Marianne Willison (second left) with Street stars Chris Hobbs (left), Laura Hill and Blair Strang. Photo / Martin Sykes
Marianne Willison (second left) with Street stars Chris Hobbs (left), Laura Hill and Blair Strang. Photo / Martin Sykes
KEY POINTS:
For 14 years she has controlled Shortland Street, hand-picking every actor for the prime-time production. Now casting director Marianne Willison is calling it a day.
One of the founding crew members of New Zealand's longest-running soap opera, Willison is considered the programme's grand matriarch.
Like any good mother,she doesn't play favourites.
"There have been some super people, super actors that we've been able to cast," said Willison. "No one in particular. They're all brilliant."
Willison took up to four weeks to cast major characters. Some of the Street's best-loved actors were turned away more than once before landing a starring role.
Blair Strang, who played ambulance officer Rangi Heremaia for six years, auditioned four or five times before he finally got a role.
"I auditioned for Otis, who ended up being a very blonde, skinny guy," recalled Strang, laughing.
Likewise, actress Laura Hill, who plays nurse Toni Warner on the show, said hers was a case of third time lucky.
"I did two auditions before I got that. I can't remember what the first one was but the second was for Nick's wife Ange. But she died after a year so maybe that was for the best," she said.
What some actors may not realise is that every one of those auditions still exists, in a cupboard in Willison's office.
Christopher Hobbs, who played Dr Frank Malone in the late 1990s, once discovered the cupboard, and amused himself endlessly watching his and others' past auditions.
"They were fantastic," he said. "We watched all of ours and then watched our auditions for earlier stuff. That was the best."
Willison is unsure what will become of the cupboard when she retires from South Pacific Pictures and laughed at the suggestion of an online auction.
As for tips of the trade, Willison said actors should not dismiss small parts.
"Often you ask an actor to play quite a small part and they say, 'But it's very small', and you say, 'Yes, but they might like your character and the way you play it so much that they'll write it bigger'."
Andrea Kelland will take over from Willison as casting director when the programme resumes filming in the New Year.
