australian television information archive

Back to hospital for Lucy

LUCY Bell made a one-off appearance on All Saints last year but had such fun that she jumped at the chance to play a different character on a few more episodes of the show.

Last year she played the mother of a child suffering a mystery illness on the episode An Apple A Day [episode 9.15], which aired in June, and she will return to All Saints on Tuesday as drug counsellor Dr Sonia Moore.

Her guest role, which will see her popping up once a month on the Channel 7 medical drama, sees her working with the John Waters character, Dr Mike Vlasek, who is also returning to the series this week after spending six months recovering from morphine addiction.

"I look different for this role, I wear glasses and my hair is different," Bell says of the new role.

"I did it on another show, played two different characters, and I think (the producers) assume that the audience will be able to go with the change.

"It's a good show and the guest role was really nice because I have two little children, and other bits of work as well, and it's wonderful to go in once a month to be part of the show but it doesn't interfere in the other things that I am doing in my life."

The recurring guest role on All Saints marks Bell's return to regular television work since her series, Murder Call, in which she shared the lead with Peter Mochrie, wrapped in 1999 after four seasons.

But the 39-year-old actor, who graduated from NIDA in 1991, says she approaches every part the same regardless of whether the role is a temporary guest spot or the lead character.

"I always approach it the same way by being aware of the context of the story," Bell says. "When you are the lead you are involved in telling the whole story, and when it's a smaller character you are only involved in one part of the story but you still have to be aware of what that story is."

Bell also filmed Bastard Boys for the ABC in 2006, the four-part series on the 1998 dockside dispute that will screen later this year, and says she took the step back from work after Murder Call to start a family.

"I haven't done much because I had two children. I have a four-year-old daughter and a one-year-old daughter, so it was hard before now to do anything," she says.

"Last year, since my second daughter was born, I did a play, a TV series and a film, as well as radio work and voiceovers, and if I had my choice I would always combine all of them.

"Doing one after the other (stage, TV and movies) keeps you fresh because you are using different muscles, each one requires you use different technical skills."

To learn more about her All Saints role, Bell spent time with medical professionals who work with drug addicts to get a feel for the job.

"Being a drugs counsellor is very specific and the key was to find out what the profession involved," she says.

"All Saints is very good about hooking you up with people who can tell you specifically what a job involves and I spoke to a woman who was a drugs counsellor to found out what she does from day to day," she says.

"My character doesn't perform the same role as the other doctors on the show. Essentially the part is about sitting in an office and having a really interesting conversation every month."

All Saints, Seven, Tuesday, March 6, 9.30pm

By Sarah Nicholson
February 27, 2007
The Courier-Mail