Outrageous Fortune returns

Robyn Malcolm is Cheryl West

Tonight on TV3, at 8.30pm

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Cheryl West is back in charge, and she is stronger than ever, writes Trevor Agnew.  

"Bawdy, action-packed, satirical and trashy" are the four adjectives South Pacific Pictures used when it launched Outrageous Fortune, the comedy-drama series beginning its fourth series tonight.

At the heart of Outrageous Fortune is plucky battler Cheryl West, played by Robyn Malcolm. She has won awards for best actress, best performance by an actress, actor of the year, favourite female personality and sexiest woman but she insists her life is not glamorous.

"Chaos!" she laughs. "It's not even organised chaos. It's just chaotic chaos." There's no filming today so she has just dropped her children off, and is on her way to a series of meetings and interviews. "Pete has creche three mornings a week. Charlie is in kindy five mornings a week. It's just chaos. We have a live-in nanny and she is brilliant. I couldn't function without her."

Charlie was 11 months old when I started season one, Pete was four months old when I started Season Two. Charlie's going to school next year and I've pretty much worked right through that whole time."

A normal working day sees Malcolm leaving home by 5.30am. "I have to be on set for makeup call at 6.15am. So I'm often out the door before the kids are even up. This morning was a bit of a treat because I have a rare day off today, so I get to make the kids breakfast and hang out with them."

Her workdays are long; she's normally not home before 7pm. Malcolm admits to feeling guilt over the time spent apart from her children.

"But I also figure that it's good for them having a happy, healthy, fulfilled Mummy who's bringing in the bacon," she chuckles.

How did an Ashburton girl become New Zealand's most beloved Westie?

After studying drama at Canterbury and Victoria universities, she graduated from the New Zealand Drama School, Toi Whakaari, and began her stage career at Wellington's Downstage, with television and film work following. She is modest about her 21 years of acting. "I still feel like a novice."

Because of her long stint on Shortland Street, Malcolm is confident that people know she is an actor and don't confuse her with her roles.

Robyn was in Europe filming a documentary about the Battle of Passchendaele, Our Lost War, with baby Charlie strapped to her back, when she was offered the part of Cheryl. "I was getting emails on cafe computers in Belgium, talking about this new show that South Pacific Pictures wanted to do and would I come back and audition," Malcolm says.

She feels that Aucklanders, particularly West Aucklanders, have really taken ownership of the characters in Outrageous Fortune: "They're called Westies up here because of the geographical thing; there's a lot of working-class Kiwis living in West Auckland. But I think the notion of the Westie is really a working-class New Zealander, so you'll find Westies everywhere. They're all over Christchurch. You'll find them in Ashburton and Invercargill, Oamaru and Timaru." And many people now wear "Cheryl West tops".

How does it feel to be a New Zealand fashion icon?

Robyn is amused. "Katrina Hodge, the head of wardrobe, is the one who goes out and sources the white jeans and the tops. I think it's great that Cheryl's such a strong fashion statement, bold in what she wears. Why be a shrinking violet?"

As a non-smoker, how does Robyn cope with Cheryl's heavy smoking? "We use these herbal cigarettes called Honey Rose," explains Malcolm. "They've got no nicotine in them and they're completely disgusting."

Malcolm has played Cheryl for four years now. Is she still a plucky battler?

"Yes, she is. It's part of that journey towards actively becoming master of her own destiny and sailing her own ship. At the beginning of series one, she was a wife in an old-fashioned sexist marriage. She pretty much backed up Wolf in whatever he was doing. Since then, the story has been about Cheryl trying to establish herself as an independent strong force at the front."

Malcolm believes that, after all the heartbreak, Cheryl is tougher than she was. "In this season, that could be seen as a fault. I quite like that, because it's asking `What happens if you get too tough? What happens when you become so uncompromising that you start making mistakes?' Cheryl's so used to being in fight-mode, that she's quite a tricky customer to get close to. I like that."

So, what will be happening to the Wests in the fourth series? "It's a good season," Malcolm says. "It starts off with a hiss and a roar. The first two episodes are the best season-openers that we've had yet. They're really good." Cheryl's role now involves grandmotherhood. "That's right. Cheryl's a granny. I'd say the absolute scene-stealer of the new season is that little baby. She's with us a lot and she's fantastic. We want to nominate her for Best Supporting Actress."

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Kay McMurtrie   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I just love Outrageous Fortune and all the characters. Of course Cheryl is the best, but I was wondering where I could find a blue leather jacket like Pascalle wears.

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