Short Film Supremo. Fitness Expert! Home and Away alumnus. Polymath. Actor /Director/Writer..
..All round, all star, Aussie Goddess, NICOLA QUILTER..
If you were a teenager in the ’80s and ’90s? Chances are, Australian soap opera was part of your routine. Consequently, your first crushes might well have featured some Australian actors.
Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Kimberley Davies (met her btw: lovely!) and Nicola Quilter were among the greats on my dorm wall.
I caught up with Nicola recently and we chatted about times old and new..and that age old chestnut: is it harder to make a short film than a long one?!
Q: Tell us about your latest projects.
A:
I have just shot a short starring Shaun Parkes, written by Elena Pavli. Whole crew were amazing. Ariel Artur, my buddy, shot it and Simon Battensby lit it.
So, it Looks fab. Also Stephanie Griffiths did an amazing job with a lot of blood. Emily Harwood designed it so it was a lovely crew coming together to make something special.
Recently I signed Combustione, a six part drama-sci-fi, to Story First and Downpour to Celestial Gateway. I will be co-directing Downpour with Robbie Del Maestro (amazing talent and
good friend) .
We will spilt the episodes between us in Combustione. I try to stay fit and healthy. My motto is ‘do unto others as you would do to them’. I can no longer put up with idiots – that saves a lot of time.
Q: 2020 was a rough year, right?
A:
It was a very hard year. Lots of pivoting. I busied myself with writing and directed a film for the BBC, remotely.
Q:Home and Away has given us so many stars of the big screen. Hemsworth a recent graduate! What’s the secret of that soap opera’s talent factory?
A:
Working on a soap is very hard work and you learn a lot being thrown in the deep end. I look back on that time, and although it wasn’t an easy job, I am grateful for the experience.
Q: Top five movies?
A:
The Pope’s Toilet.
Let The Right One In.
Another Round
Boyhood
Priscilla
Q: Biggest similarities and differences between Australia and England?
A:
We speak the same language but we don’t speak the same language. Australians are more straightforward.
Brits are more subtle.
Brits are more subtle.
Q:Define ‘wellness’ in your own experience: can health, fitness and positive mental attitude make one a better performer?
A:
Yes – definitely. I make sure I walk for at least an hour every day. I also mediate and try to eat well. I probably drank too much during lockdown but luckily I’m a bit of a lightweight. I’m reading books about the brain and our minds. Controlling what you decide to think is definitely the way forward.
You are your thoughts which become actions, actions become habits and ultimately who you are. I’m enjoying ‘Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself’ by Joe Dispenza.
Q:Is it harder to make a short film than a full feature? In terms of story discipline and image / message delivery?
A:
Making any film is hard. Shorts are their own little monster/entity entirely. Ask me once I’ve made my first series 🙂
MANY THANKS, NICOLA!
