Robyn Malcolm: On writing her own rules

Robyn Malcolm is one of New Zealand's best-known actors. She discusses creating her latest age-appropriate role in After the Party and how she's navigated solo-parenting, menopause, and mental health setbacks.

In this episode of It's Personal, Robyn Malcolm talks to Anika Moa about her latest role in After the Party and how she's managed menopause and mental health setbacks as she continues to break barriers in the entertainment industry.

Watch the video version of the episode here

Finding her place

"I wasn't finding my tribe in Ashburton, that's for sure. I was doing a lot of music, so I was disappearing into music a lot, into classical music. And I painted and I was disappearing into that. So I liked disappearing into a creative world. And, I also wasn't very happy with myself at the time, who is at that age. So I liked disappearing into other people.

"There was a moment I entered into a talent quest when I was 14, and I made people laugh. And I remember, you know, how those very key moments in your life, it's like you can remember the smell of things. You can remember detail. And I remember I played Miss Piggy. I remember looking out and everyone was pissing themselves. I was on my bicycle, and it was a warm northwesterly in Ashburton, and the sun was down, and I had my Miss Piggy wig on a polystyrene wig block on the handlebars. And I just remember that bike ride, and I laughed all the way home. I was so happy. It was just glee. It was pure glee that I had managed to galvanise an entire room with laughter."

The beauty of the stage

"I find it one of the safest places to be. Being a character on stage, telling a story in front of a bunch of people. I don't know. There's something about it that is so, safe. There's something glorious about it. Even if you're playing the villain, because you're in the middle of story. And everybody connects to story in some way, and everybody has their own journey with it, and you're all experienced, because we live lives that are so singular. Right. And when you're in a place of story with other people, it's a beautiful collective experience."

"I liken film and television a bit more to something like painting. So you're making the work before you show it to the audience. And there's nothing you can do once it's out there. It's a real gift. It's like, here it is. This is what we made, and you let it go, and then you go, and you can take it however you want to take it. I can't control whether you're going to like this or not."

After the Party…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details