Rebecca Gibney has earned the title of “Australia’s Sweetheart” for playing charismatic and loveable characters across her decorated four-decade career.
So when she was presented with the role of ice-cold mother Veronica in Nine’s cosy crime drama A Remarkable Place To Die, her initial reaction was firm.
“I initially said ‘no’ to playing her as I did find her quite cold and brittle,” TV WEEK’s recent Hall of Fame recipient tells us. “But once I read her journey, it made perfect sense. For me, every character I play has to have a very human reason for being the way they are.
“You can be an awful person but there has to be a reason and therefore an understanding of someone’s motivations.”
While she grew to love playing her villain-esque character, Rebecca couldn’t wait for the director to yell, “Cut”, so she could slip back into a role she often finds herself in off-camera: the on set mother hen!
“I can’t help myself,” she says. “I am such a mother hen, but it’s also part of the job that I love. I can’t enjoy myself on a set or anywhere really unless everyone is having a good time.
“It can be to my downfall sometimes, as my husband Richard [Bell] often worries that I use up all my happy pills on set and have little for myself when I get home. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love to support those around me, especially the younger ones.”
She adds that working with main co-star Chelsie Preston Crayford was “joyous” and she was so impressed by her work ethic.
“She is just a powerhouse of a performer. And super smart,” Rebecca, 59, enthuses. “I knew the pressure she’d be under as she was virtually in every scene. Having done something similar on Halifax [f.p.], I was always wanting to make sure she was getting enough rest and eating well, but she handled everything with such good humour and grace.
“She showed up every day with her lines word-perfect and still managed to give a cracking performance despite being shattered. It was such a fun shoot to be a part of.”
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