RENAE LAWRENCE: ‘I DON’T WANT SC HAPELLE'S SUPPORT!'
THE REAL REASON WHY THE TWO CONVICTED DRUG SMUGGLERS CAN’T STAND EACH OTHER
She is the only female member of the Bali Nine, a group of Australians convicted in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia. And as news broke last week that Renae Lawrence is about to walk free after spending more than a decade behind bars, New Idea can reveal the 41-year-old is having mixed feelings.
“She doesn’t know what to expect,” a source close to Renae says of her release. The Newcastle native was just 28 when she was jailed for her involvement in the smuggling operation. Fast-forward 13 years and much has changed since she was pulled over at Bali airport, about to board a flight to Sydney, with almost 3kg of heroin strapped to her legs and stomach.
“Renae has spoken repeatedly of her fear that she will never fit in [to society] again,” the friend continues.
“She is worried she won’t be able to find a job, fall in love again or negotiate a world she only knows from brief visits from family and friends.”
Much like fellow drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, who was released from prison in 2017, Renae will need to adjust to life on the outside.
“Remember, not only has Australia had seven prime ministers during this time, but the world has discovered social media like Facebook and Instagram, we now have Uber and so on – not to mention the cost of living has skyrocketed,” the source explains, adding that Renae has adjusted to life behind bars.
But there’s one person Renae won’t be turning to, to help her on the outside – and that’s former prisoner Schapelle.
Over the years, Renae has weathered ups and downs, suffered from bouts of depression, attempted suicide twice, and forged a friendship that was ultimately doomed with fellow inmate Schapelle.
“There was always tension between the two,” the friend reveals.
“Schapelle and Renae had a difficult relationship, but initially the two Australians relied on each other.
“Renae was known as ‘Daddy’ in Kerobokan Prison because she was so helpful and always kept busy by fixing things. She even rebuilt Schapelle’s bathroom and created a pool area for her.”
According to our source, Schapelle got all the attention from fellow inmates.
“Everyone wanted to know about Schapelle – she was prettier and more popular – but Renae didn’t care about that.”
It’s understood tensions eventually reached boiling point between the pair, who are no longer on speaking terms.
“Renae never enjoyed the support Schapelle was given by the Australian public and after her release the world seemed to forget about the remaining Australians.”
Meanwhile, the executions of
“EVERYONE WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SCHAPELLE – SHE WAS PRETTIER AND MORE POPULAR”
fellow Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015 by a 12-man firing squad is still raw for Renae.
“She was devastated by the news. She retreated to her room, stopped the painting and dancing she had come to love and, far from the other members of the Bali Nine, who wore black armbands in memory of their friends, she suffered alone,” the source explains.
“Renae has adapted to life behind bars. She knew from early on that her only hope of survival was to keep busy. She took up Balinese dancing while still in Kerobokan jail, playing to her fellow inmates who had never seen her with makeup on. In her own style, she studied the man’s part.”
The Renae who left Kerobokan Prison following a bout of sickness found an unhappy home in the isolated Negara Prison, before being transferred to Bangli Prison in a quiet mountain town, which has been her home since March 2014. Removed from the media spotlight of Kerobokan, she has embraced an Indonesian life there, speaks the language fluently, favours Indonesian food and is once again labelled a model prisoner who supports her fellow inmates.
As her release date approaches, New Idea understands Renae’s mother and brother will “help her take her first steps to freedom”.
“Unfortunately, her father, always supportive, is not well enough to make the trip and will be Renae’s first port of call on returning home.”
And with a fondness for fast food, Twisties and snakes, once free, Renae hopes to address her health and her weight, which has ballooned in the last couple of years.
“She carries a lot of guilt for what she’s put her family through,” the source adds.
“Renae can still build a life, but it’s whether she can forgive herself and move on that remains her greatest fear.”
It’s been 20 years since feminist icon Murphy Brown left our screens, but now she’s back, ready to stir up more trouble. With most of the original cast returning for the highly anticipated reboot of the award-winning show, including star Candice Bergen as the dry, witty title character, audiences can expect the same groundbreaking subject matter, skewing heavily toward the current American political climate.
Just like her famous character, Candice points out to New Idea, she’s always tried to use her influence for good too.
“I always had a voice. I mean, if you’re an actor and you have some success, you have a voice,” she shares. “And so I’ve used it and I try not to squander it.”
Refreshingly honest and full of charm and wit, Candice spills on her relationship with President Donald Trump and the #Metoo movement, ageing on screen, and Hillary Clinton’s acting skills. Murphy Brown had such a cultural impact 20 years ago, especially due to Murphy’s choice to have a baby without a man. Do you look back with pride? We knew it was tricky when we did it. Young women come up to me all the time, in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and say, “I just want to
thank you. I would never … I’m now doing what you did as Murphy, I’m a journalist, a television journalist, and I never would have done what I’m doing without you and without watching your show.” Is it true they initially didn’t want you for the role?
Oh yes, Diane English [show creator] had to fight to get me that role because they wanted Heather Locklear and thought I was too old! Why bring the show back? We decided to bring the show back because we thought it was so relevant. We did a show on the #Metoo movement, on sexual assault, we did a show on immigration – that is very powerful. Every show has a nugget of something that we’re all dealing with today. The original cast and I love each other and the new cast. Jake Mcdorman [who plays Murphy’s son Avery], he’s the handsomest, he’s the cutest, he’s the smartest and he is the best comedic actor. He commits to it, so he’s not afraid of looking foolish or goofy, I mean, that’s part, to me, of what his great appeal is. But he’s great. And after this season you hope to continue? I’d love to. We don’t know if we’ll be picked up. Our ratings are OK – they’re not what Roseanne ’s were before she bit the dust. But I’m very grateful to have this chance to have done 13 shows. Hillary Clinton guest stars this season. What was that like?
May I just say about Hillary, her acting skills were excellent. It was humiliating for me that her timing, lines, her simplicity, her honesty … she was great. The show tackles President Trump and his impact on the world. Do you feel that the world needs Murphy Brown right now? He’s bringing out all of the darker angles in people’s characters and he needs someone to call him on it. It’s hard to respond to a bully – it’s necessary to stand up for values that have been cornerstone values in our culture that he has dismissed with a wave of his hand. Is it true you dated Trump when you were 18? One date! And he was not the moron he is today. It was a very short dinner, I don’t remember it much but it was a nice steakhouse. And then I didn’t see him again for like 100 years. When I would run into him at events in New York, he was always very polite and very courteous to me. But that’ll probably change. How do you feel about getting older? I’m 72. After the first Murphy Brown season, I had my eyes done because lighting in half-hour comedy is so harsh, because they have to light the whole set, they can’t light individuals. People sort of said, “I mean, you should take care of this.” So I had my eyes done, because I have very hooded eyes. I haven’t had a facelift and I haven’t done any plastic surgery since then. When I go into the doctors who do these injections, I’m such a pussy, excuse me, I mean that in the best way, that the doctor says I need the [child’s anaesthetic]. I need a tranquilliser shot just to get shots in my face, which most women don’t even feel, and I say, “Ahhh, I need to come back! I can’t do it now!” But now, I think you just admit your age, and we should see women on TV with lines now.