In India’s WAVES Film Bazaar’s Knowledge Series, Rachel Griffiths unravels her career from her breakout role as Rhonda in Muriel’s Wedding to her Oscar nomination, high-end television in the United States, and now her establishment as a writer.
In a candid conversation with producer Mitu Bhowmik Lange, Griffiths talks about how a “serendipitous” role upended expectations of what space a film could hold, why American television unlocked the depth she was looking for, and how returning to Australia to direct Ride Like a Girl was central to her reclaiming her voice as a storyteller.
She said her iconic turn came about almost by accident. “I thought I was going to be a stage actress,” she said. “I grew up thinking there was no place for someone like me in film.” With a background in stage performance and documentary storytelling, she never expected that a “stumbling upon” quirky Australian comedy would launch her into the world of international film. After the film was an amazing success, he went straight to work in England.
In 1998, Griffith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hilary and Jackie. Her career took a turn when she embraced television. “I was dissatisfied with the breadth of roles, and my manager encouraged me to look into television, particularly in the United States, where actresses can have deeper opportunities.” That change led her to Alan Ball’s Six Feet Under, which she calls one of the best scripts she’s ever read. Of the long-form format, she said, “It was thrilling. I got to know my character, I got to know the world, and I got to really explore both.”
For this role, she won a Golden Globe Award and went on to receive critical acclaim. After living in the United States for more than 10 years, Mr. Griffiths chose to return home. The decision was both artistic and personal, she said. “I wanted to understand my country. I wanted my children to feel Australian.” That instinct led her to direct Ride Like a Girl, the Michelle Payne biopic, which ended up being Australia’s highest-grossing film of 2019.
“I didn’t want to be part of the narrative that movies with female leads don’t do well at the box office,” she says. “I wanted to make a movie where a conservative grandfather could take his granddaughter and not realize he was watching a feminist movie, but still be able to root for the girl at the end. I also wanted to make a movie that had box office success.”
Griffiths is currently exploring immersive theater projects inspired by large-scale experiences such as the global Van Gogh installation. “Sometimes the budget, audience and impact make more sense in completely different ways,” she said.
Griffiths concluded with some advice for new female creators. Become a producer, acquire intellectual property, and trust an actor’s instincts to connect with an audience. She also expressed strong enthusiasm for collaboration between Australia and India, pointing to growing cultural ties, shared storytelling possibilities and new distribution deals.
WAVES Film Bazaar is a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) market in Goa.
