It’s been over a year since filming wrapped on Netflix’s thrilling new series The Survivors. Kiwi actress Miriama Smith couldn’t wait to be reunited with her co-stars at the show’s glitzy launch party in Melbourne a few weeks ago.
Netflix hit take Miriama worldwide
“It feels like a lifetime we made the show,” enthuses the former Shortland Street and 800 Words star, 49.
“So it was great to catch up and see everyone’s hard work finally make it to the screen!”
Shocked at the news the Aussie series hit number four on Netflix’s global top 10 just a few days after its release. Miriama admits, “I didn’t realise the show was being released simultaneously to 190 countries! It’s crazy to think how big the international audience is. I’ve had lots of people messaging me saying they binged the show and loved it, especially the performances, which is heartening and humbling.”
In The Survivors, Miriama plays Detective Senior Sergeant Sue Pendlebury. A Hobart cop who’s sent to the sleepy Tasmanian town of Evelyn Bay to solve the mystery of a young woman’s death. The crime unravels other long-held secrets in the small community. Which had been rocked by another unthinkable tragedy 15 years earlier. Miriama says her world-weary character was both a challenge and a joy to play.
Miriama leads with grit and empathy
“Sue’s suffering from PTSD,” she reveals. “And she’s sick of the violence being inflicted on women, especially as a working mum of two young daughters. I wanted the audience to see how tired Sue was, and what little patience she had for the lies and cover-ups in a town where everyone has a secret.”
It’s another gritty police role for Miriama. Who recently played a detective in two seasons of the Kiwi-Irish crime drama The Gone.
“There’s definitely a momentum towards stronger, more complex characters being written for women,” she tells.
“We’re no longer just playing support roles but are leading the charge. Our maternal, nurturing, empathetic sides give us so much strength and we need stories on screen that reflect this.”
She loved working alongside The Survivors’ top-notch cast, including fellow New Zealand actors Robyn Malcolm and George Mason. Laughs Miriama, “Inevitably, as soon as the tools were down, out came the Kiwi accent and everyone gave us some healthy jibes. The Aussies do love us, though, and when you film with a whole bunch of them in a place like Tasmania, you have no choice but to get on and be a good bugger. If you don’t, you’d stick out like a sore thumb!”
Shooting in Tasmania was on Miriama’s to-do list, which was a bonus. She recalls, “When we weren’t filming, Robyn, myself and a few others would jump in a rental car to explore Tasmania’s beautiful landscapes, which are so dramatic and different. Four seasons can happen in one hour, rather than one day, so you never know what you’re going to get.”
From beach walks to big roles
When it’s time to unwind, there’s nowhere Miriama would rather be than Waihi Beach in the Bay of Plenty. Where she lives with her 12-year-old son Rauaroha, who’s “going on 21”.
She says, “I’m lucky as Rauaroha is a wonderful, happy-go-lucky, independent kid. But when I had him at 36, no one said, ‘Do you realise when you hit menopause, he’ll be hitting puberty?’”
Miriama admits it can be a juggle to balance motherhood with the demands of filming.
“There’s never a day when I’m away working that I don’t feel like I’m short-changing him,” she says.
“But I have great friends and family who support me, reminding me how important it is for Rauaroha to see me doing what I love.” When she’s not gracing our screens, Miriama teaches yoga at her local RSA and is a popular wedding celebrant who loves “marrying lovely couples”. She and Rauaroha enjoy the relaxed vibe of their coastal hometown. Regularly take their dog Mana on long beach walks.
After shooting The Survivors and season two of The Gone. Miriama was a regular guest star in the Aussie murder-mystery series Darby And Joan. And she’s excited to have a lead role in the upcoming TVNZ+ comedy series Dead Ahead.
“I play Kiri Wharekoa, a lawyer and mother who returns to Aotearoa from London with her whānau, inadvertently disrupting the balance between the physical and spiritual realms, with family members from both sides coming to visit,” she tells. “It’s a wonderful, truly home-grown show. This is a great time to be in the industry in Australia and New Zealand.”
The Survivors is now streaming on Netflix. Dead Ahead premieres on TVNZ+ on Monday 30 June.
