Bruna Papandrea, the powerhouse Australian producer behind Big Little Lies, The Undoing, and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, is back with another adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s work, this time with The Last Anniversary, produced under her Made Up Stories banner.
It marks Papandrea’s sixth screen project based on Moriarty’s books, a creative partnership that continues to deliver internationally resonant stories.
“The consistent thing is Liane, right?” Papandrea told Mediaweek.
“She brilliantly balances mystery, human emotion and heart. Even when the subject matter is heavy, there’s always lightness. She sees the small details, the humour, that tonal balance is in everything she writes.”
The six-part series, co-produced with Nicole Kidman and Per Saari’s Blossom Films, features a central mystery that eats away at a family across generations. Directed by John Polson, and released across Foxtel and BINGE, the production has a unified creative voice, something Papandrea insists is vital. “I’m not a big fan of too many voices in anything, whether a novel, TV show or film. We’ve always made our TV shows like movies, hopefully that sets them apart.”
A still from The Last Anniversary
Complex characters and hidden truths
At the heart of Papandrea’s storytelling ethos is a desire to portray women who aren’t confined by stereotypes.
“What I’m always interested in is portraying someone who you think you know, and then you get surprised,” she says. “Big Little Lies, obviously, is the classic example of that and proves all the glitters is not gold. There’s so much going on beneath the surface, and that’s something that does interest me.”
Papandrea says she is also drawn to characters with hidden depths, especially females, as she believes “men get to show their darkness, but women want that too, they don’t just want happy families because that’s just not what the world is”.
While The Last Anniversary explores secrets, lies and emotional complexity, Papandrea says optimism remains essential.
“I don’t like things to be unremitting, especially at the end. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a good example, we tackled some really heavy themes, but with hope.”
The power of place
Moriarty’s evocative landscapes play a crucial role in her storytelling.
“John and I were talking about how disappointed people will be when they learn that Scribbly Gum (where The Last Anniversary is set) doesn’t exist,” Papandrea reveals.
“When you take something like Big Little Lies, which was filmed in Monterey, people go to Monterey. Then there was Nine Perfect Strangers, which was filmed at a retreat in Byron Bay and has now become a tourist attraction. With this one though, they’re going to be disappointed.”
She clarifies that Scribbly Gum is an amalgamation of real locations such as Dangar Island, and while fans won’t be able to go to the real place, Papandrea believes a trip to Hawkesbury River will give them “a sense of the place.”
A still from The Last Anniversary featuring actress Teresa Palmer on the Hawksbury River
Working local, thinking global
Papandrea acknowledges the changing global landscape of streaming and its impact on Australian productions.
“I make jokes because kids watch everything on closed caption now. So, if Australia was ever a barrier because of the language, even though we speak English, but it is still weirdly, a barrier, it’s now become less so. Plus the world has become much more open to stuff from other countries.”
Despite the recent success of homegrown productions, such as the 2022 horror film Talk to Me, Bluey (ABC) and Last King of the Cross (Paramount +), Papandrea admits some Australians are restrained when it comes to sharing their creative ideas.
Nicole Kidman, Liane Moriarty, Reese Witherspoon, and Bruna Papandrea
“I think we do have a bit of a Tall Poppy thing, let’s be honest. But I want to see Australians out there amplifying and celebrating their stories.”
It is that attitude Papandrea says, that has made her passionate about championing Australian talent.
“I am a big fan of amplifying other people’s work, like, I am such a fan girl of other people’s work. And I want more people to do that. We should all be out there talking about other stuff that we love because there are so many Australians punching above their way, there’s so much great stuff. My friends made Fake last year, which I absolutely loved, and then of course, Colin from Accounts.”
Having worked extensively in both the US and back home, the Adelaide-born Papandrea says she still revels in the unique dynamic of working with Australian crews.
“I think Americans might have a slightly bigger tolerance, maybe because they’ve had to endure bigger personalities for years, but with Australians, you don’t get away with anything,” she laughed before adding “they don’t care who you are, whether you’re a movie star or not. You don’t want to misbehave with an Australian crew because they will set you straight, which I like.”
Full disclosure: I was so nervous while interviewing Papandrea, a woman whose work I adore, that I stumbled and nearly burst into tears mere seconds into the chat. I then admitted: “I’m sorry, I’m just so nervous”. Instead of admonishing or belittling or throwing out a cheap quip, Papandrea let out a warm laugh, very quickly allowing the conversation to move and develop into that comfortable and familiar feeling she is so skilled at bringing to her work.
Pictured: Bruna Papandrea