SARAH PEIRSE

ACTOR

If you look at acting purely from a financial standpoint you would say, ‘Don’t do it! It’s crazy!’ ”

SARAH PEIRSE

Asked whether she was confident she would make it as an actor, Peirse laughs. “I wasn’t! You find a level of self-belief that propels you when things are floundering and that helps you survive the down times.”

The New Zealand-born actor has worked in film, TV and theatre. She won a 2016 Helpmann Award for the best supporting actor in the play

The Golden Age. Films include Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, Heavenly Creatures and Rain.

Peirse, 58, has been married, divorced, raised three children, moved continents and maintained a successful career. She spent a decade directing so she could be home for the kids in the evenings and then moved back to acting. She also started a landscaping business with her sister in Auckland, where she still keeps the family home. The past six years on stage have been particularly satisfying.

“I just happened to get a number of castings at the right time, perhaps because other actresses my age were no longer working. There was a dearth of work in my 40s but now in my 50s there’s more work. I’ve been a fortunate recipient of that.”

Peirse’s passion for acting is constantly present. “The whole journey of being part of a production – TV, film or theatre – can be tremendously stimulating. There is something invigorating about a good play, a good piece of writing, good direction, a good cast who are fun and challenging.”

Her natural tendency to be careful with money has paid off. “You don’t quite know as an actor where you might have to turn your hand to next,” she says. “Moving into directing, then having this opportunity to do this landscaping, which has been going for 12 years, has been a really good way to manage. When I come off a show I get my gumboots on, and that’s where I head off to next.

“I’m fortunate in that I have resources [managed funds] that continue to support me. I put a certain amount aside that gives me a monthly income. I decided that was the best use of my money. I deeply regret no longer owning real estate in Australia.”

So what advice would she give to a young actor? “If you looked at it purely from a financial standpoint you would say, ‘Don’t do it! It’s crazy!’ But I also know if you live your life like that, it’s a more constrained, a more impoverished existence. If you feel truly that you want to be an actor you have to be prepared to ride the highs and the lows. You need tremendous self-belief and resilience.” (Sarah Peirse is currently acting in Mark Colvin’s

Kidney at the Belvoir St Theatre.)