Life with the wild Wests

Antonia Prebble explains why the latest season of Westside, which starts this week, is her favourite and reveals the guest actor who left her star-struck. Sarah Nealon reports.

Looking at Antonia Prebble’s mullet-style hairdo, it’s hard to believe it’s not her real hair.

Sitting in the boardroom at South Pacific Pictures in West Auckland, where local drama Westside is filmed, Prebble is wearing a fluffy robe and thick make-up. She is on a break between filming scenes that feature her character, family matriarch Rita West.

Underneath her robe she is decked out in clothes that are meant to reflect West Auckland 1983 – the region and the year in which the show is set.

“Rita’s style is pretty cemented,” says Prebble, whose fingernails are long and painted a harsh shade of red.

“It’s like a simple silhouette, quite uncluttered style and then low-cut tops, high-cut skirts.”

Westside, a comedy drama about a criminal family and their friends, is now in its fourth season. The Outrageous Fortune prequel series also stars David de Lautour, as Rita’s husband Ted, and Will Hall as moustachioed police officer Mike McCarthy.

The show’s promotional posters typically show Prebble wearing a stern expression and tight, dark clothes and, of course, the infamous mullet wig.

“Funnily enough, my hairdresser has said that four or five people have asked for Rita’s mullet hairstyle,” laughs Prebble whose real hair is a brown bob.

The 34-year-old actor has been with the show since it began when its first season was set in the 1970s.

Much has been made of the way the series reflects notable events in New Zealand history, such as the 1981 Springbok tour. So what can we expect this year? “Out of all the seasons we’ve done, I reckon this one most closely resembles the style of Outrageous Fortune,” says Prebble.

She insists these latest episodes are her favourite so far.

“This time it’s actually just more focused on the characters,” she says.

“Of course we are set in a time – it’s 1983. There are still a few historical references, but it’s mainly just about the characters so, therefore, it feels a bit more serialised like Outrageous did and the (Wests’) house is just busy and full of people all the time. Westside doesn’t have to be hinged on anything other than itself.”

Fans of the show are no doubt looking forward to the wedding of Rita’s son Wolf (Reef Ireland) to Cheryl (Ashleigh Cummings).

Rita and Cheryl openly dislike each other, although Prebble hints that Rita is making an effort.

“This year she actively tolerates Cheryl in the house and at some point they are bonded by a tragedy,” says Prebble.

“But after that they go back to life as normal – which is they are not each other’s best friends by any stretch but they are kind of on the same team now.”

Making guest appearances in the show are Rima Te Wiata (The Breaker Upperers), Ilona Rodgers (Gloss) and Nicole Whippy (Outrageous Fortune, Nothing Trivial), among others.

Also having a guest role is Grant Kereama, the former Lotto host who hosts a radio show in Wellington with his now ex-wife Polly Gillespie.

For Prebble, who grew up in the capital city, having Kereama on set was a huge deal.

“I was so excited,” she says. “I grew up listening to Grant and Polly. He’s the nicest person.

“I’ve been interviewed by him a few times, but it was only ever over the phone so I hadn’t met him.

“But he’s so famous. We were like, ‘Oh my god. Grant Kereama is on our show.’ ”

Outside of acting, Prebble is an ambassador for the Auckland department store Smith & Caughey’s. Last year she qualified as a marriage celebrant because it would be a, “Good thing to have as a job between acting jobs”.

So far she has officiated at only one wedding because of her busy acting schedule.

“But I’ve got quite a few booked so my next one is in August and then I’ve got a couple at the end of the year and even some for next year and even 2020,” she says.

“I’ve had to say to those people, ‘Look I have no idea what life is going to look like then but we’ll pencil it. I won’t give the date to anyone else should I be able to do it but let’s talk in 18 months.’ ”

“Funnily enough, my hairdresser has said that four or five people have asked for Rita’s mullet hairstyle.”

– Antonia Prebble