Danielle Cormack – Wentworth

By starrymag | February 26, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I was shooting a show simultaneously as “Wentworth” called “Rake.” It’s in its fourth season here and I’ve been in all four seasons. They did an American version of it with Greg Kinnear, but it didn’t translate well. I finished “Wentworth” in the middle of December and by that state I was very much ready for a holiday so I went back to my native land, New Zealand, where I had a good five weeks there. Right now, I’m negotiating a new job. It’s a big departure from “Wentworth,” which is always exciting.

Q) You do tend to take on a lot of dramatic roles. Is there something about portraying a strong female that draws you in or do these types of roles just tend to come your way?

A) I think it is a bit of both. I think that people have always cast me in these roles and I think it just goes from there. It becomes part of the cycle that people like to define you with those roles and offer you those kinds of roles. I think there is something about the essence of me that those roles sit with me more comfortably. I’ve never really been your painfully shy type or someone who is unable to stay still and quiet too long, much to my disappointment. [laughs] I always wanted to play the mysterious quiet type in the corner, but my personality wouldn’t allow it. I am not averse to playing any type of character. Funny enough, even the most vulnerable and reclusive or low fire people have the strength as well.

Q) Bea has had a mission every season – first to survive, second to avenge her daughter’s murder and then to take down Ferguson. Does she have a cause in Season 4?

A) It’s a difficult one because we haven’t started doing any media for Season 4. So, there hasn’t been much released about the show yet. I will say there is a “powerbase.” I call it a powerbase. There is always going to be three people in that powerbase: Ferguson, Franky and Bea or Jax, Bea and Franky. It always shifts each season so there is a new powerbase this season, which creates a different kind of power play dynamic within Wentworth. Season 4 has been my favorite to shoot!

Q) Does she still have the drive to be Top Dog?

A) We find this out at the very beginning that she’s been slightly disillusioned about where she sits within the scheme of things. The series kind of springs from there, but it is a very dynamic season for Bea. That’s probably why it’s been one of my most favorite to shoot and I hope the fans really respond to it. For people who watch the show, there is going to be some breathtaking moments in the season and there is going to be some very…well, it’s hard because I can’t give too much away. We know that Franky (Nicole da Silva) has gotten parole and with The Freak…people have said she has been taken down – or has she? That’s yet to be explored. Then, we have the entry of Kaz Proctor (Tammy Macintosh) from The Red Right Hand so that adds fuel to the fire.

Q) Who have you not gotten to film with yet on “Wentworth” that you’d most like a scene with?

A) I’ve filmed with most people on the show. There is the introduction of a couple of new characters this season. There is Allie Novak, who is played beautifully by Kate Jenkinson and there is a new guard who is played by Bernard Curry. I didn’t really get to work with him a lot.

Q) How do you think Bea has changed and evolved throughout the seasons of “Wentworth?”

A) I think naturally due to the losses that have occurred and not just the emotional upheaval, but the amount of physical violence she has endured inside…I think there is a brittleness to her now that didn’t exist before. But I also think it has opened up her eyes as well. It’s kind of broadened her world, funny enough. I think she had a smaller world in what she had on the outside than what she did on the inside. It’s primarily because she was in a very oppressive relationship and was in constant fear for her own safety and her daughter’s safety. A lot of survivors of domestic violence, (and I did do a lot of research before I started on “Wentworth”) their relationships with other people start breaking down and they are ashamed that they are in that kind of a relationship. They impose embargoes on their own relationships and you can’t function the same way as you used to with your family and friends. So, you become very isolated. With Bea going inside, she forms all of these new relationships in forging these great relationships with other people that it released new things inside of her that she never knew she was capable of. Some of it is born from a beautiful place and some of it is born from survival. So, I think you have to change. The character has to change over serial television. It’s imperative.

Q) Maxine and Bea have grown so close and it’s almost a sisterly relationship between the two of them. Does Bea’s personal history inform how she interacts with Maxine?

