SARA WISEMAN
The New Zealand actress and Mercy Peak star, 45, tells WHO’S Carly Bass about starring opposite her husband on A Place to Call Home, getting her start as a stuntwoman, and taking care of animals on the side.
You play headstrong Carolyn Bligh. How similar are you to her? She’s a very staunch fighter for equal rights and equality, and I am waving the flag high and bright for that. I feel very connected to her on those levels and for standing on her own two feet. What’s it like working so closely with your husband, Craig Hall, who plays your on-screen beau Jack Duncan? We first filmed together on a short film called Home Kill where by the end, his character ends up with an axe in his groin. That’s how we met! [ Laughs] But it’s great working with him. We have a blast and I am very privileged to hang with my best mate and do the job we love. You began your career as a stuntwoman on the Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess series. How was that? I have a background in dance, but I wanted to put “stuntwoman” on my passport. You know, coming through customs, they ask you what your job is, and I just wanted to say, “stuntwoman”! But it was a wonderful introduction into being on set and seeing how to operate and behave. When did you turn that into acting? I did some voluntary work on Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures and that’s where I caught the acting bug. I knew I was never going to be an extreme stuntwoman, and I always wanted to be able to face the camera. I started doing classes, so my stunt work paid towards my acting training. Away from the screen, you are a big supporter of animal welfare. I have fostered many, many cats, but I would like to tick Indonesia off my bucket list and do what I can to support orangutan and elephant sanctuaries. It’s definitely a heartstring puller for me.