You may know Australian actress Teresa Palmer from starring in films like Warm Bodies, Bedtime Stories, I Am Number Four, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Grudge 2 (just to name a few!). But the 27 year-old beauty is much more than a celebrity whose star is rising fast - Teresa is also the co-creator of Your Zen Life, one of my favorite lifestyle websites and an inspiration to many people around the world thanks to her 'Tez Talks' videos on Youtube and her positive outlook on life. I was lucky enough to interview her about healthy living, staying grounded in Hollywood, working with Liam Hemsworth (!) and much more. Read on to find out why Teresa is such an inspiring role model and the most down-to-earth actress in Tinseltown.
Please tell me a
little bit about the inspiration behind Your Zen Life, how it came to fruition
and what it's all about.
YZL is an online
portal for all things health and wellness. Phoebe Tonkin and I decided to
create a platform in which people from all over the world had access to
information on positive living. We were at dinner in Los Angeles when we
discussed our passion for using our profiles to be of service and to affect
positive change in the world, this is where the idea was born and it evolved from
this point.
Teresa and her best friend, actress Phoebe Tonkin
I know eating
healthy is very important to you. What is your diet like?
I try to eat organic
wherever possible. I'm typically vegan, however, in my pregnancy (I'm currently
five months along) under my midwives recommendation I had become vegetarian. I
used to be hyper militant about the food I put into my body, however, now I
believe I have a much healthier approach to my diet and ensure that it's well-balanced yet not so strict that I don't allow myself the freedom to indulge
every now and then.
Do you see a
nutritionist? What advice would you give to people who want to live a healthier
lifestyle, starting with a healthy diet, but may not have access to a
nutritionist?
I don't actively see a
nutritionist, I've seen one twice in the past. Advice I could offer is to gain
knowledge on healthy ingredients and make sure you always look at the back of
products and read all the ingredients so you know what to look for and what to
avoid. A healthy diet consists of well rounded, well-portioned meals with a
good balance of protein (eg. nuts, tempeh). Try to avoid red meat and dairy and
any other animal products if possible which, in my opinion, ultimately leads to
better health. Indulge in healthy fats in the form of avocados and olives and
include an abundant amount of greens, fruits and try to make sure you are
having lots of different colors (your plate should visually look like a rainbow
of food) you can ensure you're making healthy food choices. Also, at the
grocery store: shop along the peripheral boundaries where the fruits and
vegetables, healthy unprocessed, organic foods are. The closest to nature your
food is, the better it is for you.
I understand you
Juice! Care to share a favorite recipe?
My greens juice is my
favorite! I love doing chunks of pineapple, cucumber, mint, lime, kale and
spinach. I try to have a green juice once a day to ensure I'm getting an
adequate amount of healthy nutrients.
How do you stay fit?
I balance my week
between Pilates, yoga and a combination of weight training and cardio. I try to
work out at least four times a week, for an hour a day.
Is it difficult to
maintain a healthy lifestyle while on location for a film?
It really can be,
especially when you don't have access to organic foods. It's important to plan
ahead and bring food to work with you, to ensure that you're never in a
situation where you have to make a poor food choice.
One of my favorite
parts of YZL is your inspirational 'Tez Talks' videos, where you speak from the
heart, about your personal experience regarding all sorts of issues women face
today, including body image. What are you hoping to achieve with these videos
and what can your viewers look forward to, regarding upcoming vlogs?
‘Tez Talks’ has become
one of the most important aspects of what I do with my life. I really feel
blessed to be in a position where I have access to good information and I have
had a lot of time to work on self-development. As a result of the position I am
in because of my career, I understand and recognize that I have a voice that
can reach a wider community. I feel inspired to share my experiences with
people and try to lead by example in a positive manner as I think there's so
much negativity in the media today that's fueling people to lead unfullfilling
lives. I know there's a different way and from the enthusiastic response I've
had from viewers, it encourages my desire to continue to work together in this
way.
As a famous actress
living in L.A., a city that some may
assume is superficial, you are a very down-to-earth person and seem truly
comfortable in your skin. How do you stay grounded and true to yourself?
I'm very selective in
the types of people that I have around me. I embrace authentic, spiritual,
loving people who I surround myself with. We're each other's special community
and understand the fragility of life and the blessings that it brings. Being
around people like that makes it so much easier not to stray from that sort of
thinking.
How do you feel about
young actresses/celebrities getting plastic surgery and feeling the
pressure to stay thin? And do you personally ever feel that pressure and if so,
how do you deal with that?
That is an epidemic in
our industry, which is awful because we are on the world stage. Beauty should
be embraced at all stages of life and also there should be more celebration of
the state of one's spirit rather than what size pants they wear or how many
wrinkles a person has. When you radiate with love, it makes you so much more of
a beautiful person. I don't place judgment on those who choose differently but
in my personal belief, it is a waste of time to try and live up to another
person’s idea of what physical beauty is.
You're a very
spiritual person. In one 'Tez Talks' video you talk about 'Manifesting Greatness and Love' and how you manifested your fiance, Mark. Can you tell me
a little more about that?
