Megan Smart is a brilliant Australian actress and filmmaker who knew she wanted to act from the grand old age of five. She landed her first film - Simon Baker’s Breath - from her very first audition before she’d even graduated drama school, and since then, she’s starred in Wakefield, Amazon Prime’s wonderfully unhinged Class of ’07 and Black Snow opposite Travis Fimmel. She currently stars alongside Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield in the hilarious comedy-horror Gnomes on Disney+

Megan and I met at a very glamorous event and immediately bonded over our beloved “old lady” hobbies and how making real things with our actual hands made us feel fulfilled outside of the make-believe world of filmmaking.

In this episode, we chat about the extreme highs and lows of the film industry, how discipline is the only thing you have control over, and why impatience can be an asset. We also delve into her journey of self-discovery when she moved from Australia to London, and the exhilarating moment she found she’d been chosen for an acting job - but had just four hours to get to the airport!

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro

01:50 - Rosie’ choice of tea for Megan: Queen Anne

02:27 - Megan’s tea memories: her father and British family roots

03:44 - Meeting her fiancé Sam in a London bar - “so old fashioned”

04:51 - Drama school as Megan’s “wonderland”

05:42 - Why her new TV show Gnomes immediately appealed to her - “Hot fuzz meets Gremlins”

07:31 - The worst advice Megan has received: be patient and wait

08:49 - Learning not to make herself smaller for other people

11:20 - The one thing actors can control: how hard they work

15:08 - Her setbacks getting into drama school

17:40 - Voiceover work on [GAME] and the unexpected accent pivot

19:20 - Saying no can matter as much as saying yes

20:48 - The “dark person” she once thought she was

21:53 - A fresh start in London and choosing her own story

23:21 - Knowing she was born to tell stories

24:10 - Exploring directing and building projects of her own

24:53 - The uncertainty and exhilaration of acting work

26:20 - What she does when nobody is watching

27:04 - Quickfire tea etiquette

LINKS & MENTIONS

Find Megan on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6024352/

Follow Megan on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesmartmegan/

CONNECT

Website: https://www.teawithrosieconversations.com/

Substack: https://teawithrosieconversations.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teawithrosieconversations/ | https://www.instagram.com/rosiefellner/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teawithrosieconversation

CREDITS

Host & Producer: Rosie Fellner

Guest: Megan Smart

Director: Gillian MacGregor

Writer: Neil K Lory

Music: James Edward Barker

Stills Photographer: Bob Foster

CONVERSATION

Director of Photography: Conor Boru

Camera Operator: Dom Lenoir

TITLE SEQUENCE & SPONSOR CREDITS

Director of Photography: Willow Bidwell

Camera Assistant: Alex Hageman

Hair & Make Up: Jolanda Coetzer

Producer's Assistant: Robin Stewart

Filming Location: The Portobello Hotel

Episode Sponsor: Mackenzie-Childs

With thanks to Fortnum & Mason https://www.fortnumandmason.com/

Shelley Conn is rather marvellous. An exceptionally talented and prolific actress, Shelley’s career spans film, TV and theatre. Recently, she was Lady Mary Sharma in Bridgerton - a mother navigating a world that wasn’t built for her daughters, Dean Shetty in Gen V, Isabella in Love Sarah and is soon to be seen in ITV’s upcoming series Adultery alongside Dominic Cooper and Romla Garai.

I met Shelley… let’s just say a few years ago… on a TV show called Down to Earth and it felt like meeting a long-lost sister. Shelley has real magic. She’s ethereal, deeply present, and completely without artifice.

In this new episode of Tea With Rosie, Shelley reveals what she’s learning from the new generation of young women, the heartache that made her look inwards, and how motherhood changes everything.

