Australian actress Helene Joy is a Gemini-winning actress who stars in HBO Canada’s Durham County.

What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?
In my profession there is no such thing as a typical day, so I couldn’t tell you. However, I’ll let you know what I was up to today.

I woke up at 6 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel and was picked up for work soon after. We drove for an hour and a half to a beautiful estate in Cayuga, Ontario to shoot a costume party for the season finale of Murdoch Mysteries. I was in hair and makeup for around two hours being done up in a wild, Victorian-era Alice in Wonderland costume. I shot all day and into the evening, then was driven to Cambridge, where I checked into a second hotel for the night at 9 p.m. I returned a lot of emails and calls, did a couple of interviews about my Gemini Award nomination and upcoming awards show where I’ll be presenting (and hopefully accepting an award!).

Tomorrow we’re shooting my big wedding scene in a cathedral in Cambridge so I am about to have a bath and then get a drink with some of the cast and crew before getting ready for another big day.

What was your first job out of school?
I toured with a Theatre in Education show. We performed for school kids in a show about bullying. I had to drive my car all over the place, doing two to three shows a day. It was grueling, but also a lot of fun. Soon after, I started theatre school and I have to say it was pretty cushy in comparison to that job.

What are the three skills you require most to do your job well?
The ability to be vulnerable, the ability to play well with others and the ability to take good care of myself, both physically and emotionally.

What do you love most about your career?
Not knowing what is next and the excitement of possibility.

Do you have any warnings?
The lack of routine in the job can lead to exhaustion. For example, I find that sometimes I’m a little too busy between work and life. The remedy for this is some serious alone time. I won’t answer the phone or talk to anyone for days. I will sleep a lot, only coming up for food and I literally go into a cocoon. I emerge days later completely renewed, ready to deal with all the people I have left wondering where to hell I have gone.

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?
Oh, I would definitely go off to Costa Rica or Brazil and open a little café in a small beachside community. I look into these things almost every time I travel. I feel most at home in the tropics and could enjoy that life immensely.