I'm a huge believer in
manifesting, I think when you ask for it in the right way, it comes to you. I
believe no dream is too big and my greatest dream was to meet a partner who
shared the same beliefs and ideals about life. I manifested Mark, as well as
many other things in my life, manifesting is easy once you understand that it's
all about the approach and how you must stay in a high vibrating frequency in
order to create the space for other high vibrating things to enter into your
realm.
With her fiance - actor/writer/director/producer Mark Webber
You have mentioned in
your vlogs that you have gone through some tough times in your life. What
advice would you give to people who are fighting some sort of battle at the
moment and are reading this interview right now?
Just to understand
that life is full of peaks as well as valleys and that every adversity we face is
an opportunity to grow. And to understand that the pain you feel is one of the
greatest gifts in life because there is a lesson in it; I now look at pain as a
beautiful healing rather than something to be fearful of.
Who or what inspires
you the most?
Mark and any other
person who faces adversity bravely and dedicates themselves to a life of
service and self development. I honestly get inspired by different people,
everyday.
Where do you see
yourself in 5 years?
I see myself living
with a big family, continuing to grow the wellness community that Phoebe and I
have created. Developing film, TV and book projects with Mark. And expand Tez
Talks to be a portal where I can travel and talk about my experiences and reach
out to a more global audience and continuing to be of service.
You have the whole day
free to do anything you want. How would you spend it?
With Mark. I would do
a yoga class in the morning, have a green juice. Go on a picnic with Mark, my
mum, best friends and the kids then spend the rest of the afternoon at our
friends beach house doing water sports and hanging with family. I would finish
the night off with a veggie BBQ and watch a horror film after the kids are in
bed! Pure bliss!
If I came to your
house and opened your refrigerator, what would I find in there?
Spinach, tomatoes,
gluten free wraps, glass bottle of water, olives, sundries tomatoes, miso
paste, onion, half eaten avocado's, celery, tempeh, kombucha (when I'm not
pregnant), Fabes fruit sweetened gluten-free cookies.
Top 5 Favorite Books
1. The Baby Book by Dr
William Sears
2. By Myself and Then
Some autobiography by Lauren Bacall
3. The Glass Castle by
Jeanette Walls
4. A New Earth by
Eckhart tolle
5. Anatomy of The
Spirit- Caroline Myss
Favorite websites you visit frequently:
Favorite Beauty
Products:
Artistry Creme LX moisturizer
Artistry Youth Xtend products
5 Things you cannot
live without:
1. Fiancé, family and
friends
2. Organic whole foods
3. My black stretch
pants!
4. Phone
5. Your Zen Life and
Phoebe Tonkin!
(I have to ask you this
question because my local readers would kill me if I didn't ask!) You recently
shot a film in my hometown, Edmonton, with Liam Hemsworth, John Malkovich,
Billy Bob Thornton and Oliver Platt. What was your experience like filming
here? What was it like working with such amazing actors?
I LOVED Edmonton. I
fell in love with Noorish restaurant whilst I was there. It was a really sweet
city. I had fun going to Yoga and taking a run in the park in the city. I loved
the enthusiasm of the people there and how much they embraced us all. I loved all my
costars, it was a pleasure working with both Liam and John again. It felt like
a close knit little family. Liam has a cracker sense of humor and always had us
laughing. I'm actually working with his brother Luke right now, who is so
similar to him.
Teresa and Liam filming 'Cut Bank' in Alberta this past summer
What's next on your
plate?
I'm shooting Kill Me
Three times with Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga and Luke Hemsworth. I just wrapped my film
The Ever After with my fiancé Mark Webber and Melissa Leo. I wrote the film,
produced it and financed it so that was exciting. I have a Terrence Malick film
coming out called Knight Of Cups with Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. Then of course I'm
getting married in December and my baby comes in Feb so I'm very excited to
start this new journey!
100 years from now,
how would you like to be remembered?
As a wonderful mother
and wife who alongside her family helped create a beautiful change in the world
towards consciousness and positive living.
Teresa recently posed pregnant for WHO Magazine's Body Issue
9 comments:
what a cool grounded chick!? i like her even more now and will def be checking out her site! such a cool interview!!
xo
Lauren
Ooh, great interview!!!!
I've only seen her in a few movies but she seems so awesome :D
http://www.closet-fashionista.com
I don't think I've seen any of her movies
Thank you for doing this interview! Teresa is my favourite actress and I also really admire her for promoting healthy eating, wellness and positivity through YZL and Tez Talks. She's a living example of what health and wellness is. I wish her all the best with her pregnancy.
This is a very interesting piece, I loved reading her answers to all your questions!! She has a great outlook on health, and seemed very down to earth.
I loved hearing about her experience of Edmonton! Noorish is pretty fantastic :)
Wow she sounds fab, I was meant to read this - off to look at the website now! xx
www.hausofsarahrachel.blogspot.com
I first saw her in the flick 'Take Me Home Tonight' great movie and she is smokin' hot in it!
she is absolutely gorgeous! I didn't even know her and on top of that she is 5 months pregnant (just as I am), wish I had such a great baby bump and bigger boobs as her, lol!
really into eating better and cutting down on meat although lately the baby has been giving me lots of sugar cravings...I blame him!
xoxo
Catita
Wow, what a great interview. So fun to read. Great questions Marie.
:) J.
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