Awkward moment Australian actor makes a tone-deaf domestic violence joke about his new TV show while sitting next to his co-star wife – leaving Waleed Ali lost for words
- Australian actor leaves The Project visibly uncomfortable after contentious joke
- Peter O’Brien, 61, made a domestic violence quip while promoting his new show
- His wife Miranda Otto, 53, who also stars in the show, was by his side at the time
An Australian actor made a domestic violence joke on The Project while promoting a new crime caper starring himself and his wife Miranda Otto.
Peter O’Brien, 61, joined his Lord of the Rings star partner, 53, to hype their new SBS series Unusual Suspects.
But when host Carrie Bickmore asked what it was like working with his wife, the larrikin actor gave a very awkward response that left Waleed Ali and the Channel Ten panel visibly uncomfortable.
Waleed Ali (left) and Carrie Bickmore (right) appeared lost for words after Peter O’Brien made a domestic violence joke on The Project
‘My interaction with Miranda in this show was sex and violence, so it was like a night in,’ O’Brien said with Otto by his side.
An uncomfortable laughter erupted from the panel before Ali interjected.
‘I can’t tell if we are meant to laugh at that or not,’ he said.
Fellow host Bickmore appeared lost for words. ‘I’m not sure you can say that,’ she said.
‘Miranda, you need to respond for us to clear this,’ comedian Peter Helliar quipped.
Otto looked equally awkward for several seconds before snuggling up to her husband in a bid to diffuse the tension.
Despite the contentious joke, the interview got back on track and Otto told the panel that working together was a blast.
‘We have an antagonistic relationship in the show so that was really fun to play. We don’t do boring married couple stuff,’ she joked.
O’Brien added: ‘I love working with Miranda. It’s a real joy’.
Peter O’Brien (pictured on set) plays a starring role in the highly anticipated crime caper Unusual Suspects.
Miranda Otto (pictured on set) said ‘we don’t do boring married couple stuff’
The new show is a black comedy crime caper set in Sydney’s glamorous eastern suburbs and featuring a star-studded cast.
The plot follows a self-made businesswoman whose $16 million diamond necklace goes missing in a heist.
It is the first Australian series to feature Filipino characters in lead roles.
The Unusual Suspects’ world premiere will air on SBS at 8.30pm on Thursday June 3.
The full season will also stream at SBS On Demand.
The glamourous Australian couple (Miranda Otto and Peter O’Brien) are pictured arriving at Vogue Australia’s 50th Anniversary Party at Fox Studios in 2009