One last heartbreak. One last high. To celebrate the third and final season of Netflix’s Heartbreak High, the show’s star, Ayesha Madon, joins this week’s episode of the Rolling Stone Uncut podcast!
On this episode, the Australian actress and singer talks all about the journey of the show, its global success and final season, as well as Heartbreak High helping progress diversity on Australian TV screens.
Madon also gives fans an update on what’s next for her music career.
Listen to and or watch the full episode below.
Heartbreak High coming to an end
I don’t know if it’ll ever hit. There are parts of it that have hit, and there are parts of it that just I don’t know if ever will. It’s such a slow burn. Like we wrap, then we do press, then it comes out. There are so many different points and little milestones. Then we have award shows and things like that. So we’re always coming back together. I think probably the most drastic change was when we finished shooting the show. Because obviously that’s the majority of the cast at least. Our work is mainly done then.
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Expectations of the show being a global success
Definitely not. Did I think the show was special when we were shooting it? Yeah. Did there feel like there was a buzz about it within the cast and the crew? Yeah. But I don’t think that was pertaining to how it was going to be received. I think that was pertaining to what we were making and how much we loved it and how passionate we all were about being there because I think for most of us in the crew, the cast, the creators from the top down, it was kind of our first time being let through the gate by you know one of the big dogs like Netflix. I think because we were given that trust, there was a lot of responsibility felt by all of us and also a lot of gratitude and I think with that came a duty of care.
It created this little lightning-in-a-bottle moment of underdogs making something we didn’t even think would be watched at the time. I wasn’t thinking when I was shooting scenes, like, “Oh, millions of people are going to be watching this.”
Seeing more diversity of Australian people and culture on TV screens
I’m so grateful for how far we’ve come. I think we can push it. I think colour is a massive thing [in Australia]. Now, we need to see dark-skinned people on screen. It’s amazing how far we’ve come and we’re so grateful to be here. But, I want to see dark-skinned Indians, I want to see dark-skinned black people, I want to see dark-skinned First Nations people on screen now. Overseas we see so many incredible women of colour popping off in the States… Australia takes a while to actually catch on to those people.
Something like Heartbreak coming into the zeitgeist hopefully will show people that we can make really popular television and can make money. Like, if it’s a business decision, we can make money off stories of colour. So I think that’s really cool.
What’s next for her music career
I’m working on another body of work at the moment which is, for me, the most assured music I’ve ever written and it feels so me and I’m so excited to make it. I think I finally found joy in writing music which is why I feel like this is my best music yet. I’m so excited to drop it.
