Five minutes with the coolest anti-cool girl, Rosie Waterland

Posted on 28 August, 2017

Rosie Waterland first stole our hearts with her whip-smart Bachelor recaps that made the nation split its collective side.  

Since then, her career has blown up with her memoir, The Anti-Cool Girl, earning her accolades across the board and her following stand up show, My Life on the Couch With Vodka, selling out at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival last year.

So what next for Australia’s coolest anti-cool girl who we’d all love to have a drink with (perhaps on a couch)? Well, another tour (in the form of stand up show, Crazy Lady), for one, and a flood of new projects—including her second memoir. The recently-published Every Lie I’ve Ever Told is structured in essay format, giving Rosie the chance to meld past and present, weaving personal history with how she’s chosen to present herself (and her mental health) throughout her life.

We sat down with Rosie ahead of her appearance at Canberra Theatre Centre this Friday night.

Your most recent memoir, Every Lie I’ve Ever Told, deals with some pretty heavy issues such as how Australia treats mental illness as well as suicide and grief. How difficult is it to jump from writing about those issues to preparing for your next stand up comedy tour?

Well, it’s kind of all part of my next stand-up tour as well! I’ve been describing it to people as a funny show about mental health. I often write about difficult or dark themes, but always through a filter of comedy. I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way!

I think people who have been to the darkest places are often the ones who are forced to find the light – for me that light has always been laughter and comedy. So… I promise the show is funny! Serious issues, but funny.

Who is your ideal audience member for Crazy Lady?

David Sedaris. That would be my absolute dream.

Does the drama of this season’s Bachie ever make you itch to write recaps again?

Ah no! This year has actually made me glad I’m not doing it! I never liked to write about the girls personally – I always just wrote satire about a formulaic reality show. Basically, I made fun of the show, not the girls. It seems like this year the show has been produced and edited to really take the ‘drama’ up a notch, which is just encouraging audiences to hate certain contestants and bitch about certain contestants. I really wouldn’t be comfortable with that.

What themes are you excited to tackle when you jump into your next adventure – fiction writing?

Yes! Fiction is what I’m doing next. I wrote two memoirs before 30, so I’m tapped out – I have no more stories to tell. It’s time for me to start making stuff up! I also just released a podcast with my mum – ‘Mum Says My Memoir Is A Lie‘, in which we read through my first book and then talk about what she insists I got wrong about my childhood.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how people react to it. And, I’m working on my own TV show too, so keep an eye out for that next year!

the essentials 

What: Rosie Waterland: Crazy Lady
When: Friday 1 September from 8.30pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic
Tickets: $49.90 purchase yours here