It has been a big start to the year for Asher Keddie. First her home-gown comedy drama series, Strife – in which Keddie both starred and produced – has been nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series. And today, the Australian actor has been announced as the newest ANZ Brand Partner for L’Oréal Paris. The collaboration marks Keddie’s first-ever beauty partnership – and she says it feels entirely on her own terms.
Keddie talks exclusively to Marie Claire about the new partnership, being amongst icons, letting go of some of the control and what authentic beauty really looks like now.
MC: Congratulations on your AACTA nomination. How does it feel to have Strife recognised in this way?
Asher Keddie: It feels fantastic. Especially when it’s a show you’ve built from the ground up with a group of people you love working with. The process is always the most enjoyable part, but when the audience connects with it – and the work is recognised like this – it really is the cherry on top.
MC: You were both producer and performer on Strife. What did you enjoy most about wearing both hats?
AK: Producing is very different to performing, and doing both creates this really challenging but special experience. I love being able to step outside the work and help create the world, then step back inside it as a performer and sit in that vulnerability. Making decisions, problem-solving, then delivering a performance – it’s demanding, but incredibly fulfilling.
MC: How do you manage that, alongside family life?
AK: I juggle it – sometimes well, sometimes badly, like everyone. I’m a very good organiser, but something shifted for me in the last year. I’ve let go of trying to control everything. We take things one day at a time now, and it works better for our whole family. I’m not holding on so tightly, and life flows more easily because of that.
MC: You’ve just partnered with L’Oréal Paris – your first beauty collaboration. Why did this feel right?
AK: It felt genuinely exciting because it’s new for me, and because the alignment is real. L’Oréal Paris has had the same ethos since the early 1900s – that integrity and belief in women hasn’t changed. That authenticity has become really important to me, especially in my late 40s and now at 51. I wanted this to feel like an authentic choice, not a performative one.
MC: You’re joining a brand family that includes icons like Jane Fonda. What does it mean to be in that company?
AK: It’s incredible. It’ really is an honour. What I admire about the women associated with L’Oréal Paris is that their sense of self-worth feels so authentic. There’s truth there. I feel aligned with their beliefs, and I’m genuinely proud to be part of a group of women who stand in that place of confidence and integrity.
MC: Are there any products you genuinely love and use?
AK: Skincare is my priority. I’ve always believed that once your skin is healthy, everything else works better on top. I’ve used the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Day Cream and night creams for quite a long time, and I love them. More recently, I’ve added the Revitalift Laser Serum morning and night as well – I use it with a facial roller, then layer the creams over the top. It’s simple, but it really works.
I love makeup too, but I don’t wear a lot. Coming from film and television, I know you don’t need much if your skin is in good condition. One product I don’t go without now is the Lumi Glotion Glow Enhancer – it gives that softness and glow without being too shiny. Sometimes I mix it with moisturiser, sometimes I layer it under foundation. It just enhances what’s already there.
MC: You’ve spoken about letting go of performative expectations. What’s shifted for you?
AK: As my self-worth has grown, particularly over the last two to three years, I’ve consciously put that performative side aside. I feel more relaxed, more myself, and I enjoy my work and my life more because of it. There’s a real sense of agency that I didn’t feel I deserved before – and that’s been incredibly freeing.
MC: What does beauty mean to you now?
AK: Beauty feels like empowerment. It comes from self-worth and doing the inner work – appreciating who you are, not just how you look. That realisation is such a relief. When you truly believe you have value, that’s when you feel beautiful – and that’s what people see.
lorealparis.com.au
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