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Australian actress Virginia Hey is probably best known for her role of Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan in the series Farscape, however in 1984 she played 'Glamour Model' Leigh Templar in Prisoner and appeared in about 20 episodes. She has very kindly answered some of your questions about life behind the bars of Wentworth and updates us on her life now.
Was it daunting going into a show with such a well established core of actors?
I was absolutely scared to death!!!! Luckily for me they were a wonderful generous loving cast and there was no animosity at all at any time, they welcomed me with open arms. I was VERY very very fortunate, because there is massive elitism and snobbery present amongst Australian dramatic actors, they refuse to accept untrained actors, and mental and emotional "haizing" occurs.. On quite a few Australian productions after Prisoner I have been tortured by actors who see themselves as eletist, superior, they see and refer to me as a "model" and give me nothing but contempt, even though I have been acting for 20 years! LOL LOL.. It's an incredibly cruel and nasty society to try to enter in Australia, God Save you if you don't have formal training or a giant ego to hit back at them!!! I hope it will change in the next few generations, it is the only country in the world that has this archaic snobbery and "old school tie" mentality exists! Thank GOD for the cast of Prisoner CBH, they were truly gracious, generous and loving to me.. I think THAT is the sign of a true professional!
Prisoner is unique in its portrayal of plain down to earth women lacking in make up and glamour. How did you feel about playing the role of a glamour model? Were there no hard feelings amongst the cast that you got to wear make up?
Well, in Australia "Glamour Model" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in the UK and USA.. A "Glamour Model" in Australia is a high fashion and beauty model, in the UK and USA a "Glamour Model" is a nude pin-up model.. LOL.. So needless to say, I was thrilled to play an elegant stylish gal.... with a COLOURFUL PAST! hee hee. No, no animosity amongst the cast, we were all actors playing roles and to-make up or not-to-make up was not an issue..
How did you feel about appearing in such a female dominated show?
Perfectly fine, it wasn't a real female prison, it was a working collection of the best actors in Australia at that time, so it was a great honour.
If a new series of Prisoner was commissioned, would you consider reprising the role of Leigh Templar?
I doubt that will happen, but hypothetically I would say yes... without the drag-queen 80's hair and make-up of course! LOL!
 For a show that was cancelled 18 years ago Prisoner still remains very popular today. Can you explain what you think the reason for Prisoner's continued popularity?
I think it is because of the superb scripts and the main cast being LITERALLY the finest dramatic film and television actors in Australia.. However, that is the billion dollar question in TV producers minds.. If they knew the secret to success then there would never be any failures!
Although you were only with the show for six months, your character had a pivotal role in the storylines. What are your lasting memories of working on the show?
Fear, fear and more fear! I hadn't done a great deal of acting, I think this was only my second acting job, so it was daunting for me every second. I was so worried I'd look like a gangly clumsy giant twit spluttering out lines and embarrassing the cast with my lack of dramatic generosity and education... ha ha, thats how I STILL feel whenever I act! LOL.. But Sir Lawrence Olivier said that once you lose the fear you lose your ability to connect with the character and laziness sets in.
Were there any of the actors from the show who you particularly enjoyed working with, and do you keep in contact with anyone from the show?
I loved them all. I became Arkie Whitely's best pal in Mad Max, so we had a very close bond in Prisoner. Maggie Kirkpatrick and I bonded particularly, and I saw her several times afterwards, she is the loveliest kindest big hearted woman in the world! Absolutely NOTHING like her character "The Freak"!
 You are probably one of the most well known actors to have worked in Prisoner thanks to your starring role in Farscape as Pa'u Zhaan. Can you let us know what else you have been up to recently?
Oh thank you for saying that! I am now a meditation teacher and about to release my own range of perfume and aromatherapy products worldwide. All my jaunts are recorded on my site www.virginiahey.com, so please do feel free to have a rummage about there.. I still get scripts offered to me, but Im at the stage where I am selective.. Ha ha, I keep getting asked to be a naked Vampire or naked Sex-Bomb Kinky Diva.. LOL.. Flattering for an old bag like me, but not exactly my cuppa tea these days! Another priest role? or even better, a Warrior Woman priest?... now you're talkin!!!
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, its very much appreciated.
Thanks for thinking of me!
Blessings,
Ginny XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Many thanks to Stephen for making this happen, and to everyone in our forum who submitted their own questions. Look out for more star interviews very soon!
Check out Virginia's websites:
www.reikii.com | www.virginiahey.com/pr | www.virginiahey.com/Meditation-Workshop.htm
Virginia will be at the "Memorobilia" event at Birmingham NEC from November 27-28 and would love to meet some Prisoner fans if any of you are in the neighbourhood!
© 2004 On The Inside. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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