Bonnie Soper is back on the Street. She tells Joanna Hunkin she's happy she survived
KEY POINTS:
It seemed Bonnie Soper's time on Shortland Street - in the role of a serial killer's girlfriend - would be particularly short-lived.
But the actress survived her murderous lover, Ferndale Strangler Joey Henderson, and after a brief respite Soper is set to return to the soap next month
as the Street's newest resident.
"I kept getting texts from people saying, 'Stay away from Joey!' Everyone thought I was going to get killed off and I couldn't say anything."
With two feature films, a host of theatre productions and a recurring role on Shortland Street to her name, Soper may seem like a bit of a golden girl. But the sensible Southlander doesn't take any of it for granted and reckons there is no such thing as a sure thing.
You may recognise her from her lead role opposite the Back of the Y boys in last year's cinematic release The Devil Dared Me To. Later this year she has a second feature film due out, The Map Reader, in which she plays a blind woman.
But it wasn't until she scored a role on Shortland Street, as nurse Morgan Braithwaite, that Soper was finally able to quit her day job and earn her acting stripes.
"I'm relishing every day ... With theatre and film I always had to keep another job to support myself.
"This is the first where I've really got to concentrate on acting every day. It's an amazing feeling."
After five weeks on set Soper is starting to get the hang of things but says she's still getting her head around the unique challenges of television.
"You do feel pressure sometimes in your scenes, to nail them in a short amount of time.
"In theatre you have a lot of time to spend on every scene and you have a lot of attention from a director.
"And film, again, there's a lot more time to spend on particular scenes.
"With television it's just new challenges. To get the hang of this is my ultimate goal."
While Soper knew working in television would be different to film and theatre, she wasn't prepared for the intense public scrutiny that came with being on the popular series.
Starring opposite Johnny Barker, who played Henderson, Soper was surprised by the public's reaction to the actor.
"Everyone had told me about it but to actually see Johnny go through that, I was really surprised. You'd think people would realise we're just actors and it's just a show, but people really get into it."
On screen, Soper's character also has to deal with fallout for associating with a serial killer, as many of the Street's residents struggle to accept their new colleague.
"She goes through a bit of a rough time as she deals with the death of Joey. Personally, obviously, because she cared a lot about him but also the way people see her because she really liked him and she just wants to understand why he did it."
Being involved in the biggest storyline of the soap opera's 15-year history was a thrill for Soper, who believes the series is an invaluable experience for any actor.
"You can never expect to come on Shortland Street. You need to earn your right to be on the show."
Soper earned that right through a series of theatre productions, including last year's Ensemble Project at the Silo Theatre directed by former Shortland Streeter Oliver Driver.
"He really gave all of us a lot of advice about being actors in this industry. The biggest thing was about being proactive. It's about being smart and working hard.
"You may be talented but you need to be a good person and you need to be hard-working. Never ever take your work for granted. You can never expect another role to come into your hand."
It's advice Soper has taken to heart. The actress, who landed her first lead role just weeks after graduating from drama school, constantly seeks to improve herself and take on a wide range of projects.
"Feature films were my goal and I never expected to achieve it so quickly.
"All three - TV, theatre, and film - are what I'm aiming for now. Every time I'm acting, I try to improve myself as an actor."
LOWDOWN
Who: Bonnie Soper, born Invercargill 1984What: Plays Shortland Street's newest resident, nurse Morgan Braithwaite.
Little known fact: Soper has appeared in three music videos, including one for Dimmer, Deja Voodoo and Goodnight Nurse.