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As an actress Madeline Beukers knew to get the roles she wanted she would have to help create the content herself.
Sick of playing the girlfriend the Oatley resident teamed up with friend Tricia-Lyn Morosin to star in new web series THIRTY.
The show follows four women in Sydney as they try and navigate their lives in their thirties.
It is the brainchild of Ms Morosin who hit 30 and made the decision to go back to acting school, while wrangling a toddler.
But she soon noticed the lack of roles for thirty-plus, half-Lebanese, size 16 women and decided to stop whining and start writing.
“I thought, the best way to challenge the lack of diversity on our screens was to create a show that showcased real, wonderfully flawed Aussie women of different shapes, ethnicities and sexual orientations,” she said.
She showed the first draft to Ms Beukers who had no doubt it would be a hit.
“Reading Tricia’s first draft of THIRTY on the train home from acting school had me jumping up and down in my seat in excitement,” she said.
“We’d been told by countless teachers throughout our time at school that there aren’t many roles for women, apart from hot, mindless sex objects.
“It really excited me to see writing about everyday, Aussie, women and it inspired me to help challenge the representation of women on screen.”
She plays Jess the girlfriend to one of the main characters Anna.
She describes her character as manipulative and lazy which is a mile away from her true personality.
‘’I found it hard,’’ she said.
‘’I’m naturally hard-working and bubbly and I really had to tone that down while I was on set.’’
As well as starring in the show she also produces it.
‘’It was a lot of hard work, I was juggling school and work at the same time,’’ she said.
‘’It was only on the last day that we were like ‘wow we did this’.’’
The series is already gaining success and has been nominated for Best Australian Drama at this year’s Melbourne WebFest.
Season two is already being talked about.
Season one is online now.
As well as showing off her acting skills online she recently took to the stage for the production of The Little Dog Laughed at New Theatre in Newtown.
Her next goal is finishing her studies at Sydney Theatre School and auditioning for more TV and film roles.
