Conversations with Caroline O’Meara

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline O’Meara.

Hi Caroline, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a tween, I wrote a play for my cousins and I to perform in, making each cousin sign a contract that even if we fought that the show must go on!

A decade later, I wrote my first full-length play that I acted in and produced. I’d just returned from London where I’d worked in a Post-Production House as a receptionist and a fairly famous American playwright, Neil LaBute, was editing a film and auditioned me for his West End Play. I didn’t get the role, Rachel Weisz did of course, but it meant the world to me that I’d been given the opportunity to try. When I returned back to Australia I decided I’d produce his play in Melbourne, but couldn’t get the rights as the Sydney Theatre Company had them. That’s when Caroline-logic kicked in – “if I can’t produce that play, I’ll have to write my own.”

The play I wrote got me a TV writing gig. I’d performed my play at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in a small theatre to a small audience, but one audience member happened to be a script editor, showrunner and renowned television writer, Philip Dalkin. Philip liked my style and was looking for a young female writer to add to his team. I got hired to work in creative development and helped build the bible for the popular teen mermaid show, “H2O: Just Add Water.”

That Philip took a chance on a new writer (who had terrible punctuation skills at the time) was a tremendous gift. He was a risktaker who mentored several writers throughout his career. That I got to “be in the room” with some of the best Aussie TV writers at a young age has been a source of confidence for me to draw on.

Shortly after, I left Oz for New York. To follow a deep desire to train professionally as an actor. I chose the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, as I thought it would also benefit my writing, as the school was co-founded by a famous playwright. My classmates and I lived and breathed the acting craft. Analyzing scenes in the Chelsea Market while eating Amy’s bread. Shrieking Shakespeare at the High Line. Memorizing lines out loud on the subway. All that mattered was becoming the best actors possible and occasionally irritating commuters along the way.

During one lecture, David Mamet told us as soon as we graduate to get straight to set, no matter how. He also said give it 20 years. So, I followed his advice and got my SAG card doing 18 days of background work on, “The Wolf of Wall Street”. I played a stockbroker’s assistant and wore a Chanel dress. You can catch a glimmer of me beating my chest in an office scene. Martin Scorsese even told me I was doing a good job, when he walked past me as I practiced the chant-thumping relentlessly in between takes. My first stand-in job was on, “Birdman”. I saw the gig posted on actors access, directed by Alejandro G. Inarittu and starring Naomi Watts. Years earlier, I’d seen “21 Grams” at an art-house cinema in Melbourne and it blew my mind! So I made it my mission to get the job, even though I’d never stood in before. All the stand-ins got a copy of the script and similar to understudies we were to memorize the lines, as the long takes required intensive camera rehearsals. The film was partly shot in St. James Theatre, on a Broadway stage too!

A favorite memory was when Naomi and Andrea Riseborough were still getting ready in wardrobe and my stand-in friend, Marie-Pierre Beausejour and I got to rehearse the “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” scene with Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Unfortunately, the camera was not rolling, but this would be my first time in a scene with movie stars. It was a surreal experience, it felt like I was watching a movie and at the same time being in the movie, which was heightened further as we were in a Broadway theatre full of fake-audience-dummies and surrounded by a film crew at the top of their game. Naomi and Andrea soon arrived to set looking gorgeous, and I was quickly shooed off that stage.

After some acting roles on TV and in short films, I left NYC for Los Angeles, sleeping on a friend’s couch for the first 7 weeks, (god bless, Maggie).

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Confidence, hasn’t always come naturally to me. It’s something I’ve had to cultivate over time. I do have courage which is helpful. I was lucky to have the opportunity to ask Bill Murray on set about confidence. He told me, “don’t worry about confidence, it comes and it goes.” This gave me some peace, cause I’m pretty sure Bill is one of the most confident people in the world!

Making a living in the arts can be unpredictable, and finding the right side job is challenging for any actor, “there’s the rub.” I do feel consistantly RICH in community and artistry here in LA, which is what drives me more than currency. It always has.

It’s absurd to mention, but not every Aussie who moves to the States gets Chris Hemsworth, or Margot Robbie’s career, yet there’s a bit of an expectation from my country of origin that if one does not, then one is a bit of a loser. I’m definitely a late bloomer (Mamet said give it 20 years), but you never know what opportunities are coming your way in LA, so you just gotta keep your heart open. I know I’m blessed to be an immigrant who has had many wonderful opportunities and experiences in this country. For that I’m very grateful.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Thank you for asking! In the past three years, I’ve created lots of original theatre works. I’ve written, performed and produced a trilogy of solo shows: “15th Century Ballerina.” (Hollywood Fringe & Namba Splash Festival 2025). Directed by Joan Lynch.
“Sunset Cowgirl.” (Hollywood Fringe 2024).
“Calling in Love.” (Hollywood Fringe & Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023).

Some reviews of my solo performances describe it as: “Gut-wrenching and funny.” “Wildly energetic and heartwarming.” “Unhinged imagination, unabashed eccentricity and unfiltered originality.”

In 2025, two of my One Act plays were produced by the Silverlake theatre company, The Temporal Refugee Foundation:
“Man Toad/Witch.” Directed by Taylor Jackson Ross.
“The Magician’s Assistant and the Rabbit.” Directed by Shira Piven.

I produced my first feature film, “The Otherkind” which will have a 2026 release. It’s a female directed genre film, shot lakeside in the San Bernardino Mountains. I recently had an acting role on the Young and the Restless and I’m excited for more substantial roles in Film and TV to come. The other night I had a dream that I was wearing a green dress and cast in a Scorsese film, I really hope that comes true. I hear he’s shooting one in Prague and I love the color green.

You can always catch me performing live theatre around town in Los Angeles.

What were you like growing up?
When I was 5, I was scolded for singing, “It’s a Small World (After All)” too loudly on stage.

I always had a strong awareness to never litter. That it would hurt the earth.

Image Credits
Austin Nelson, Sasha Dylan Bell, Amanda Rowan, Alaska Lynch, Sarah Lundberg and Emmanuel Lubezki