JESSICA JOY WOOD
Jessica found fame as cult escapee and ED consultant Julia Reynolds on Shortland Street in 2012, before her character’s deranged husband Dylan killed her by crashing their car into a tree in 2018.
“It was my favourite scene – I had an iconic finger-wiggling ‘will she live, won’t she live?’ moment,” says Jessica, 38. “I actually pitched Julia’s death as it would be a great story and writing is where my heart really lies.”
After working as a dialogue writer, the actress went on to become a storyliner, story editor, script editor and then script executive on Shorty. She’s now a co-head writer on the TVNZ 2 drama.
“I remember watching the very first episode as a girl, so to be part of this iconic show now is fabulous,” enthuses Jessica. “Shortland Street has been a huge part of my life for the last 10 years and I’m super-excited about how it’s evolving – here’s to the next 30!”