![]() “Even though I had a beautiful childhood, it was complicated in many ways and that was the movie that I escaped into,” she says. Palmer had dreamt of being in movies since the age of eight when she first saw Alfonso Cuarón’s 1995 fantasy, A Little Princess. It was soon after that she moved from Adelaide to LA, embarking on that rite of passage of young actresses moving to Hollywood to follow their dreams. At the time, she jokingly recalled stories of stalking Leonardo DiCaprio around her first Hollywood party and dating an AFL player. I first interviewed Palmer in 2005 when she was 19 and filming The December Boys, one of her first films. But underneath the shiny surface there is more complexity to Palmer, and even more to admire. On the surface she is all that – a stunning blonde, blue-eyed actress working her way up the Tinseltown ladder with the perfect modern family and the fabulous bohemian lifestyle. It has opened a whole new world to Palmer, and anointed her as a poster woman for modern mothers. They are what define Palmer, and what has transformed her into the woman she is today: a veritable Earth Mother who juggles her many roles – mother, wife, actor, activist, friend – in a raw, open, honest fashion that she documents on Your Zen Mama, the parenting website she co-founded six years ago. With that she kisses Bodhi and says: “Maybe you’ll see Mama on the telly!” and jumps into the SUV. “It’s a big moment, because I’ve been thinking about it since I was a teenager and dreaming that one day I would get to attend the Oscars and now it’s the big day, on my 31st birthday, so it’s a bit overwhelming!” “I’ve got goosebumps and I’m nervous!” says Palmer. Minutes later she heads out the door to her first Academy Awards as one of the few female members of the cast of Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson’s inspiring war film that garnered six Oscar nominations and won two technical awards. “Babe, he may need a nap,” the ever-multitasking Palmer says, hooking Neil Lane diamonds into her ears to complete her outfit, by now resplendent in all her red carpet glory. Forest starts grumbling and Webber takes him away to calm him. Webber had surprised her that morning with a birthday brunch, which included Australian actress and model Phoebe Tonkin (who was a bridesmaid at her wedding in 2013) and the rest of her LA tribe. Bodhi comes careening in from the garage yelling “Surprise!” before handing his mum a cupcake and bursting into Happy Birthday. A make-up artist is perfecting her signature minimal look, a hairstylist fashions her long blonde tresses into a loose wavy natural do to match her ethereal floaty ice-blue Prada gown, and all the while Palmer is bouncing Forest in a baby bouncer with one foot. The next day, the tree house is a bustle of activity with Palmer ensconced calmly in the centre. “I always touch the fence and turn around symbolically to say I got to the top!” she says with a laugh, looking at the spectacular view of Los Angeles stretching out below. Palmer has, quite literally, made it to the top of Hollywood. She stops and touches the security fence guarding the iconic sign that marks the physical pinnacle of the land where movies and dreams are made. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that 15-year-old and say: ‘You’ll never believe this, but on your 31st birthday you will be going to the Oscars!’” At night, when the kids are asleep and I have a moment to myself, I really go back to that time when I was longing to have the opportunity to be an actor working in film, and think about how incredible it is that this is all happening. “I’ve been very reminiscent lately, about being a teenager and having big dreams to come to America and to work in film. “It feels quite surreal, to be honest, but also quite magical,” she says, barely out of breath despite the steep incline. It is the eve of Palmer’s 31st birthday, the day before the Australian actress is to attend her first Oscars ceremony. Her toddler Bodhi is nearby playing pirates with her stepson Isaac and husband Mark Webber in the family home, a virtual tree house nestled in the hills. Her baby Forest is strapped to her chest, snug tight in a baby carrier like a little koala. Teresa Palmer is hiking to the top of the Hollywood sign. BUT IT WAS CREATING HER OWN FAMILY THAT WAS ALWAYS HER GREATEST PASSION. TERESA’S TRIBE ATTENDING HER FIRST OSCARS EARLIER THIS YEAR WAS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ACTOR TERESA PALMER.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |