Claudia Karvan: Actress, Writer, Director & Producer

What is tea to you?

I don't drink coffee at all, so tea is my thing. It's one of those things that I never travel without. I am pretty particular about tea. When I’m having a meeting with someone and they suggest catching up for coffee, I suggest we meet for tea, as it has a different connotation. The meeting immediately feels like it’s going to be more relaxed. It's not going to be so buzzy. 

What tea rituals do you have?

The water has to be boiling hot. I often carry a mug with me because I care about what kind of vessel I drink tea out of. I always carry a tea flask when I travel. Whenever I’m working away from home, my tea flask is like my life raft. My own tea and my own tea flask.

The crew on set always offer a cup of tea but I like the whole process of making it myself. 

I did a series in Melbourne called Newton’s Law a couple of years ago. We were on set filming, I went to the toilet and when I returned the whole crew was staring at me. The cinematographer had moved my bag and dropped my tea flask and it had broken. I don't cry very often, but I started crying! He was so apologetic about breaking it and I was so embarrassed to be crying in front of the whole crew because of my tea flask, but I was just so attached to it. I’d built up such an attachment because it was part of a whole ritual of sorts.

How do you brew your tea?

I just go by the colour in the tea flask. I like it strong and milky. I also like tea with soy milk. I just did an audiobook, which was great fun, six days in a studio reading a book. With voice work, you can't drink too much dairy because it coats your throat and so when speaking you’re always clearing your throat. So, I went over to soy milk. 

Do you often observe people and think that they would be good for a character?

Always! No one is safe. Whenever someone tells me a story I ask if they mind; aspects of character might go into a scene. I think it's the loveliest thing about the job. You do become a bowerbird. It's a bit of a journalistic thing, I guess. That curiosity about other people, drawing out people's eccentricities or absurd scenes from their lives. People love sharing that sort of stuff, so I’m just constantly collecting nuggets of information for insights into characters. 

Do you have any daily rituals?

I meditate. I try to make it daily. It’s a bit of a ritual. I use the Headspace app. I like how it tells you to connect with all the sounds around you. I quite like listening to all the birds, the trucks, the people... I find it really brings me into the present.