ABC’s newest psychological drama series follows a family struggling to piece together their lives after a loved one vanishes.
Significant Others sees Sarah (Jacqueline McKenzie) put a wrecking ball through her family as her disappearance draws her estranged siblings back to find the family home partially demolished.
The series boasts a robust lineup of Australian talent who explore grief and the complexities of family relationships.
Created by Tommy Murphy and directed by Tony Krawitz, the series stars newcomer Zoë Steiner (Hanna) and rising star Gulliver McGrath (Hugo) as Sarah’s children, alongside Rachael Blake (Lantana), Alison Bell (The Letdown) and Kenneth Moraleda (Janet King) as Sarah’s siblings.
Rounding out the cast are Todd McKenney (Strictly Ballroom), Rarriwuy Hick, Diana Popovska, Alan Dukes, and Fayssal Bazzi.
With a mixed bag of personalities making up the fractured family, the weight of shock, grief, and regret adds tension to the family in search of answers.
Mediaweek spoke to Todd Mckenney, who plays Wayne – the supportive fiancé of Sarah’s sibling Den – about bringing the series to life and his role throughout the process.
Real-life experiences
When Sarah’s teenage kids, Ciaran and Hanna, reluctantly call on their missing mother’s estranged siblings, Ursula, Den, and Claire arrive to discover the torn-up home with a destructive inheritance dispute still looming.
The family have to navigate grief amongst the chaos while facing their own childhood traumas.
McKenney said creator Tommy Murphy was inspired by his own experience with grief to bring the series to life. The Canberra Times reported Murphy was motivated to write the series after the loss of his sister Bridget who died from breast cancer six years ago, and then, 11 months later, the shock death of his partner of two decades.
“I think it [the inspiration for the show] comes from dealing with grief. And he [Murphy] had to deal with grief of his own. And I think what became interesting to him when he was going through the grieving process was how different people grieve,” McKenney said.
Significant Others explores each character’s different relationships with Sarah and how they deal with the situation. For example, Wayne’s husband Den turns to sex for solace when coping with his grief.
Moving from stage to screen
McKenney’s character Wayne is a beacon of light in a dark time. McKenney says Wayne brings warmth to the family, with a focus on taking care of the kids.
“I saw him as the peacemaker and the guy that just kept the lid on all the anxieties of everybody and just tried to calmly sail through and solve the issues that came up along the way.
“I felt he needed to be the warm, calm voice amongst all the chaos.”
With such an emotional story, McKenney says he grew a connection with the cast.
“There’s one moment towards the end of the show where Ciaran kind of grows up in front of me. And it made me really teary, as Todd and as well as the actor, it was just a perfect scene to shoot.
“It felt like I watched this young kid go from a kid to a man, and it was very special.”
McKenney’s performance history is primarily in stage shows and musicals. So stepping behind the camera was an experience that took him by surprise.
“It was really nerve-wracking to start with because I just didn’t know how different it would be. And it turned out to be incredibly different, so I felt like I was learning a new skill, and that’s something that took me by surprise. I felt like an old dog learning a new trick.
“In this stage of my career, it was really interesting psychologically to be the new kid on the block.”
Despite stepping into the world of television for the first time, McKenney had an ensemble of experienced talent to learn from and guide him throughout the process.
“I just sort of stood back and watched how they all approached the process and in doing that just got taught so much,” McKenney says. “I was like a sponge; I was just interested in the process and learning what lens was on what and cameras do what, which was so nice to freshen my act up.”
Every person can find parts of Significant Others relatable. Mediaweek’s Andrew Mercado said: “Everyone should be able to recognise the fractured family at its centre, with siblings already squabbling about an inheritance and now have to face a new mystery.”
“In pretty much everybody’s family, I think if you scratch the surface, skeletons start rattling. And I think we definitely explore that in the story,” McKenney says. “It was one of the most thrilling theatrical experiences of my life; it was so great to be learning something new, doing something meaty, with an absolutely incredible cast and crew and writing team.”
Significant Others airs weekly on Sunday 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.