Celeste Barber makes it all look effortless – almost-daily parodies of models in provocative poses are turned into hilarious skits for her 9.6 million followers on Instagram. Pepper that with a Netflix comedy show and a TV drama, product launches and her recent New Zealand tour, and life seems pretty sweet for the actor.
However, the 42-year-old is anxious that life is rushing past her, that she’s not achieving enough, isn’t home with her husband and kids enough, and the entertainment industry will one day shelve her for someone younger.
Which is why Celeste, who was “that loud child” and was diagnosed with ADHD at 16, needs to keep busy – to help manage feeling overwhelmed.
“What I’m not great at is sitting still,” she shares. “I like to be active – that helps a lot with my anxiety. I try to move my body as much as possible. A recent thing for me is, I try to reflect on where I’m at in my life and go, ‘It’s enough. You’re all good.’ But sometimes I don’t have a way of managing it. I just know I feel tired most of the time.”
What energises her is the stage. In 2022, Celeste did her Fine Thanks tour and shot the Netflix drama Wellmania, but ended up burnt out, and wanting more time with Kiwi husband Api Robin, plus sons Lou, 13, and Buddy, 10. After having 2023 off, she has since filmed the feature-length film Runt.
“This time next week, I could be booked on a film, but I might really want to go on tour,” she says about the complicated nature of show business. “But if that job comes up, then I’m touring and filming. But that might not come up and then I’m doing nothing. I’ve always got bills to pay.
“I’ve had many times where I’m quitting. Then six weeks later, I’m auditioning. You just don’t know if you’re going to work again, whatever level of success you’re at.
“And you’re either Margot Robbie or Dame Judi Dench. I’m done with feeling that in the most empowering years of our lives, we are supposed to feel invisible.”
When the Weekly spoke to Celeste, she had recently launched a make-up brand called Booie Beauty.
“There’s just a massive gap for women over the age of 23,” she says. “So much make-up is anti-ageing creams or anti-ageing serums. It can be really overwhelming. So I made five products that get you out the door for people that don’t have any interest in watching a 75-minute make-up tutorial.”
Her fans also prompted her by being reluctant to have photos during her “meet and greets” before comedy shows.
“I can’t tell you the amount of women who say, ‘No, I look terrible in photos.’ We can’t not have photos when we don’t think we look nice because then we don’t have memories of ourselves.”
Celeste broke into comedy in 2015, incorporating body confidence, self-respect and knowing your worth into her shows. A victim of school bullies, she’s copped flack for her parody of models and influencers’ social media posts, but believes there’s a definitive difference between teasing and being mean, and between sarcasm and bullying.
“Australians, Kiwis and Brits are self-deprecating,” she says. “It’s how we roll.”
While there is banter at home, there is also respect.
“My husband is also a very active, vocal feminist, and we are raising feminist boys. When they’re listening to music and I will say, ‘Are we all good with the lyrics? Is anything in that derogatory to women?’ There’s this funny thing that Chelsea Handler did. She had her adult nephews in the hot tub, and she’s like, ‘What’s the word of the day?’ The boys all went ‘Consent’. And my boys know that too.”
When she’s home, Celeste loves chilling out on the weekends with a beach activity, taking the dog for a run, having Gisborne-born Api’s home-made pizza and watching School of Rock with her sons.
She met her husband of 10 years – who features in her social posts as Hot Husband – while working at a pub in Balmain in Sydney.
“I walked straight up to him and said, ‘You’ll be coming home with me tonight.’ And he said ‘All right’.”
They visit New Zealand often and have considered moving here.
“I don’t get over anywhere near as much as we would like to,” she tells. “We actually want to relocate to New Zealand. I love the people and the Kiwi sensibility.”
Runt is in selected cinemas now. For Booie Beauty, visit booie.com