Local actress Tez Saliba has opened up about how she would like to see less filtering and more reality during her closing remarks on Trudy Kerr’s latest episode of The She Word, together with Ira Losco and Izzy Warrington.

Asked what she would like to tell her younger self, Tez Saliba made two main remarks – one about embracing age, and the other about making sure you always believe in yourself. 

“I feel quite lucky that I’m in an industry with lovely ladies such as Ira and Izzy, and even when I watch certain movies, like the one we mentioned with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, they’re very much embracing age and reality,” Saliba said.

“I’m very much in favour of – stop filtering stuff – there are one-off Jennifer Lopezes in the world, but the reality is that we look like Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson – if we’re lucky,” she said.

“They are very adamant that, no, you don’t edit this, and no, this is what I look like, and I find hope in that, as someone who is ageing so to speak towards that.”

“I hope there is more of that and less filtering and less unrealistic models to look up to.”

“Rather than my younger self, I would like to speak to the younger performers who are watching this and listening to this – there are going to be moments in your career – wherever you are in your career, where you question your abilities and you doubt if you’re any good,” she said.

“But I want you to know, that you’re enough, and as these ladies said, you are relevant, and you are unique and you are important.”

“I know in the midst of the negativity around things at certain points you can forget that you are important and that you are enough, but really really, believe that you are, because somewhere, you fit in,” she said.

“There’s a moment on stage when you say ‘Ah’ – when you feel the lights on your skin, and there’s nowhere else you’d rather be, and you have to hold on to that feeling, and believe that you’re going to feel that feeling again.”

Watch the rest of the episode here: