THE HIT LIST
TELLING STORIES THE ACTRESS CELEBRATES TIWI CULTURE AND MARRIAGE WITH HER FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK
Inspired by the success of their rom-com Top End Wedding, actress Miranda Tapsell and co-writer Joshua Tyler created Aunty’s Wedding – the story of a little Tiwi-Island girl who bombards her maningawu (grandma) with questions about the upcoming family celebration.
“I know I really would’ve appreciated a book like this growing up,” she says. “I think it’s important for lots of artists to remember that they were children once.”
Here, Tapsell, 33, who co-hosts podcast Debutante: Race, Resistance and Girl Power with friend Nakkiah Lui, reflects on books and marriage with WHO …
Would Aunty’s Wedding have been in your book collection as a child?
Yes, it definitely would’ve been a favourite of mine because the cover is pink and I was obsessed with pink and purple as a little girl. It’s about a young Indigenous girl being incredibly proud to be who she is and to belong to such a loving and caring family. What stories did you read as a kid?
The books I grew up with were about ballerinas, princesses and fairies, and they were often blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and I wasn’t. I don’t think I doubted who I was, but I certainly think it built up an uncertainty. So I’m glad I got to make this story for young children right now. It’s actually just about the excitement of having a big party and being with your family. Did you provide any photos or references for illustrator Samantha Fry? Oh, I’m so in awe of Samantha’s work and I thought she captured everyone’s personality really well. She’s a Darwin girl, so she’s very aware of that world. The groom in the book does sort of resemble your husband, James Colley. Is that a coincidence?
That’s funny. A lot of people have their idea of who the groom looks like! But I honestly don’t know who Samantha based him on. I would’ve been very touched if there’s an element of James in there, but also I think it was really important for us to not completely follow the movie. Maningawu tells her granddaughter that in a wedding, a couple “promise to care for each other forever and ever”. How important was that message to share? When I was growing up, I was told marriage was kind of the pinnacle before having children, that it was one of life’s big goals. I think it was important for us to make it not as grand as that. It was more about the idea of bringing people together, because that was what was so special about my own wedding.
You and James now have a year and a half of marriage under your belts. Is it living up to that promise in your book?
Oh, absolutely. I can’t predict what the future is going to be like, but I’m really grateful that I have such an affectionate, empathetic husband who is very patient when I’m feeling a bit down during this time. And if I’m in a slightly better head space, I’ve got the capacity to do the same thing for him. I love that I’m in a relationship where we’re constantly thinking about each other in the back of our minds, and that we always just like to do small things that we know each other will appreciate. Aunty’s Wedding is out now (Allen & Unwin, $24.99)