Barber, who co-created the show alongside Benjamin Law and served as executive producer, had been approached about a potential adaptation before Netflix was even attached. “I read the book and I was like, ‘This is a brilliant idea’,” she says. “I love Brigid’s writing: she’s very clever, very personable – and funny!It being half-five in Australia, Barber has a glass of red to hand – a natural pinot noir, she clarifies, a little shamefaced.
Barber was drawn to Delaney’s experiential and even-handed approach to the topical world of wellness and all its potential cures. “It’s easy to poke fun at it – I’ve made a career out of it – but this is a multibillion industry that can save lives,” she says. “Some of it might not be a fad – it might actually be quite good – but sometimes it is just bullshit.
The beauty industry, the fashion industry – I just don’t fuck around with that – I think it’s bullshit; I’m having a goLiv is a more nuanced character than the hot mess that she might initially appear. She’s self-involved, chaotic and outspoken, and sometimes thoughtless with it – especially at the expense of her friends and family . But she’s also loyal, caring and resourceful.