Soul searching
His role as Nate, a ghost haunting his best friend in new ABC comedy In Limbo, gives actor Bob Morley a lighthearted way to champion the importance of men’s mental health, writes Siobhan Duck
IT’S taken Bob Morley many years to be able to have an honest conversation about his mental health. Not because he felt in any way ashamed or awkward about the challenges he has faced. Rather, he found that people around him often didn’t know what to say in response.
“It’s one thing to have the courage to say to your friend, ‘Look, I’m struggling,’ but for a friend receiving that information and not knowing how to interact with that, that’s where the conversation breaks down,” he says.
“And so, it’s not just about the one person coming forward and saying, ‘Hey, this is how I feel’, it’s the other person being able to receive that information and continue that dialogue. So, it feels like it’s OK to be vulnerable.”
The popular actor first sought help for himself when he was 17 years old and has continued to take proactive steps to safeguard his mental health ever since. He is especially vigilant now that he has become a father.
“I approach my mental health holistically through meditation, journalling and exercise,” he says, before sharing that he starts each day writing down his thoughts and feelings.
Morley says tackling his mental health proactively has – over time – allowed him to tap into emotions he once found scary and overwhelming and channel them into performances on shows such as Binge drama Love Me and his new ABC comedy In Limbo.
But he also acknowledges that the road to self-acceptance can be hard.
“I think if you’re struggling with a mental health condition, there’s a lot of shame that comes with that,” he explains.
“You question, what’s wrong with me? Why do I feel this way?
“Or the shame pins you down. It’s almost a continuation of that ‘Act like a man’ or ‘Have a cup of concrete and harden up’ [mentality] that is instilled, especially through sport and through bullying at school. That mentality seeps in whether you’re consciously aware of it or not, because you’re young when you hear those things and then you take that on board.”
Although he’s never shied away from talking about his feelings, Morley says his friends and family weren’t fully aware of what he had been facing until recent years.
“When I sat down and had a really hard look at myself over the past four years and started speaking openly to family about it, they didn’t really understand the extent of what I was challenged with,” he shrugs.
“I think a lot of that stuff, whether it’s a defence mechanism or something subconscious, that it [mental health concerns] is something that is pushed aside. You can still you can still be that happy and fun guy [and have bouts of depression and anxiety]. It doesn’t mean that it’s a lie in any way shape or form. People are complex.”
Some of that complexity is addressed in Morley’s new black comedy In Limbo.
In it, Morley plays Nate; a happy-go-lucky, father-of-one who leaves his best mate Charlie (Ryan Corr) shell-shocked after committing suicide. Overwhelmed by grief, Charlie finds himself haunted by Nate’s spirit as he searches for answers about why his friend died.
Morley is hopeful the series will prompt some important discussions about life, love and loss. And it certainly did just that on set where – in acknowledgment of the challenging subject matter – the cast and crew had access to a psychologist.
“And hats off to them for doing that because the content that we’re tackling is very, very heavy and can be triggering for some,” he says.
“Ryan and I both allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and to trust each other so it was definitely challenging.
“There were times where I really needed him to help me through certain things and I think because of that, because we were vulnerable with each other, that enabled us to give an authentic performance.”
Corr and Morley had never met each other before In Limbo but quickly forged a bond.
“He worked with my wife, Eliza [Taylor] on Pirate Island when they were both kids,” he smiles.
“So, they’ve known each other since they were 11. And she kept saying that we would definitely get along and we did. He’s a lovely guy.”
Both Corr and Morley returned from overseas to film In Limbo in Queensland. Corr had just finished filming the Game of
Thrones prequel House of the Dragon while Morley and Taylor live in Los Angeles with their young son, Henry.
“I love coming home,” he says.
“It gives me a chance to recharge because there’s something about being in Australia. It’s much more relaxed and a little bit removed from –what can sometimes feel a little bit intense here in the States – the politics. It’s nice to come home.”
While Morley is eager to get home to work as much as possible so that Henry can experience Australia and get to know his extended family, travelling is juggling act with a baby in tow.
“It’s not as simple now [to jump on a plane to film a new project],” he says.
“Even just finding time to go to the gym or to prepare an audition, whatever it is [is a logistical feat]. You just need to be organised.”
As such, the couple are trying to figure out a system where they can both work without too much disruption to Henry’s routine.
“That’s a new territory for us,” he explains.
“But Love Me and In Limbo are projects that I want to come home for.
“Especially In Limbo, because it is a story that I feel needs to be told in Australia.”
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■ In Limbo, Wednesday, May 24, 9.05pm, ABC TV, all episodes streaming on ABC iview