyearto
warmreviewsandwillopenin
AustraliancinemasthisMay.It’s
difficultto overstatewhatan
achievementthisis.
“It’sreallyhardwhatshedid,”says
Rosemary Blight of Goalpost Pictures,