It may have wrapped up three years ago but Wentworth, a creative re-imagining of the ’70s-’80s cult classic Aussie drama Prisoner, is still very much an international sensation.
Fans all around the world can’t get enough of the ruthlessly dark, often tragic and always gripping jail-based drama, still clamouring to buy DVDs and stream the series.
And to satisfy the legions of fans, a handful of the cast members reunited for a special Wentworth event – Wentworth Con – in Sydney last week.
Susie Porter (Marie Winter), Kate Jenkinson (Allie Novak), Libby Tanner (Bridget Westfall), Danielle Cormack (Bea Smith), Sigrid Thornton (Sonia Stevens) and Tammy McIntosh (Kaz Proctor) were just some of the Wentworth stars on board for the two-day event.
OUT OF THE JAIL YARD
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“Wentworth Con is the place you want to be if you’re a Wentworth fan,” Kate tells Woman’s Day.
“They are the most fun events. It’s a packed day full of meet and greets, photo ops, round table chats and fun cast panels where you can ask any questions you want.”
“I always look forward to the events and the crowds always walk away with a great experience.”
Renowned for clever scripts, compelling story telling and stellar acting, Wentworth ran for 100 episodes from 2013 until 2021, screening all around the world and proving a huge hit in the UK and the US.
“I was certainly shocked by the international appeal from the show,” Kate admits.
“I remember walking down the street with Danielle in NYC and someone came running out of a building to meet us.”
“It’s lovely to see an Australian show have such acclaim and widespread appeal.”
“It’s nice to know the show has touched people regardless of language and cultural barriers.”
Libby has been a long-time fan of the prison drama genre.
“I was a huge fan since I was 10 years old!” she laughs.
“Sometimes I hear Wentworth fans as young as 10 watch the show and I’m taken aback… then I remember that was me.”
“My mum used to say ‘Get away from that television Libby, you’re not to watch that!’… so of course I did!”
FOND SHOW MEMORIES
For Susie, it was while binge-watching Wentworth on a plane that she fell in love with the long-running show.
“I think I binge two series nonstop,” recalls Susie, who watched Prisoner every week when she was younger.
“I think the brilliant thing about [Wentworth] is it always ends on an incredible cliff hanger, and you must tune in the next week to find out what happens, I was so impressed with the quality of acting, writing and directing of Wentworth.”
“It was an Australian drama that every Australian actress wanted to be a part of and I feel so grateful I have been a part of this. It was probably the highlight of my professional life.”
Danielle loved putting her own spin on top dog, Queen Bea, the role made famous by Val Lehman in Prisoner.
“With much respect to the actors who brought these iconic characters to life in Prisoner, I felt it was important to breathe new life into Bea Smith that was appropriate to who she was in our world,” says Danielle who was the guest host of Wentworth Con.
“Wentworth was a prequel, so I had the chance, along with the writers and other creatives, to build Bea from the ground up.”
Events organiser Kiana Clark is the brains behind the Wentworth Con phenomenon and organised the first event in Newark, New Jersey, in 2019 after finding the show on Netflix USA.
“When I discovered Wentworth and started researching it more, learning about Prisoner Cell Block H and the fan base surrounding both the original and reimagined (Wentworth), I was blown away!” she explains.
“There was such a passionate fan base from all walks of life.”
“I came across beautiful fans with touching stories, longing to meet the cast.”
As well as connecting with their loyal fans, the stars agree the convention gives them the rare opportunity to relive some of their favourite storylines.
“I really loved working on season two,” says Danielle.
“Bea was hellbent on avenging her daughter’s death, and was playing a long game. It was juicy to play.”
