Actress Heather Mitchell Shares Her Favourite Shows, Books and Apps

This star of Australian stage and screen has a career spanning 40 years. Here’s what she’s into away from the limelight.

The movie I just watched…

Triangle of Sadness is basically three movies in one and the central theme is of the working classes rising up against those in charge. I loved the script and the performances; it was so dark and funny.

Books I read recently…

I’ve just finished Wifedom by Anna Funder. It’s part biography, part historical fiction, about the wife of George Orwell, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, who was also a writer. So little is known about her but she had a huge influence on Orwell’s work and Funder does a brilliant job of exploring their relationship. I’ve also been reading Richard Flanagan’s Question 7, which was fantastic. It’s a historical drama, memoir and love story.

The podcast I love…

My favourite podcast is one that’s been around for a while: The Rest is History. It covers every historical event you could think of in rich detail. It’s hosted by two historians – Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook – and is very well-researched. I really enjoyed the episode they did on the Mitford sisters, who lived in London: Diana, who was a great beauty, and Unity, who entered into a relationship with Hitler. It’s a fascinating look at events that still reverberate today.

The latest shows I binged…

The dialogue and relationship dynamics in The Bear are just amazing. The Newsreader is an Australian series I’ve been watching – the director, Emma Freeman, is brilliant. I also love watching nature documentaries. A favourite is My Octopus Teacher, about a South African filmmaker’s [Craig Foster] friendship with a female octopus and how much he learnt from her. I find anything to do with animals very calming, especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now.

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