Asher Keddie & Liane Moriarty Sit Down For The First Time Since Nine Perfect Strangers

There’s a particular kind of magic that happens when Asher Keddie and Liane Moriarty share a room – the kind built on humour, creative passion and a deep respect for story. In this week’s episode of You’re Gonna Want to Hear This, the powerhouse duo come together to discuss early-career misogyny, motherhood and self-doubt.

The pair first met several years ago in Byron Bay, on the set of Nine Perfect Strangers. The story, based on Liane’s best-selling novel, follows a group of guests at a mysterious wellness retreat whose lives unravel and collide as the charismatic founder (Nicole Kidman) pushes them to confront the truths they’ve been desperate to avoid. Keddie played Heather, one of the nine guests who arrive at the retreat, who is grieving the recent suicide of her teenage son.

During filming, Moriarty paid a brief visit to the set, where the pair connected instantly.

“That was the only time we’ve actually met in person, which I find completely bizarre, because I think of you a lot,” says Keddie.

“I feel like I know you, as I’m sure everybody says to you. I was watching you on Strife recently, and you were doing this scene which made me laugh so much. I kept thinking, I have to tell her how funny you are,” adds Moriarty.

It’s understandable that Keddie and Moriarty have struggled to reconnect post-filming. Following her standout performance in Nine Perfect Strangers, Keddie has produced and starred in the hit series, Strife, where she plays Evelyn Jones – a media entrepreneur navigating the messy intersection of ambition, motherhood and professional fallout.

Following that, she also stars in and co-produces the drama thriller Fake, in which she plays food writer Birdie Bell, who enters a romantic relationship built on deceit, a role that critics say ranks among her most visceral performances. Currently, she is working on the upcoming television adaptation of The Soulmate, based on Sally Hepworth’s novel.

“In the last few years, performing has shifted for me. I’m wearing different hats now. I’m not just turning up to work and delivering a performance,” says Keddie. “There are other responsibilities, choices and decisions to be made and solutions to find.”

Meanwhile, Moriarty has been busy cementing her status as a powerhouse in both publishing and screen, achieving milestones such as releasing the international bestseller Apples Never Fall in 2021 and publishing Here One Moment in 2024.

Her works continue to translate into high-end screen adaptations: the miniseries The Last Anniversary – based on her novel – debuted in Australia in earlier this year. With over 20 million copies sold globally and translations into forty languages, she remains one of Australia’s most commercially successful authors.

For this reason, it was a rare privilege to arrange an exclusive conversation between these two creative minds who have shaped characters and stories that linger in our hearts and inspire our lives.

In the episode, you’ll get a true insight and explore the secret source of these incredible creative women. As well as listen to how their vulnerability and risk make for unforgettable performances, why the tension between comedy and drama feels so true when they’re involved, and how our own experiences feed into what we create.

If you’ve ever lost yourself in a story like Nine Perfect Strangers or Big Little Lies, or you’re moved by a moment on screen from Ash’s Offspring or Strife, you recognise that magic truly happens when you collaborate. Whether you’re an avid reader or you’re just simply a curious listener, you are going to want to hear this.