Killer blow for Shorty St actress

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Shortland Street star Adam Rickitt was a real-life casualty of the Ferndale Strangler.

The actor, who plays Kieran Mitchell on Shortland Street, injured himself filming the final scenes in the serial killer storyline.

Cast of the TV2 soap gathered for an exclusive party in Auckland on Thursday to watch the final three episodes of Joey's downfall. The episodes will screen on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Kieran is part of the climactic end to the dramatic plot and Rickitt paid the price for his art, injuring his face.

"There's a scene where I rugby tackle Johnny (Barker) with a crash mat," Rickitt told Sunday News.

"The crash mats were too small it wasn't big enough for the both of us.

"I went flying over the top and landed on my face and cut all my face up. For the next two weeks I had to cover it with prosthetic makeup."

The bruising and cuts were so bad writers had to scramble to write it into the script.

Fortunately the accident happened just before the Christmas break, and Adam's face is now healed.

In Friday night's episode, Alice Piper's (Toni Potter) life hung in the balance as Joey abducted her on a night out with the nurses.

Sunday News has agreed not to reveal the outcome but Rickitt says fans won't be disappointed.

"I'm just glad that the ending is so good, because it's been such a drawn-out story. It's a really good ending.

"It's been awesome. It was sad because it was Johnny's last few scenes. He's done such an amazing job on the story. It's been so well done. It was great to be a part of."

Actor Johnny Barker, who plays Joey, was also sad his time on the Street was over but is happy with the way the story wraps.

"It's a body of work I'm really proud of," he said.

"I'm really happy with it. Our work all of ours is really good. It's been really fascinating."

The actor was pleasantly surprised by the reaction from the public after it was revealed Joey was the killer.

"It was actually more intense before when it was a guessing game.

"It wasn't just my problem, it was Kiel McNaughton (Scotty), Tim Schijf (Gavin Capper), all of the suspects.We all got it really bad.

"Everybody has been really supportive and realised it's just a job. Nine times out of 10, people are really cool. They say `love your work, love the show'.

"It's just the occasional person who is weird. They go incredibly nervous around me."

Johnny has made a documentary of the process, capturing what it is like to play a serial killer and the public's reaction.

He is now focusing on his music, and will release an album under the name of Sleepy Kid in a month.

- © Fairfax NZ News