This episode of Tea With Rosie is sponsored by Mackenzie-Childs, https://www.mackenzie-childs.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro

00:18 - Welcome to Tea With Rosie

02:53 - Rosie chooses Lapsang Souchong for Shelley

03:55 - Shelley’s first tea memories - “picnic coffee”

05:58 - Getting lost at a phone-free night club

07:21 - How motherhood changes your world

08:48 - The pressure to make yourself smaller - and why Shelley won’t do that anymore

11:24 - “Get your kit off” - why intimacy coordinators matter

14:20 - Finding a sense of self after tragedy

16:06 - Turning pain into soul searching

16:57 - Shelley’s support after Rosie’s bereavement

18:21 - The wonderland of having a family

20:31 - Taking risks and trusting there will always be another chance

23:05 - The academic life Shelley once imagined

25:12 - Shelley as Elphaba in Wicked?

26:25 - Rosie’s horrible Dirty Dancing audition

30:02 - Singing and dancing when nobody’s watching - but they can probably still hear you!

31:07 - Quick-fire tea etiquette

LINKS & MENTIONS

Find Shelley on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174909/

Follow Shelley on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theshelleyconn/

CONNECT

Website: https://www.teawithrosieconversations.com/

Substack: https://teawithrosieconversations.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teawithrosieconversations/ | https://www.instagram.com/rosiefellner/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teawithrosieconversation

CREDITS

Host & Producer: Rosie Fellner

Guest: Shelley Conn

Director: Gillian MacGregor

Writer: Neil K Lory

Director of Photography: Willow Bidwell

Camera Assistant: Alex Hageman

Sound Recordist: Dom Lenoir

Hair & Make Up: Jolanda Coetzer

Music: James Edward Barker

Producer's Assistant: Robin Stewart

Filming Location: The Portobello Hotel

Stills Photographer: Bob Foster

Episode Sponsor: Mackenzie-Childs

With thanks to Fortnum & Mason https://www.fortnumandmason.com/

James D'Arcy is a rather fantastic actor. I first met him years ago on a movie called Age of Heroes and was struck by his generosity, talent and sense of fun. You’ll know him from Master and Commander, Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, and his longstanding portrayal of Edwin Jarvis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe including in the upcoming Vision Quest. He even found time in his busy schedule to turn his hand to writing and directing Made in Italy, a beautiful film starring Liam Neeson.

In this episode of Tea With Rosie, James discusses the well-meaning career advice that backfired into motivation, how loss and discomfort can become sources of growth, and how marriage and fatherhood changed his life.

This episode of Tea With Rosie is sponsored by Mackenzie-Childs, https://www.mackenzie-childs.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Intro
01:42 — Olivia Colman’s genius
03:43 — James has a shocking confession
04:43 — Introducing James to tea with Darjeeling - the champagne of teas
06:17 — His first memory of tea at a rather brutal French lesson
09:46 — The realities of ageing
11:42 — Making yourself smaller to fit other’s people’s idea of you
13:48 — The well-meaning career advice that spurred him on
16:55 — James was almost known by another name
19:15 — Losing his father at six and how that shaped his life
19:55 — “Another f***ing growth opportunity"
21:10 — Dark periods and getting to the lightness on the other side
22:20 — How meeting his wife changed his mind about relationships
24:29 — The challenges of being an actor and also a parent
26:11 — The version of James that never made it
28:13 — Tea etiquette quickfire questions

LINKS & MENTIONS

Find James on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0195439/
Follow James on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mrjamesdarcy/
Made in Italy: https://www.madeinitaly.movie/

CONNECT

Website: https://www.teawithrosieconversations.com/
Substack: https://teawithrosieconversations.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teawithrosieconversations/ | https://www.instagram.com/rosiefellner/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teawithrosieconversation

CREDITS

Host & Producer: Rosie Fellner
Guest: James D’Arcy
Director: Gillian MacGregor
Writer: Neil K Lory
Director of Photography: Willow Bidwell
Camera Assistant: Alex Hageman
Hair & Make Up: Jolanda Coetzer
Music: James Edward Barker
Producer's Assistant: Robin Stewart
Filming Location: The Portobello Hotel
Stills Photographer: Bob Foster
Episode Sponsor: Mackenzie-Childs
With thanks to Fortnum & Mason https://www.fortnumandmason.com/