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Thread: Dr Alexandra Neilson (Zoe Ventoura)

  1. #1
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    Dr Alexandra Neilson (Zoe Ventoura)

    Daily Telegraph article. Zoe Ventoura to play Dr Alex Neilson (possibly only while Penny McNamee/Tori is on maternity leave?? Penny recently confirmed that she will definitely be returning to SB after having time off after the recent birth of her baby):



    Zoe Comes To The Bay


    She played one of the nation's most-loved characters on Packed To The Rafters and now Zoe Ventoura is coming home to the network that made her famous.

    Ventoura has landed a part on Home and Away as Dr Alexandra Neilson, which is shot in the same Eveleigh studio as Rafter's was.

    The role will bring her back home from LA, where she has spent the past few years with husband Daniel MacPherson.

    "They basically sent me through the character brief and it resonated with me straight away," the 37-year-old said.


    Daily Telegraph




    and the New Idea article:

    Home & Away EXCLUSIVE: Zoe Ventoura joins Summer Bay
    See what she has to say about joining Summer Bay.


    https://www.newidea.com.au/home-and-...ay?category=tv

    As she walked onto the set of Home and Away for the first time last week, former Packed to the Rafters’ favourite Zoë Ventoura couldn’t help but smile. Joining the cast of the iconic week-night drama felt just like coming home. And in more ways than one for the talented actress, who has been based in Los Angeles for six years with her husband, Australian actor Daniel MacPherson.

    On hand to introduce Zoë to her new Home and Away co-stars was none other than her former Rafters castmate James Stewart, who now plays town resident Justin Morgan. And that’s something Zoë – who will set up home in the Bay as emergency doctor Alex Neilson – couldn’t be happier about.

    “It’s really wonderful,” she reflects warmly. “Obviously, the whole cast of Rafters feels like an extended family. We’re all kind of scattered across the globe now, but every time we catch up or see each other at events or at work, it just feels like we’re seeing a long-lost relative. It’s like no time has passed at all.

    “To have Jimmy on set is really cool, and I know that I can certainly ask him any questions. I know I can call on him.”

    Zoë reveals she was in LA when word came through from the Home and Away producers about the pivotal new role. And she didn’t have to think too hard before booking her flight.

    “I was sent the character information and asked if I was interested,” she recalls. “I immediately loved the character – that’s what got me in.

    “She’s strong and bold and smart and compelling. I loved how they have created her and written her on the page, and the storyline they have planned for her. It just seemed like a no-brainer.”

    Returning to our shores, which most of Zoë and Dan’s family members still call home, was clearly a bonus, too.

    “LA is a long way away, but we’re always looking for opportunities to come home – to work and spend time at home – so this was actually a real blessing,” she reflects with a smile.

    Perth-born and raised Zoë, who happily reveals that Dan is also currently in Australia, has been warmly welcomed by her new TV family.

    “Everyone has been so gorgeous and kind,” she says.

    “It felt like a big warm hug from the second I stepped on the set. Seeing Ray [Meagher], Lynne [McGranger] and Ada [Nicodemou] for the first time on set was wonderful.”

    Meanwhile, portraying a doctor – and one with a fabulously intriguing past – is a first for the seasoned star.

    “I played a nurse on Rafters – that was probably the closest I got,” she says. “But I haven’t played a doctor before, so it’s exciting to really have that challenge. I’m nervous, obviously, because there’s a lot of medical jargon and a lot of responsibility that comes with it, but I’m very excited to step up to the challenge. It’s about wanting to do it justice.

    “My first day on set was all in the hospital and was a real baptism of fire, a really hectic, crazy trauma situation – but Alex is completely in control,” says Zoë.

    “I’m really happy with the way it went and I can’t wait to see what it looks like. Alex is a complex woman with a lot of layers, and I’m very excited to explore them all.”

    And just as you’d expect, romance may well be just around the corner for Zoë’s newest alter-ego.

