Antonia Prebble
On romance, pregnancy and house fires
it feels like a distant memory. The second trimester was much easier. Being the lead is pretty busy, so I was on my feet a lot. I wore Ugg boots whenever I could.
The crew were so lovely — every time I had a little break someone would bring me a chair to have a sit down. I decided that I’d just say yes to every bit of help offered. The crew was so nice; every time I had a little break someone would bring me a chair. I decided I’d just say yes to every bit of help offered.
4 How long have you been part of the West family?
It’s been 15 years now. I was 20 when Outrageous Fortune began, there was a slight gap in the middle before Westside and we’re about to celebrate our 150th episode on 12 August.
When I think back to how long my association’s been, I almost can’t believe it.
This is my 11th season with the Wests. It's so lovely to have had such long working relationships, which is pretty uncommon in the film and TV industry. I still love working in this world. Rita is a gift of a character; I learn more about her every season — it never feels stale.
5 Is this season the last?
We have just been funded for a sixth season, which is really exciting. This will most likely be the final one, so it's great to have a chance to finish the story properly and end on a note that everyone feels good about. 6Westside Your fiance Dan also works on
as an actor and writer. Did you meet on set?
We’d known each other for a long time through acting circles. We were part of the same wider group of friends and had always got on well but we’d never actually forged our own particular friendship. I thought he was a really good guy but there was never any kind of frisson. 7 What changed?
It was weird. It was like a little gap opened up in the universe — suddenly there was a space that hadn’t existed before. It was extremely unexpected for both of us, but we quickly realised it was something special.
8romance? Has it been a whirlwind
After series 3 finished we lived in Los Angeles for a while and then travelled through Cuba and South America, which included a hike to Machu Picchu. Since then we have got engaged, bought a house and now have a baby! So I suppose it's fair to say we have been busy.
9 Did Dan do a romantic proposal?
We’d talked about getting married, so I knew it was on the cards, but I'm a very hard person to surprise because I’m generally the one who organises our social calendar. Dan ended up doing it when we were in Hobart last year.
We were on top of Mt Wellington, just walking along and chatting when all of a sudden he said, “Oh hey, babe?” I turned around, he was on one knee and he just said, “Will you marry me?” It was so out of the blue that I burst out laughing.
He was so focused on the surprise element that he forgot to set the scene at all.
It was really wonderful though, and the thing that most impressed me was that, the week prior, he’d managed to sneak to Wellington for the day to ask my parents' blessing without me knowing.
10 You lost your first home in a fire just six weeks after moving in. Was that tough?
It’s been really hard. I was in the depths of morning sickness when it happened and we had to move around lots of different places before we found a medium-term rental.
I just wanted our own space because I just had no energy to be around people.
Not knowing where you’re going to be living when the baby arrives goes against all your primal nesting instincts.
When I think back to how long my association’s been, I almost can’t believe it.
11 What happened to your house?
It was a freak electrical accident. A fluorescent light in the garage that wasn’t even switched on somehow short circuited and exploded.
So our advice to everyone now is to put a smoke alarm in the garage, which you normally might not think to do.
12 What was your favourite episode to shoot in this season of Westside?
In episode eight, some pretty devastating skeletons in Rita's closet get exposed and she has to manage the fallout. It was great, meaty stuff to play with.
Rita’s relationship dynamic with her son is getting really interesting because Wolf’s a man now and she can’t just tell him what to do. He’s far closer to the Wolf we saw in Outrageous Fortune. It’s great having an adversary that you really have to battle.
Westside 150th episode is on Monday, August 12, on TV3 or Three Now