ALL THE INTEL FROM WENTWORTH
AHEAD OF THE ICONIC SERIES’ FINAL EPISODES, WE GET ALL THE INTEL FROM THE SET
Catherine McClements’ character, Governor Meg Jackson (near right), was killed off in a bloody shock at the end of the first episode, but McClements joined the rest of the cast and crew at a media conference to launch the series in 2013 – keeping her death quiet so the surprise would hit hard.
Bea Smith’s (Danielle Cormack) prisoner number, 329460, is the same as the one assigned to the original Bea in Prisoner.
Doreen Anderson is one of the few prisoners to have had a happy ending and stay out of jail – mainly because Shareena Clanton (below right), who played her, turned down offers to come back. She felt it was really important to have the character’s journey end positively and with hope.
The Wentworth producers bought not one, but two steam-press irons before production began – because the machines are so old and rare that if one broke down, there was almost no chance of getting it working again without parts from the second.
The Wentworth building in the Melbourne suburb of Newport is a former TAFE.
The original cast members who made it through from episode one to the end of the series were presented with a plaque that read “100 Club”.
Jacquie Brennan, who plays Linda Miles (right), was originally only hired for eight days, with Miles intended to be just a minor character.
It was Nicole da Silva who nicknamed Miles “Smiles”.
Thirteen actors have appeared in both Prisoner and Wentworth.
Katrina Milosevic (left) thinks the prison cells are actually comfortable to work in. “Between set-ups, you can have a bit of a snooze!” she says. “Our rooms have everything we need. You feel cosy and safe – and you’ve got your friends with you as well. That’s terrible – that’s not to encourage anyone to go to prison. Note to self!”
Milosevic wasn’t originally meant to be a full-time cast member as Boomer. “The producer at the time had seen me do readthroughs and thought I would be too girly and nice for the character,” she says. “But the director said I would be right. I roughed myself up for the audition and got the part. Then they gave me the chance to do whatever I wanted to do. It was obvious that Boomer was such a part of the H-Block team that it just grew. I was very lucky and was made a main cast member in Season 2.”
Robbie Magasiva (who plays current governor Will Jackson) became known for his drag acts on set. It started at the end of season one, when he donned a red dress to play Mrs Claus and hand out presents to the cast and crew. “No-one knew what I was doing when I walked in to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’,” Magasiva recalls with a laugh. “They loved it, and so at the last lunch of every season, I’d do a drag act.”
Fans were shocked when prison officer Fletch (Aaron Jeffery) was run down by a van in Season 2. It was devastating for Fletch, but not so much for Jeffery. “Because they did a lot of it in post-production, I just had to walk out in the middle of the road talking on a phone and jump in the air,” he recalls. “But when you saw it in the episode, he really got smashed down the road.”
Danielle Cormack is humble about any praise that fans have for the show, but there was one memorable moment with a fan this year that the Bea actress won’t forget anytime soon. “Someone wanted me to sign my signature so they could get a tattoo,” she says. “I declined, but said I’d be happy to draw them a picture. The next day, they sent me a photo of the picture I had drawn tattooed on them – it was the emoji of a bee and a crown!”
Nearly every security camera on set, while incorporating real housings, has fake fittings such as paper “lenses”.
All the bathroom taps are prison-standard anti-ligature fixtures, which means a noose can’t be tied to them.
If you pick up a phone in the corridor, you will hear a voice say “Wentworth Correctional Centre” and a message telling the user they have just $7.50 in credit.
One wall of the exercise yard had to be built on hinges so it could be moved if access was needed for cameras and lighting.
The inmates really can’t escape! The doors have genuine prison locks on them and were allowed to be used only after the show was granted special government approval.
The doors also have magnets in the frames so they make the right sounds when opening and shutting during filming.
All the cells are individually decorated to give a sense of each inmate’s interests and personality. On the pin board in Boomer’s cell is a photo of retired AFL star Brendan Fevola.
The trays in the cafeteria were designed to look like real prison servers, with separate slots for food and cutlery.
To make sure everything looks authentic in the background, all the computers have the official Corrections department screensaver on them in case they ever appear in shot.
Likewise, the files on each prisoner aren’t just props – they have information about each inmate, in case the words can be read on camera.
The yard features an actual prison cigarette lighter. It’s a wall-mounted device, which means prisoners have no need for matches or a lighter.
(Wentworth: The Final Sentence premieres Tue., Aug. 24, 8.30pm on Foxtel’s Fox Showcase)