| What was your
first role on television? |
|
My first role on television - was I did a kids' show
called Spellbinder, GP, Police Rescue- that was probably
my first real television role about 10 years ago.
I actually went to arts high school when I was 14. I
did drama and ballet. After graduating I went to a theatre
company in Perth in WA. Then I went to acting school.
Then I came to Sydney. There have been very lean times.
I've done usually waitressing to pay rent. From job to job,
normal actors life.
What I love about acting is working with people, is the
combination of working with them and to make a scene work
with the director and other actors. I really like that collaborative
feeling.
With Home and Away because we have a very large cast,
which I like-----. That's what I like about this show, its
very collaborative.
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|
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| Do you enjoy
playing Shelley? |
|
I really do enjoy playing Shelley because she keeps it
quite grounded. I think she is a lot more grounded because
she's a social worker.
The similarities between us are she feels passionately
about her family as I do and she has this conflict that's
on going as all working mothers do between her work and
her family life. Because I have two little boys and I feel
very much and that's a similarity I definitely share with
Shelley. She feels that she is always awaiting her children
too much which is what I feel and yet at the same time she
has a great need to do her social work.
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|
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| Would you
like to be her? |
|
No not really. I get to play her, which
is just enough. I can be Shelley at work and that's lovely,
explore her life and go back to reality. |
|
|
| How do you
feel about playing a role very similar to that of Pippa? |
|
I never thought I'd be playing the role of Pippa. The
roles I had before Shelley, they were basically very much
coordinated- Doctors, Lawyers, people that I played were
very much career driven women. Coming to this job was lovely
because to get to play a warm earthly loving mother which
is lovely for me because I'm a mother. It's lovely to explore
that side of myself.
I'm not trying to fit into Pippa's shoes, I just have
to create Shelley's shoes. Shelley is different to Pippa.
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|
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| Do you have
any embarrassing moments? |
|
I have many embarrassing moments all the
time. I forget lines. If I'm tired I tend to trip over my
words a lot. That can be embarrassing, have to retake. I'm
just a normal person, just embarrass myself like normal
people do. I can't think of anything at the moment. |
|
|
| What are you
going to do when your contract expires? |
|
The contract is up in a year I think and
do I have any idea? Em no.
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|
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| Would you
like to stay on? |
|
I may want to stay on. I may not. I rather
not talk about that. I won't talk about that. |
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| Have you done
much travelling? |
|
I haven't done a lot of travelling. I've
done the usual trips we do in Australia. I've been to Bali,
Fiji. I've only been overseas to Vienna and Scilily. I haven't
been to Ireland, I want to go. I'd love to go to Ireland
really. I haven't been to London, New York, Paris, I have
a lot of travelling to do but I'd love to get to London
and Ireland. I'd love to do a trip through England all the
way up and across to Ireland and spend a long time doing
it. |
|
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| Would
you like to go to Hollywood? |
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No, I'm not that interested really.
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| Have you ever
done a pantomime? |
|
No I haven't. Yes I would love to experience
doing a panto one day. |
|
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| A lot of Home
and Away actors go over |
|
Yes I know Kate just came back and Lynne
McGranger just came back. Anyway we'll see maybe I'll get
lucky and I try and get to do one. |
|
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| Do you have
any children? |
|
Yes I have two little boys. I come from
a family of three girls. They are gorgeous characters. They
are all very individualist, intelligent. Sometimes they
speak to me or express themselves in a way and I think maybe
I wouldn't let them get away with that if they were my kids.
But then maybe I would, I've not had any teenagers yet so
I'll have to wait and see. I'm sure having teenagers is
a whole different kettle of fish to that- a whole new experience
that awaits me in the future because my little boys are
only 3 ½ and 2 ½. So I've a long way to go. |
|
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| What would
be your perfect day? |
|
It would be probably be with my family
my boys and my husband. Just a whole day together and beautiful
weather and spending all day together. I think that would
be lovely, no pressure, no home work to do. |
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| If you could
spend the day with a movie star, who would it be? |
|
I wouldn't mind spending the day with George Clooney.
He is very famous and very sexy. But also before George
Clooney I'd like to spend the day with Gerard Capetu. I
just think he is gorgeous and funny and he probably be the
top of my list.
There are lots of people I'd like to spend the day with-
Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson- I'd just love to
talk to her about acting. She also won an award for her
screenplay of 'Sense and Sensibility' I just find people
like her inspiring.
There are also lots of Australian people I'd like to
spend the day with as well. I'm just trying to spend the
day with- Kat and Nick Dobson. They are two Aboriginal leaders
in Australia. Lots of people who could teach me lots of
things.
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| Do you have
any embarassing moments? |
|
Well I can't remember peoples names- that's
my main embarrassing moment- forgetting peoples name. I
do it when I've got too many things going on in my head.
Forgetting peoples names and calling them the wrong name. |
|
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| What about
characters names? |
|
I do it with Cristy and Kirsty all the
time. It drives us all mad and I wish they'd change. You
do a scene and you call her Kirsty and you think to yourself,
did I call her Cristy. Another thing I've done- I've said
'good morning them' instead of 'us'. |
|
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| Were you filming
today? |
|
We were filming at the drop-in centre today.
Shelley came to Summer Bay and she is running the drop in
centre. |
|
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| Are you still
working today? |
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Yes I'm here till the end of the day and
then I've a day off tomorrow. Then I've 14 scenes on Friday. |
