Battle of the Ex-es

From TV Week magazine, 11-17 August 2003.

Catherine McClements and Aaron Blabey knew they were onto a winner when they read the quirky script for the new Network Ten series Crashburn, starting on August 18.

Told in two halves - male and female - the series takes a blackly humorous look at the break-up of couple Ben and Rosie's 10-year marriage. "When I read it, I thought it was the best TV show script I've read here in Australia," says Aaron, who plays Ben. "It was genuinely funny. To attempt something like this in a drama series format is amazing. It's like those great HBO series, which really push things."

Catherine, who plays Ben's wife Rosie, was also blown away by the concept. "The writers - Deb Cox and Andrew Knight (of SeaChange) - are really fantastic. I just knew it was going to be really good and I wanted to be part of it." Both actors are confident viewers will relate to the show. "Because it's about relationships, it's not that alienating or difficult to understand - it's just men and women dealing with each other," says Aaron. "It's very real and very rare here on TV. We all have high hopes for it."

Relaxing over a coffee in Sydney, Catherine and Aaron notice they are wearing the same outfit - jeans with boots and black shirts. The pair have been friends for years, working together on stage shows and TV productions.

"We've worked on Water Rats together," says Catherine. "Actually if I had known Aaron was involved with this show," she adds with a laugh, "I probably wouldn't have been interested... that was the wildcard!"

During much of the filming, Catherine and Aaron were separated into boys' and girls' camps, but came together for the flashback scenes, which are shot over a 10-year span. "Our shooting week was pretty much split in half - men and women," says Aaron. "If I was in a scene, generally Cath wasn't - because you're following two sides. There was maybe one day a week when we'd do stuff together."

Shooting scenes that are set in the early '90s provided much amusement.

"It was really fun," says Catherine. "Playing a young person you get to act out all the foibles, things that you look back on now, and think 'Ahh, how embarrassing!' Plus, I had this terrible wig. It was quite big and curly, and sort of mad. It was very '80s."

Aaron's changes were less dramatic. "I was going to wear a false beard," he says, "But in the end we decided against it. Cath's changes were more drastic than mine. I went from being more scruffy, to being more expensive and conservative."

Both actors say they would love a chance to go back to their early twenties with the relationship knowledge they have now. "I think I was such an idiot when I was in my early twenties!" says Aaron with a laugh. "I've learned mostly not to be such a goose. When I met my girl (wife Kirstie) everything just changed. It's finding the right person more than anything else. And you grow up and stop doing as many stupid things... so that helps."

Cath offers the following advice for young people who are trying to find love. "Drop 'em earlier! Don't hang on. What you're thinking is right. When you're a young person, you always think you're at fault. But it's never you. It's always them."

He says, She says...