Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Claudia Karvan is one of Australia's most recognized actresses, having achieved popular success and critical acclaim through her work in film and television.

Having begun work at 14, Karvan has an extensive filmography. She first appeared in Gillian Armstrong's High Tide (1987) with Judy Davis, then in Phillip Noyce's Echoes of Paradise (1987). Since this time Karvan has captivated audiences with her remarkable talent and beauty.

Although celebrated for her dramatic prowess, Karvan first exhibited her gift for comedy in The Big Steal (1990). Then - amongst other projects - she appeared in the romantic-drama The Heartbreak Kid (1993), for which she won an Australian Film Critics Circle award for Best Actress. In 1996 Karvan starred in the film that she is probably best known for, Dating the Enemy (1996), opposite Guy Pearce. Karvan delighted audiences in this romantic-comedy with her charming portrayal of a man trapped in a woman's body. She later went on to star in another romantic comedy, with another Australian favorite 
* Hugh Jackman - in Paperback Hero (1999).


Karvan's other features include Broken Highway (1993) (official selection for the 1994 Cannes International Film Festival), Exile (1994), Lust and Revenge (1996), Strange Planet (1999) with Naomi Watts and Hugo Weaving, and _Risk_ with Bryan Brown. But it was her part as Dr Alex Christensen on the popular Australian television series The Secret Life of Us (2001) that was the most significant turning point in her career. Karvan has credited this role, as well as her occasional turn in the director's chair, with allowing her to gain more control of her work - something for which she has always strived.

In 2004, Claudia began work on the highly popular Foxtel/Southern Star series, Love My Way (2004), as creator, producer and star and in 2007, she has just completed filming the show's third series. Love My Way (2004) has won the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series and the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Television Drama Series for the past two years. Claudia has won the 2005 AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in Television and the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series two years running for her role in the show.

Between 1987 and 2004 Karvan was nominated for twelve more Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, winning her category - Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama - in 1996 for her role in G.P. (1989). In 1998 she received The Palm Springs Short Film Festival Audience Favourite Award for Two Girls and a Baby (1998).

&quot;Most of my decisions are based on relationships. It&#39;s one of the
reasons I never went to America and tried to carve out a career over
there. I&#39;ve been in love with my partner since I was 22, I&#39;ve been a
stepmother since I was 22, I&#39;ve had a daughter for the past three
years, I&#39;ve got close ties with my family and the other families I&#39;ve
inherited. That defines who I am&quot;.

&quot;I don&#39;t know what it is about working overseas. Whether I&#39;m too afraid
or maybe I don&#39;t like it over there. I don&#39;t think it&#39;s something
that&#39;s essential for me to do at this stage. But it is something people
expect of Australian actors now: it seems like the inevitable thing to
do&quot;.

&quot;I need a stiff Vodka just to settle my nerves - I find it a very
difficult process. It&#39;s exciting once you&#39;re in there, but the build up
is the killer, not to mention the horrible wait&quot;. - on auditioning.

&quot;I was always loyal to my parents, but I was a Saffy from Ab Fab (BBC
television series <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0105929/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Absolutely Fabulous (1992)</a>). I watched that show and thought, &#39;Oh yeah,
I can relate to that daughter&#39;&quot;. - on her upbringing with parents who
owned a trendy nightclub in Kings Cross, Sydney.

&quot;Peope are always going, &#39;How do you do sex scenes? How do you kiss
people that you don&#39;t know?&#39; Crying in front of people is a lot harder
and a lot more confronting...You feel a lot more vunerable&quot;.

Who doesn&#39;t love Rebecca Gibney? I worked with Rebecca, it must have been 10, 15 years ago, maybe even more... we&#39;ve always kept in contact.

At the eleventh hour they went, &#39;Oh she&#39;s not going to take it, we&#39;ll go and offer it to Claudia&#39;.

Definitely with Mandy, she&#39;s very charismatic as well, she wants to win people over even if it is just for that hour. So it&#39;s good to be able to witness that in real life situations and then just copy

I often draw on people that I know to create characters, and then I can visualise them and I can understand their motivations and you can bring that to the scene.

It was actually quite good knowing who they&#39;d offered it to, it made me work out what sort of region they wanted her played in, so yeah I came on at the eleventh hour when obviously another actress fell through. I&#39;m the second choice.

Quotes

Claudia Karvan

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