📺 EXCLUSIVE CHAT: Asher Keddie & Brendan Cowell

Asher Keddie and Brendan Cowell joined Jonesy & Amanda ahead of the release of their brand new show, Plum.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jersey and Amanda jam Nation.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I had two of Australia's finest talents and together they're
starring in a gripping new series called Plum. In it,
we see Brendan Carroll and Asha Ketty dive deep into
the complexities around the Australian culture of sports, mental health
and life struggles and to join us now with thrilled
Asher and Brendan.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Hello, Hi, I just love the premise of this So Brendan,
you play Peter Lum the Plum, an ex footy player,
an ex sharky and then you've got Asher as the
ex wife.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
There's a lot of exes going on, which always makes
for great drama, doesn't it. The more exes you can get,
the more ticks you get drama wise. But yes, Peter
the Plum Lum forty nine year old ex footy player
retired about sixteen years living the dream in Krinala. He's
a bit of a local hero, you know. We can't
go down the street without a selfie. And he likes

(00:54):
to exercise with his son in the morning and lives
with his girlfriend and then probably has a few too
many schooners of an afternoon with other ex players of
different sports, and he works at the airport dragging the
planes out, and then one day he has a seizure
at the airport as a result of the hundreds of
concussions he took on the field, finds out he's got

(01:15):
a brain injury, and then if he doesn't change up
his life, he could be in deep water. But the
thing is he's got this ingrained never take a backward
step from his dad. And you know, he's an Aussie
assie mail. He's not good at expressing himself. And he
goes on a journey which later on in the piece
involves you know, writing things down, and Asher plays his

(01:39):
his ex wife. But they're still very much in each
other's life, and if anything, they found the best way
to be in each other's life because they can kind
of yell at each other and see each other every day,
but they don't have to worry about the you know
what dinner will be like that night.

Speaker 5 (01:54):
You know, he hides everything from all the other people
in his life, but he can't can't hide anything from
Renee no, so which is.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
Just won't letting you know.

Speaker 5 (02:06):
Yeah, yeah, I just called it the way it is,
which is what he needs really and what he eventually
appreciates so that he can save himself.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
And Renee, Renee your character he she's with a doctor.

Speaker 4 (02:17):
Now, yes, ja.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Oh another fun human.

Speaker 5 (02:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
These themes are so current at the moment, though, aren't
they in terms of brain health with footballers. I know
this is based on this is the book that you wrote,
Brendan ten years ago, ahead of your time. Because this
conversation was this conversation big.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Then well, yeah, it's a good question, Amanda, because we
set the show. We lay our scene twenty eighteen nineteen,
which is when I started to write it during the
beginning of the pandemic. I wrote it in my basement
flood in notting Hill, and it was when the media
was shifting their attitudes from oh, you know, it's contact sport,
shout up. If you don't want to play it, go

(02:58):
and do ballet too. I hang on, I think players'
lives are more important than making the semi finals.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
Guys were getting medically retired.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Your boyd Cordiner's, Wally Lewis was coming out and going
I think I've got it, And suddenly there was a
doctor in the bunker, and there was Hia's and there's protocols.
So we lay our scene at the shifting attitude, don't we.
And her husband is a great kind of information device
in the show because he's like, do you realize if
he doesn't do something about this could be.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
Dementia or death. And so there's these real.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Kind of stakes in the show that Peter Lam kind
of like the codes have to get the information.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
So does Peter Lam. You know that's Shakespearean notion.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Wow, I'm very very powerful and Asher, I just love
every single thing that you're in. Fake was the most
extraordinary recent program i've I've most a brilliant thing. I
loved it, and I love all your outfits in it.
How who's Renee and plumb? How are you picturing her outfits?

Speaker 4 (04:01):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (04:02):
It was just quite fun developing Renee and the way
she she looks and the persona she wants to convey.
I guess it was really fun with Renee because I
just I remember saying to our wonderful designer Olivia Smitt,
I just want her to look fantastic and feel fabulous.

(04:22):
But just there's always there's got to always be something
not quite right or that she's you know, she's done
something she's.

Speaker 4 (04:29):
Done too much.

Speaker 5 (04:30):
Whether it's you know, a fabulous Gucci loafer but it's
actually floral, you know, not not classic black order.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
But it was fun. That's the wag. The wag Renee
is still a wag.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
And Brendan and I just like to talk about your
wardrobe for the show. So I'm thinking a distinct Low's
outlook there. You know, a lot of fleecy involved a
lot of short jerseys.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
I think, you know, I looked a lot of Andrew
John's like, you know, there's just those three shirts. There's
no reason to get any more shirts. Those shirts are working.
And then I looked at Paul Mescal really blowing up
in normal people for short shorts, and I thought, I'll
get my thighs out, and I reckon, the ladies are
going to go crazy because they want that.

Speaker 4 (05:20):
I think they do. I kind of went with.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
That faded eighty surfer look with a short short for
the ladies.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
There the flip flop.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
It's got something for everyone. Plum premiers this Sunday at
eight thirty on ABC TV, or you can stream all
the episodes right now on ABC I view. Brendan cal
Asher Keady, thank you for joining us.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Thanks, thanks Love for having its on means a lot,
and thanks for supporting Plum Sunday Night. Thank you guys,
turn off those shows where you vote your ex wife off.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
And love Kitchen my island block of challenging the drama
for you asked for it here it is here.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
It is. Yep, all those keyboard boys game, where's Assie? Drama? Here?

Speaker 2 (06:04):
It is now with added sigh, very happy for it.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Thank you you too, wonderful. See you bye