Interview
The year was 1994 and a little Australian film called Muriel’s Wedding was about to be released. For Matt Day – who had cobbled together enough work to get by after leaving a gig as the resident teenage heartthrob on A Country Practice a few years earlier – it was his debut film role. And he didn’t put much stock in it being successful. “I remember at the time going, ‘Oh, it’s about a girl obsessed with ABBA who is a liar and a bit depressed’,” he says. “‘Who is going to want to see this?’”
Matt played Brice, an awkward 20-something who, to be close to his crush (Toni Collette’s titular character, Muriel), is a constant visitor at the video store she works in. Little did he know that would not only kickstart an incredible career but also make for a classic “meet cute” story with his future wife, Kirsty Thomson. “Our eyes locked across a crowded room,” Kirsty tells of their meeting in a bar. “At the time, Matt lived in Melbourne and I lived in Sydney. When he got back to Melbourne he desperately wanted to get in touch. And the only
