From Regional South Australia to Global Screens: Inside the Making of Netflix’s My Brilliant Career
Netflix’s My Brilliant Career has brought one of Australia’s best-known literary stories to a new generation, with creator Liz Doran revealing some of the creative decisions behind adapting Miles Franklin’s novel for contemporary audiences.
Speaking at the recent Screenworks Regional to Global summit, Doran discussed the challenge of remaining faithful to the spirit of Franklin’s original story while creating a series that would connect with audiences today.
At the centre of that process was Sybylla Melvyn, the fiercely independent young woman whose determination to pursue a creative life rather than follow the path expected of her has defined the story for more than a century.
Doran said retaining that spirit was important, even as the adaptation made several significant changes to the world around Sybylla.
One of those decisions was to rethink the role of race within the period drama. Rather than using racism as a source of conflict for its First Nations characters, the series introduces Nell and Betty as established members of the household and allows their own stories and perspectives to develop.
The adaptation also expands the diversity of its characters in other ways, including Harry Beecham, played by Australian actor Tom Green, whose family background was reimagined for the series.
Another deliberate choice was the way Sybylla herself appears on screen.
Rather than presenting the character through the polished conventions often associated with period drama, the production took a more natural approach to her appearance. Doran explained that Sybylla was not intended to wear make-up, helping reinforce the character's rejection of some of the expectations placed on young women around her.
That contemporary sensibility extends through the series, but Doran's approach was ultimately grounded in preserving what made Franklin's protagonist distinctive in the first place: a young Australian woman determined to decide what her own life should look like.
The adaptation also reflects the continuing evolution of an Australian story first published in 1901. Franklin drew heavily from her own experiences growing up in regional New South Wales, creating a character and story that would become an enduring part of Australian literature.
More than 120 years later, that story has found a new international audience through Netflix.
Filmed in South Australia and featuring Australian talent in front of and behind the camera, My Brilliant Career has since travelled well beyond its regional Australian setting. The series reached No. 2 on Netflix's Global Top 10 English TV list and appeared in the Top 10 in 72 countries.
For Doran, the challenge was not simply to recreate a classic Australian novel for television, but to find a way for its central ideas to speak to audiences now.
The result is a distinctly Australian story that retains the independence and ambition at the heart of Franklin's original work, while giving its characters and world a contemporary perspective for a new global audience.
Source: TVTONIGHT
