DRAMA
SPECIALT
here’s no denying the women of
Wentworth are fierce. Forces to be
reckoned with, they hold grudges like
you wouldn’t believe and go to any
length to exact revenge for wrongdoings.
For the actors who portray these complex,
passionate characters, bringing them to life
is emotionally and physically exhausting
yet incredibly satisfying.
Returning as formidable Marie Winter
when the seventh gripping season of
Wentworth hits screens this month, Susie
Porter knew she was in for a roller-coaster
ride. And she was up for the challenge.
“[This season is] a massive turning point
for Marie. There are some real rock-bottom
moments,” she tells Foxtel magazine. “Just
when you think she can’t get any lower...”
Having had her sentence upped to 15
years after being convicted of manslaughter,
Marie has nothing left to lose. Clinging to
Allie (Kate Jenkinson), she’s otherwise
adrift. But that’s all about to change.
“Now that she’s in there for 15 years,
she wants to play by her own rules,” Porter
agrees. “Before, she was in there for six
months, so it was, ‘I need to keep my head
down... keep my business and get out.’ Marie
loses everything – the money on the outside,
her freedom. Because she has nothing left
to lose, she decides to take revenge.”
Firmly in her sights is Rita (Leah Purcell).
“[Their rivalry] does step up a notch,”
Porter reveals, adding of Rita: “She’s like
the reluctant hero character. Eventually she’ll
probably want to vie for Top Dog, even
though she doesn’t really want it. She’s
a leader. Whereas Marie is a villain...
but not your typical villain; there
are more layers to her. I’ve never
had as complex a character as this.”
Wentworth manages to up the ante
season upon season – something
Porter is impressed by. With
a further 20 episodes set to go
into production later this year,
she’s as excited as the next
fan about where the writers
might take the characters.
“Just when you think that
it can’t get better, it does.
God knows what they’re
gonna pull out for season
eight!” she says with
a cheeky twinkle in her eye.
Leah Purcell’s (pictured below) Rita Connors
was thrust into the centre of the action from
the moment she first set foot inside Wentworth
Correctional Centre in season six of the
hit prison drama series.
By the time the credits rolled on her
debut outing, undercover cop Rita’s life had
changed irrevocably after she callously took
the life of nemesis Drago (Natalia
Novikova) in order to protect
her sister, Ruby (Rarriwuy Hick).
Now, with the police having
turned their backs on her,
she’s facing the full force of
the law – a 15-year sentence.
“It’s a massive roller-
coaster,” Purcell tells
Foxtel magazine of the
disturbing trajectory
her character is on
in season seven.
“When we left her,
she’d committed
a massive crime
that’s out of her
character. So she’s
carrying a bit of
guilt about what
she has done.”
Things appear to be looking up for Rita when
her boyfriend Ray (Shane Connor) proposes.
“There’s never a moment where you’re not
on the edge of your seat, thinking, ‘Oh my
god, what’s happening here?!’” she previews.
“That’s good drama and that’s why Wentworth
is doing so well. They have really mastered
the tenderness that the women are having
in the prison and then also the brutality and
putting the women in danger. The audience
is really rooting for them, it’s a good run of
emotions there I think.”
To say that it was an emotional season
for the AACTA-winning actress is an
understatement.
“Oh mate, it’s bloody hard!” Purcell admits
with a laugh. “If I’m not crying, I’m punching
somebody. So it’s hard work, but it’s the most
rewarding, too. You want those roles that
take you there and push you to the limit.
I’m glad that I got the opportunity to be in
Wentworth and to experience that range.
It’s the ultimate dream role.”
As for working so closely with castmate
Susie Porter, Purcell could not be more
complimentary of her pal.
“She’s unreal, she’s really lovely” Purcell
says. “We have the same sense of humour.
We hang out and have a laugh.”
“It’s the ultimate
DR E A M ROLE”
Leah Purcell on being pushed to her limits
- in the best possible way – as Rita
Wentworth’s season
seven cast is guilty
of top-shelf talentFoxtel MAY 11