    “Coming to this beautiful and quiet coastal town seems like exactly what Alex is looking for, but little does she know that it’s not exactly the sleepy little place she thinks it’s going to be,” she says with a smile.

    We can’t wait!

  2. #2
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    Daily Telegraph article. Zoe Ventoura to make her debut on H&A this week (Aust Pace):


    Zoe Ventoura joins cast of Home and Away in TV soap return
    Zoe Ventoura is excited to make her return to Australian television this week at a time when stories being told on screen are braver and more representative than ever before. The Packed to the Rafters star will debut her new role on Home a
    nd Away.

    She was Australia’s sweetheart as Melissa Rafter and, after six years away, Zoe Ventoura is excited to make her return to Australian television this week.

    The Packed To The Rafters star has spent the past six years based in Los Angeles with her husband, actor and TV host Daniel MacPherson but was tempted back home with a “meaty” role on Channel 7 soap Home and Away.

    Ventoura plays Dr Alex Neilson, a tough trauma specialist in Summer Bay’s hospital.

    While refusing to give away too much of her character’s upcoming storyline, she reveals it’s one that may not have been told in the past and is one of the reasons she took the role. “There's stuff that happens down in the storyline that I’m not supposed to be talking about just yet but is part of the reason why this role was so interesting to me and that’s part of that push forward,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

    Network television has historically shunned bold story arcs that may upset advertisers but recently shows such as Home and Away and Neighbours have been taking bolder chances in an effort to better represent society.

    It’s a move Ventoura says couldn’t have come soon enough.

    “It certainly feels like things such as diversity and representation on screen are a little bit overdue but also really wonderful,” she said.

    “These massive shows, they have international appeal, they have these huge fan bases and I think it’s really positive and really exciting the way they’re going.”

    Ventoura was accompanied by MacPherson for the first couple of months of filming but he’s now filming the final season of British spy thriller Strike Back in Croatia for six months.

    The couple, who married in 2015 after meeting on the set of Wild Boys four years earlier, spend a lot of hours on FaceTime and visit each other as often as they can.

    “We have just had a big production break and I went over there and will get to go over again before he finishes,” Ventoura said.

    It’s a tough system that some find difficult to grasp, but Ventoura says it works perfectly for them as both fully understand the requirements for working in the industry.

    “There's a certain depth of understanding that would be hard for someone out of the industry to quite grasp,” she said.

    “We totally get it because we're both in the same industry and the same boat.”


    And...

    Summer Bay newbie! Packed to the Rafters star Zoe Ventoura set to make her Home and Away debut

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...way-debut.html

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    Hope they teach her to surf

  4. #4
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    Nowtolove.com.au article:

    AUST PACE!!


    EXCLUSIVE: Home and Away's Alex asks Willow to leave Summer Bay
    Is it time to say farewell?


    https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebri...to-leave-62486

    Willow is caught between her grief and the pressure to keep the gym afloat by herself. And this week, she's offered a fresh start to leave it all behind.

    At the gym, Willow (Sarah Roberts) vents to Alex (Zoë Ventoura) about her workload. Both Robbo (Jake Ryan) and Mason (Orpheus Pledger) were involved in running the business and she wants to honour their memory, but she's struggling to juggle it all.

    Alex tries to soothe her girlfriend's worries, but is interrupted by a phone call. The doctor is surprised to learn she's being offered a job in Queensland.

    The next day, Alex finds Willow to tell her the big news – but to her surprise, Willow tells her to reject the offer.

    Their life is in Summer Bay and she's made a commitment to look after the gym.

    But Alex presses on. She believes it would be a fresh start for both of them, away from the tragedy and trauma of the past 12 months.

    Willow can't deny it would help to start afresh...

  5. #5
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    Nowtolove.com.au article:

    Aust Pace!

    “Heartbreaking goodbye! Home and Away’s Alex and Willow spend their final moments together”

    https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebri...-breakup-62900

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