Public relations

ED OXENBOULD

ACTOR

Body+Soul

Coming from a family of actors and actresses, I often find myself in professional contexts with people who have worked with one of my parents, an uncle, an aunt or a cousin.

Deborah Mailman is one of those people. She had worked with both my uncle and my mother before I first collaborated with her on the set of Paper Planes.

Six years later, we found ourselves together again in a small Brisbane studio, voicing characters for the Aussie animation feature Combat Wombat.

The bulk of the film focused on the relationship between Deb’s character and mine; we recorded most of our lines together.

Working with Deb has been a blessing and lesson in how

to carry oneself.

Her upbeat nature and intoxicating positivity removed any nerves I had. Her openness, honesty and incredible work ethic inspires me to continue to grow so that, one day, I can hopefully approach my work with the same level of professionalism and a similar grounded mindset. Whether Deb was in the recording booth or telling

a story over lunch, everyone was always smiling and felt seen and heard.

I’ve worked with other actors who have taken their position for granted and made no attempt to make me comfortable as a younger, less-experienced actor. To work with Deb, an actor who does the complete opposite, is a breath of fresh air.

After watching Combat Wombat and seeing all our hard work come together, I’m once again reminded of how I’d like to model myself after Deb’s behaviour and positivity going forward. Now that we’ve made two films together, I’d say it’s time for a third!

Combat Wombat is available now on premium video on-demand services.