It may only have been six months since Wentworth aired its explosive finale episode, but the cast of the cult prison drama have been very busy in their careers and personal lives.
With reality TV stints, TV WEEK Logie Awards and blockbuster movies under their belts, the careers of our beloved Wentworth stars have soared.
After its premiere in 2013, the show that is set behind the bars of Wentworth Correctional Centre went on to become one of the most renowned original Australian dramas of all time.
It’s been screened in 173 territories around the world, igniting millions of die-hard fans.
The much-loved Foxtel series, which aired its 100th and final episode in October 2021, showed the brutal pressure-cooker environment inside a women’s prison, where the inmates are forced to forge unlikely friendships and allegiances if they want to survive their time behind bars.
Since the show came to an end, the cast have become some of Australia’s most respected and in-demand actors.
Keep scrolling to see what the stars of Wentworth are up to now.
Bea Smith – Danielle Cormack
Bea was killed off – unforgettably – in 2016, but that wasn’t the end of Danielle’s involvement with inmates, either in Wentworth or in real life.
In 2021, Danielle spent time with newly released inmates during her time presenting of the three-part SBS docuseries Life On The Outside.
After Wentworth, the 51-year-old had roles in shows such as Jack Irish and Secret City, but things have been quiet on the acting front recently.
“People have this predilection for positivity around this – ‘Oh, everything’s great, great, great!’ – but frankly, the industry for me, and employment for me, hasn’t been great in the last three years,” she told Now To Love in March 2022.
Mother to Ethan, 25, and Te Ahi Ka, 11, Danielle is based in Sydney and plans to travel back to her home country of New Zealand.
Vera Bennett – Kate Atkinson
Vera, the Industries Manager at Wentworth Correctional Centre, was brought to life by renowned Aussie actress Kate Atkinson.
Since wrapping up filming of the cult prison drama in 2020, Kate has gone on to star in the highly-publicised miniseries Underbelly: Vanishing Act.
The two-part Nine series was based loosely on the rise and fall of Sydney financial adviser Melissa Caddick, who allegedly defrauded millions of dollars from investors.
Recently, Kate has been spending a lot of her spare time far away from screens, getting “very dirty”.
“I was a very avid horse rider when I was a kid. I’ve really taken to it again, to the point where I do spend quite a bit of time in the country riding other people’s horses. But I think my retirement plan will be to get my little plot and have my own beasts,” she told Now To Love in March 2022.
As for her future in the television industry, Kate isn’t sure what tomorrow holds.
“To be honest, I’ve just turned 50 and I still don’t know if I want to act. My friends will tell you that I will quite periodically go, ‘Right, that’s it, I’m done, I’m moving to the bush and raising animals!'” she said.
Joan Ferguson – Pamela Rabe
Joan “The Freak” Ferguson was buried alive in Wentworth‘s season five finale, but that wasn’t the last we saw from her. In season seven, actress Pamela Rabe returned for a special guest spot when her character was living on the streets under the alias Kath Maxwell.
Since her time on Wentworth, which earnt her a 2018 TV WEEK Logie for Most Outstanding Actress, Pamela’s career has continued to soar.
Pamela returned to the small screen in 2019 on the SBS drama The Hunting, alongside fellow Logie Award winners Asher Keddie and David Wenham.
In 2021, the 62-year-old starred as unbearably agreeable landlady Margaret on ABC’s comedy miniseries Rosehaven.
TV Week 2 Minute Challenge – Susie Porter from Wentworth
Franky Doyle – Nicole da Silva
Nicole da Silva’s portrayal of tough inmate Franky Doyle earned her an ASTRA Award for the Most Outstanding Performance in 2014, as well as a TV WEEK Logie nomination the following year.
In 2016, while working on Wentworth, Nicole was cast for the role of Charlie Knight in the Nine medical drama series Doctor Doctor. The 40-year-old appeared in all five season of the hit show.
Jake Stewart – Bernard Curry
Bernard played crooked officer Jake Stewart, who joined Wentworth in its fourth season.
Since the finale, Bernard has starred in both local and international productions including Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, Blindspot and Sunshine.
Knowing his acting career “could all dry up tomorrow”, the star seized the opportunity to act alongside Lucy Lawless in Network 10 comedy-drama My Life Is Murder in 2019.
He even gave reality TV a crack in 2021 when he appeared on Big Brother VIP, where he lasted a week before being evicted by his fellow celeb housemates.
Bernard and his wife Sonya share two sons Fox, 11, and Banjo, nine.
Marie Winter – Susie Porter
Susie first appeared on Wentworth during its sixth season, before later reprising her role as Marie Winter in the seventh, eighth and final installments.
Since her time playing a prisoner, Susie has enjoyed a successful career on the big and small screens. In 2018, she starred in the critically-acclaimed drama Ladies in Black alongside Rachel Taylor and Noni Hazlehurst.
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