TV pick: A soft side to Rita, in Wentworth
WENTWORTH ★★★★½
Series return, Tuesday 8.30pm, Showcase
To those on the outside, the allure of this popular women's prison drama may seem little more than girl-on-girl violence. There's certainly plenty of that in this sixth season with the incarceration of boxing champ Ruby Mitchell (Rarriwuy Hick) and her bikie protector Rita Connors (Leah Purcell), taking the fisticuffs to another level. But its legion of fans here and in Britain gets that the real pull of Wentworth is the depth and diversity of its characters. Even 39 years after the premiere of the original Prisoner, there's not another Australian television drama on air with as many complex, subversive female roles for actors of all ages and sizes. Confined within the sickly green walls of H Block, the fluctuating power balance, the emotional crises and unlikely camaraderie makes for exciting and addictive theatre.
Leah Purcell had decided, at 47, to put her acting career aside to focus on directing (Cleverman), and writing (she's finalising the feature film version of her award-winning play, The Drover's Wife). Then she got a call from Pino Amenta, series producer of Wentworth, who had Purcell in mind for the role of Rita Connors back when he was plotting the murder in season four of a leading character.
"I was in hook, line and sinker," says Purcell. "It's a dream come true to step into crazy storylines in an established show with an amazing, gifted ensemble of women. I'm still pinching myself. We spoke about collaborating on the story of Rita, so that was really nice to be able to give ideas towards where she could go. You've got to make the character your own and we did that with putting my Indigenous heritage through Rita."
Immortalised by Glenda Linscott in Prisoner, the tough-talking, soft-hearted Rita "the Beater" Connors is credited with reinvigorating that series towards the end of its tenure. This season will also see the return of another Prisoner favourite, Maggie Millar's crime matriarch Marie Winter, reimagined by Susie Porter.
Rita and Ruby are the series' only current Aboriginal characters, with Shareena Clanton's dizzy Doreen Anderson and Jada Alberts' drug-addicted mother, Toni Goodes, both out on parole. Racism rears its ugly head at the start of this season, but Purcell says the story arc is about so much more.
"Rarri and I are bringing more of a cultural element through it, so we have to consult with elders and making sure we do that right. The storylines aren't particularly politically driven with Rita and Ruby. We come in, we ruffle some feathers. People ruffle us. Then we're away into trying to survive the prison system."
Like most of the cast, Purcell visited a women's prison as part of her research into the role. She also drew on her experiences running drama workshops for prisoners. And her hobby, boxing, was invaluable when it came to gruelling 12-hour fight-scene shoots. From Rita's induction scene, which pays subtle homage to that of the original character, with regards to her precious leather jacket, Purcell is a commanding presence, inhabiting the role with staunch authenticity.
"The physical side, the training, makes you fitter. You get stronger. You've got the stamina you need to get through such long days. It's the emotional stuff that wears you out. There's some pretty high intensity stuff [for Rita] to come, and that can take two to three days to get over. You've got to make sure you get out and sit in the sun, get out of those walls and away from the bars and just come back to earth."