Rachel House Stealing Every Scene on Australian TV

With her commanding presence and unmistakable New Zealand accent, Rachel House, 51, is a serial scene-stealer on Australian television and film. Whether it’s grossing out the sex-ed class as Principal “Woodsy” in Heartbreak High, or appearing opposite Sam Neill and Miranda Otto in The Portable Door, she exudes the strength and comic timing of her breakthrough screen work in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Bridget McManus writes for The Sydney Morning Herald.

In ABC thriller Bay of Fires, set in Tasmania’s north-west, Australia’s favourite New Zealand actress once again makes us quake and grin, this time as a mysterious authority figure.

Having mentored indigenous Aotearoa youth and long advocated for the preservation of culture and language, House came to turn her back on her first love, theatre, and its elitist reach.

“I fell out of love with theatre. It’s all I did for years,” House says. “Some would call me purist. I would call me a wanker.”

Original article by Bridget McManus, The Sydney Morning Herald, July 15, 2023.