Claudia Karvan has revealed what she really thinks about the most controversial role of her career.
The Australian actress, 52, has starred in an endless list of films over her decades-long career, but none were arguably as divisive as The Heartbreak Kid.
In the 1993 film, Claudia plays a young Greek-Australian teacher named Christina who begins a controversial affair with high school student Nick (Alex Dimitriades) after landing her first teaching job at a Melbourne school right out of university.
Reflecting on the role, Claudia admitted that viewers had given her their unfiltered opinions on the divisive story while she herself weighed in on the debate.
talking to StellarOn the Something To Talk About podcast, Claudia admitted she had never seen it again and said it was far from her “favourite” work of her career.
Claudia expressed concern about how the story had become stale and insisted that she had no say in directing the film, but was simply hired to play the lead role.
Claudia Karvan (pictured) has revealed what she really thinks about the most controversial role of her career – starring in 1993’s The Heartbreak Kid.
“I had a great conversation recently with someone where he told me that sex didn’t bother me and the fact that you weren’t Greek didn’t bother me,” he said.
‘It was the fact that that guy was practically stalking you. (They) thought it was kind of dated, which I thought was really interesting. Nobody had mentioned that.
“But I think yes, some people say, we are apologizing too much for things that were done in the past, and I think we can’t overcompensate.”
“You know, there are a lot of conversations that should be had and they need to be had.”
Recalling some of the film’s most risqué scenes, Claudia, who was 19 during filming, said she was “not equipped” to do that level of nudity and intimacy.
‘As for the story? Now that I’m a producer, I feel like I was hired to play a role. I didn’t write it. I didn’t direct it. ‘I didn’t produce it,’ he continued.
‘So I’m not responsible for that story. I was a 19 year old girl. And it was hard work. I felt like an adult and I was playing a very adult role.
‘But I was only 19 and far from home. And the content: there was quite a bit of intimacy and nudity.
Claudia admitted she never watched the film again and said playing teacher Christina (pictured) in the premiere was far from her “favourite” job of her career.
In the film, Claudia’s character Christina begins a controversial affair with high school student Nick (Alex Dimitriades) after landing her first teaching job at a Melbourne school.
‘I probably wasn’t that equipped to do it. I made it and I did it, but it wasn’t my favorite job.’
Claudia has since carved out a hugely successful career in Australia and has been preparing to mark a huge milestone next week.
The fifth and final series of his hugely popular TV series Bump will air on Stan on Boxing Day, bringing the fan-favorite show to a close forever.
The dramatic comedy centers on Oly (Nathalie Morris) and her boyfriend Santi (Carlos Sanson Jr), who had a surprise baby in the first season while they were still in school.
The final season will see Oly’s mother Angie (Claudia) continue to battle cancer as Oly comes to terms with her second pregnancy.
And co-creator Claudia has hinted at what will happen at the end of the show while teasing that they had already decided on the ending in the first season.
“The ending we have, the image and the moment, was actually on our wish list when we were developing the first series,” he told Daily Mail Australia exclusively.
“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if one day we could finish the series right now?’ and that’s what we’ve done.”
Elsewhere, Claudia has been preparing to mark a huge milestone next week when the final episodes of her popular series Bump will air on Boxing Day (she is pictured in the show).
“The best thing about season five was that we went into it knowing exactly how we were going to end,” he continued.
“So it was just about how we were going to take the audience’s hand and guide them to this point.”
Hinting at the drama to come, Claudia said they tackle serious topics, including mortality and pregnancy, as it turns out to be as emotional a series as ever.
“We tackle some pretty big stories with the same tone as Bump, so it’s still warm and thought-provoking and funny, but hard-hitting,” he continued.
‘We address mortality, the politics of pregnancy and childbirth, feminism, environmentalism, abortion… yes.
“We sugarcoat things, but we’re definitely going there, which is fun, we don’t want to be too sure.”