Celebrity game shows and a guest spot on Play School aside, Stephen Curry rarely appears as himself. The comedic actor, a fixture on Australian screens since 1997’s The Castle through to Population: 11, won’t be caught dancing with the stars or eating worms in the jungle.

“I find it far more comfortable to be under the cloak of character,” he says. “Because if you cry as a character, people think you’re brilliant. But if you cry as yourself … my brothers (actor Bernard Curry and actor/filmmaker Andrew Curry), would rib me for the rest of my life.”

So it took some courage for him to explore his lineage on SBS’ genealogy series, Who Do You Think You Are?, now in its 15th season, and also featuring Manu Feildel, Miranda Otto, Kathy Lette, Pat Rafter, Wayne Blair, Melissa Doyle and Heather Ewart. When Stephen Curry filmed his episode (which airs on Tuesday, June 18), the Curry siblings were still raw in their grief for their patriarch, Neville Curry, who died last year.

“My dad would have loved to know more, because back then, they weren’t really allowed to know a lot of stuff. There’s a lot of that in family histories, where so much has been pushed under the rug … I think he’d be chuffed, and I think he’d be devastated for (some of his ancestors). But the way his mother comes out of it is beautiful, and that would mean the world to him. I think it explains a mother’s love in a way that I’d never expected.”

Neither of Curry’s famous brothers takes part.

“They asked me why they’re not in it, and I’ve said it’s because they’re more handsome than me.”

Instead, it’s Curry’s mother, Helen, and his sister, Margie, a costume shop owner, who share photographs, and a lost poem that moves Curry to tears.

“Margie and I have always been close. She was actually the first actor in the family … There’s seven years between us and she’s seen me at my worst. But we are a very close family and she’s one of my best friends.”