ADDITION

Teresa Palmer has arguably been one of our most successful actors at balancing a career both home and away. She burst onto the international circuit in her youth, sharing the screen with a magical Nicolas Cage in 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and an undead Nicholas Hoult in 'Warm Bodies'. And while she has adroitly maintained that Hollywood profile, she has consistently boosted our local industry with spirited turns in 'Hacksaw Ridge', 'Ride Like a Girl', and 'The Clearing', among countless other titles.

For her latest turn, she came to Melbourne to headline 'Addition' and inhabit the quirky, challenging mind of Grace Lisa Vandenburg. Grace is consumed by numbers. They dictate every decision she makes. This way of living often leaves her isolated. Her only consistent company is the ghost of Nikola Tesla, who feeds her trepidations. But upon meeting a kind labourer, played by Joe Dempsie, Grace has to reckon with what brought her here and how she'll be able to best move forward and pursue romance. For all her conflicting qualities, Palmer imbues the character with a startling authenticity. It stakes a claim for her strongest performance.

At the film's junket, I sat down with her for a short and sweet discussion. She told me about the research she conducted, her process for creating on-screen chemistry, and how she is preparing for 'God of War'. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

CONNOR DALTON: You portray your character's compulsion with such nuance. What work did you do to achieve that?

TERESA PALMER: Thank you for that, firstly. We just wanted it to feel really grounded in reality. It was an ongoing conversation between myself, our director, Marcelle [Lunam], our writer, Becca [Johnstone], and the whole team at Made Up Stories. I looked at videos of people navigating similar things, and there was one woman in particular I watched on YouTube. She would talk all her inner thoughts out loud. It was rapid-fire fast, and she'd talk about these spirals. She'd have spirals, and she'd come back down again. So, I learned it's not always there bubbling beneath the surface; it comes in and out. We wanted that to feel as real as possible so that folks watching the movie could feel like their particular anxiety was represented.

DALTON: Chemistry for this type of film is so vital. What was your approach to establishing that with your scene partner?

PALMER: I love to get to know my scene partner as well as possible. Sometimes you're meeting them three days before the shoot starts. You might not have much time to get to know them, but it's just about spending quality time. It's hearing about their way, the loves of their life, and what's going on in their world. It's about getting a rhythm and an understanding of how they work as a person and what our chemistry is like together. What things do we have in common? What can we put on screen that you'll be able to feel beneath the scripted moments?

Joe [Dempsie] and I had a lot of things in common. We both liked a particular kind of music. We also had a very similar sensibility and sense of humour, so we giggled so much. We were always laughing, and that energy and vibrancy, I think, bleeds into the movie. When we were having to do crazy, wild dances in front of each other, we were ad-libbing, throwing in silly things, and making fun of each other. When I saw the final edit, I was like, "All that stuff in between is in the movie! That's excellent."

DALTON: Does something like that get easier as you accumulate more credits? Do you refine your techniques?

PALMER: Yeah, I remember when I first started acting, I had no idea what I was doing. Topher Grace really helped me. He and I were in 'Take Me Home Tonight', which was maybe my second American movie, and he said to me, "All it is is you are playing a real person. So, all you have to do is act like a real person would and say the lines in the most natural way you can possibly say them." It was the most freeing piece of advice. I've carried it throughout my career. And I've refined it, pushed things where I needed to push them, and you just get better with time, which is really nice. Plus, I'm pretty personable in general. I love to connect with people. It's one of the things that I love most in life. So, as long as I can find a way through to connect with my co-star, we can usually find something that lights the screen up.

DALTON: The film delves into the various considerations of a mental health disorder. It touches on whether therapy is helpful, if medication is worth taking, and how it impacts the person's family and friends. Are you ready for the responses you'll receive from those in that community? Have you already received feedback?

PALMER: Yeah, we premiered at Toronto, so we had a lot of feedback after those screenings. There was an overwhelming amount of praise for the movie's representation and how delicately Grace's anxiety was handled. I think when you make a movie like this, you do open yourself up to everyone's interpretation, whether it's positive or negative or whatever. But we are all ears, and we hope it resonates. So far, the feedback has just been so positive, and I really love that people are able to see themselves represented on screen. That's been the beautiful perk of this. Outside of the romance, it's the other side of this movie that has been really meaningful.

DALTON: It's been officially announced that you've joined the 'God of War' television series. A huge congratulations to you. Are you familiar with the game, or are you set for a crash course?

PALMER: I am currently playing it, and when it looked like I was getting this job, I got my boys a PlayStation. They started playing it, and my youngest son's almost finished it - that's how good he is at it. I think he's got sixty hours of playtime at the moment. It's great because they get really excited when my character pops up. That's really cool. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I booked that job and also that it's something that my boys are excited about.

'Addition' opens in Australian cinemas on the 29th of January. Click here to read our review of the film.