A) I think Maxine (Socratis Otto) was born a woman in a man’s body. In terms of their relationship, there was affection right from the beginning because Bea accepted Maxine as she was (contrary to some of the other inmates) and became an ally of hers. They just looked after each other. I think their relationship was formed early on in Maxine’s arrival to Wentworth. We witness that too with Maxine finding her way and she becomes very solid in that environment. As you witness with most of the characters, you find your place there. You have to. I don’t think Bea saw Maxine as a man who became a woman. She just saw her as a human being. I think that perhaps Bea’s experiences have been, by choosing to be in that kind of relationship, (although it comments so much on Harry and the type of character he is more so about Bea and the type of woman that she is) that because she chose someone like him it shows there was something fundamentally…she was vulnerable from the outset and saw something in Harry that she needed at the time that didn’t serve her anymore. And then the only way she felt like she could leave him was to kill him, whereas you hope and know that these relationships can be incredibly dangerous and it is very hard for people to leave an abusive relationship. But I think Bea considers herself as a loner and a bit of an outsider. She didn’t have anyone else to lean on for that strength of character or strength in numbers to be able to leave Harry that perhaps she related to Maxine because she saw that quality in her as well.

Q) That might also relate to Bea’s relationship with Franky as well. We know Franky has been paroled, but Bea does promise to look after the girls while she is gone after having such animosity towards each other for so long. When filming with Nicole, do you work out the scenes together ahead of time or is it an in-the-moment connection?

A) I think there is a lot of discussion and we have rehearsals. The actors we work with are so committed all the time. They give it their all and all of them are so good at what they do and are always searching for ways to make scenes better, to engage with the authenticity of the piece and keep it grounded in truth. We talk a lot because we shoot long days together in green rooms so if the scene doesn’t feel like it is working then we workshop it, try to flesh it out and get it in some kind of shape that is going to support telling the stories that need to be told. I love working with Nicole and we work really well together. And we’ve worked a lot together. I love that relationship because it is so push me – pull you. It’s a great love/hate relationship.

Q) There is also quite a dynamic relationship between Bea and Ferguson. How would you describe their relationship?

A) I think that Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) was met with that it was almost unfathomable that a character like that could exist or a person like that could exist. Then, it becomes evident to all factions that in fact she does and is manipulating the system and the other inmates. That she is a highly volatile sociopath. But then I think the shock of that lessens and you realize what you are dealing with. The thing about Ferguson is that she never stopped surprising everyone and that’s the thing with people…their nature is that you can’t believe that they can do something like that and then they just keep upping the ante. I love it. It’s one of the fundamental relationships in Season 3 – the Bea/Ferguson relationship. Again, I call that that powerbase. There is a new powerbase in Season 4, but having Ferguson as the fulcrum of the power dynamic is utterly thrilling. People loved her because you never knew what was going to happen next. And that makes of riveting drama!

Q) Some people (including some of the characters on “Wentworth”) have noticed a chemistry between Bea and Will Jackson. Do you see them as having a romantic connection or merely just a friendship of sorts?

A) Never say never, but I think what it is there is a spark of a great friendship and almost a respect for each other. Even under the extraordinary circumstances – he’s a guard and she is in prison – she has managed to escape and put his job in jeopardy…the amount of times Will (Robbie Magasiva) has been put on the spot and still chooses to be a friend of hers is beyond me. [laughs] But I think there is a genuine affection and I think the thing about Will is that he treats Bea as an equal. When that happens in an environment like that, you already have the makings of a good relationship.

Q) Is there something you feel may be misunderstood about Bea or you’d like to clear up about a misconception about the character?

A) I think that if people have perceived something about the character than that is their perception and I can’t change that. I feel that I have represented her in the way that the script has required me to and added my own spin on things. We still have to tell stories and as much as the fans want the character to go one way we are also at the mercy of the writers and producers. I really hope that Season 4 reaches the states close to when it airs in Australia. I don’t think I stand alone because most of the cast and crew and all the creators on the show are overwrought by the amount of affection and support for “Wentworth.”

Q) What have been some of your memorable moments from filming “Wentworth?”

A) They are coming up in Season 4!

Q) The show has quite a wide fanbase with viewers all over the world. How does it make you to feel that the program has such a vast audience?

A) Wonderful! I think most people who work in this medium don’t do it just so it gets stuck in a dark corner or dark recess of someone’s TV cabinet. They do it so it can be shown. The fact that people are engaging with as much joy as they do and people are particularly invested in the show and characters is wonderful. It’s why I do what I do, to engage people and take them on a journey to illicit responses from them.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you so much and stay tuned! Lock that dial! Their support means a lot. Coming from the other side of the world, sometimes I wake up and I don’t really know what I’m doing and I still have this amazing amount of support. So, thank you. It really does mean a lot. It keeps me employed. [laughs] I just keep doing what I really love doing. On that note, I guess I want to say I hope everyone out there is doing what they love doing for at least five minutes a day.