Teresa Palmer: ‘What's the strangest thing in my fridge? Oh my God – there is slime'

The Guardian

a day ago

When was the last time you solved a mystery?
Oh, I'm going big with this answer: the mystery of the phantom pooer. Someone in my family does poos in the toilet and doesn't flush them. They've all been blaming each other. [Palmer has four children and a stepson.]
It got to the point where I really thought it was my husband, because it was in our toilet. So I actually set up a situation where I pretended the other toilet was blocked and they couldn't use it, and I stalked my children after each poo. One time I didn't hear a flush and they ran out to play so I figured out who the phantom pooer was. I won't out which one of my children it was, but it's one of them. I keep saying, 'It's not that hard! You do a poo, you press the flush!'
What's the weirdest thing in your fridge right now?
Let me go have a look. I have garlic chives. I've got tarragon. I have got peaches in juice. Oh my God, what is this? What is this? I think it's slime. Oh my gosh, it's my son's slime. I thought it was some sort of compote – it is dark red and has chunks in it. There is slime in my fridge.
As a teenager, you worked at the Hungry Jack's in Rundle Mall in Adelaide. Have you ever filmed anything more scary than working at the Hungry Jack's in Rundle Mall?
[laughs] I used to sub at Hungry Jack's in Rundle Mall. I mainly was at Hawthorn. There were some pretty dodgy characters hanging around Rundle Mall back then … I have filmed many, many scary things over my career, but nothing quite compares to the experience of working at Hungry Jack's as a 15-year-old. I'd still go to Rundle Mall to hang out with my little homies in the city. That was the highlight of my weekend. 'Let's go to Rundle Mall! Maybe head to Dazzleland?'
What is the strangest skill you've learned for a role?
Bizarrely, I learned to row for A Discovery of Witches. I learned how to flip my boat and come up the other way, which was really horrifying as someone who is deathly afraid of being underwater. But I became really efficient at it and I broke through my fear.
I had another weird experience when I filmed Point Break in Tahiti – again, underwater. I was strapped to the bottom of the ocean with four sandbags and they take your oxygen out so you can clear your air bubbles. And then you have to act! I had to act in love with someone under the water. When my air would cut out, I would signal with these wide, crazy, panicky eyes. You just have to trust that someone will swim over and give you your regulator back.
I recently turned down a job because they were like 'It'll be three months in the water swimming with whales!' I was like 'Pass! Keep me on dry land.'
Which movie scarred you for life as a kid?
Candyman. It was at my brother's 13th sleepover. I had a big crush on one of his friends, Jesse, so I snuck in to sit with all the boys and sleeping bags and pretend I was a super-cool 11-year-old. I saw the bit with the bees killing people, and I did not sleep without my touch lamp on for about four years. It was terrifying. And I never got to hook up with Jesse.
Who's the most famous person in your phone?
I'll check. You'll have to pick. Paris Hilton. Russell Crowe. Emma Stone. Eva Mendes. Sia?
What's the best lesson you've learned from someone you've worked with?
It's OK to get Uber Eats if you don't like the food at work. I am vegan and it's annoying for people to have to cater to me. This is the people pleaser inside of me. So I always order a vegan garlic bread and a bubble tea. I have that, no joke, every lunchtime when I film. It has got to the point where people will come and give me a heads up on when I should put the order in. When a recent job wrapped, I ordered like 200 garlic breads for everyone on the cast and crew. They were like, 'What have we been snoozing on? This is amazing.' I am the picture of wellness – garlic bread and bubble tea.
What are you secretly really good at?
I'm an encyclopedia for true crime. I know every true crime case. People come to me for recommendations for podcasts, documentaries, TV shows. I can sit and have an in-depth conversation about various cases and theories with anyone. We can get deep real quick – you can just say the first name of someone in a case and I'll know immediately who we're talking about. That's how I find my people.
What book, album or film do you always return to, and why?
Labyrinth. When I used to go to my dad's place as a kid, he didn't quite know how to entertain a little girl so he bought me three VHS tapes and every Sunday I would watch one of the three. The movies were Grease, Labyrinth and A Little Princess.
It was funny to watch Labyrinth again with my children. They're so used to watching Pixar and things with amazing special effects, but the magic was still there. We play the album in the car all day. It still holds firm as my favourite movie.
What's been your most cringeworthy run-in with a celebrity?
This happened about a year ago. I was doing an acting workshop in Byron Bay. We're in the middle of it and this guy pops his head in with his dog, and says 'Oh, what is this?' I told him and he said 'Cool, I've always thought about looking into this.' So I asked what he did and he said he makes music. I was thinking 'That's cute. Are you in a band? Do you perform in the pub?' And someone says 'Holy shit! That's Pete Murray.'
I went to all his concerts. I used to follow him around Australia, watching all these gigs. And I completely didn't recognise him – I thought he was a cute dad who was in a band at the local pub. It was really mortifying. But we had a laugh. I said 'I am so embarrassed – I'm a huge fan of yours.' He invited me and my friends to his gig two months later, so he's not upset I didn't recognise him. He was just so out of context. He is a Byron Bay dad, who knew!
Teresa Palmer stars in The Family Next Door, which premieres Sunday 10 August at 8pm on ABC TV, with all episodes available to stream on ABC iView.