new chapter for Julia. To date, it is the
largest project she and Ari have taken
on together. Julia says they’ve wanted
to develop another character for a
while now, but delayed it as they
planned their own (real) wedding,
which took place in March 2017.
Julia speaks fondly of Tali, as if
she’s an old friend, and tells me that
both Tali Babes and Suzelle DIY
have become so ingrained in her and
Ari’s lives, they talk about them as if
they’re actual people.
‘I do try to put a lot of reality
into them,’ Julia says. ‘Deeper than the
parody and satire, I try to find what’s
real and vulnerable. When people can
relate to the character, that’s when the
comedy is the strongest.’
They’re so real, in fact, that Tali’s
sister in the mockumentary is played
by Julia’s real-life sister, Stephanie,
who had never acted before but who,
according to Ari, ‘nailed it’.
Julia quickly admits that comedy
is an especially difficult genre to
master, and that a good amount
of time is spent on planning and
conceptualising. Some days, when
she and Ari wake up, the first thing
they talk about is either Suzelle or
Tali, sometimes both. And although
it’s fun, it can be very demanding.
‘Suzelle and Tali are high-energy
characters; it takes a lot to bring
them to life,’ Julia says. ‘There are
some days I wake up and wonder
where I’m going to get the energy
required to bolster these women.’
Besides the acting itself, preparing
for the characters takes time and
effort. Julia tugs at a strand of her
own blonde hair and says, ‘This isn’t
Suzelle’s hair colour. Whenever we
shoot an episode of her, we need
to spray it black.’ Between the hair
and the carefully curated clothes,
accessories and make-up, it’s a long
process, becoming Suzelle or Tali.
‘That’s why it’s important for
me to take a break from all of this
sometimes,’ Julia says as she looks
around her studio. ‘It’s all a part
of balance in the end. I have to
make sure I bring myself back to
Julia, otherwise Suzelle and Tali
become too big and I can easily lose
important parts of my own character.
‘In real life I’m an introvert. I
don’t think people really expect that.’
I assure her they don’t, and ask her
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