Anne Phelan

The Wentworth Star, Issue 11, March 1997

'Theatre is special in a sense that you're in control. In television you're in the hands of the editors. Once your performance leaves you, it can be played around with to buggery!' Annie, as she prefers to be known, not MYRA, is a true blue Aussie, direct, vivacious, and very proud of her country and the talent which exists here. A nature and animal lover, Annie with Kelly, her dog, drove all the way from the country to speak with us about her admirable career and fond memories of Prisoner.

Hi Annie, how many characters do you remember playing on Prisoner?
I don't know. I honestly don't know. There was certainly Myra Desmond which was my main character. Until you reminded me, I had forgotten that I had gone in as a guard, Officer Manson, or Bernadette, the prisoner. I don't remember doing that because you're looking at sixteen years ago! When an actor does one week's work, like Bernadette, sixteen years ago, it's not something that really sticks in your mind (Laughter). Especially in my brain!

What made the producers bring Myra back into the storyline in such a big way?
When I went in for the eighteen? I consider that I was in for eighteen months, the main part. I really don't know. They never told me (laughter). I knew they wanted a new Top Dog, but that's something I'm not really privy to, as an actor. It's the producers you know. But I'd like to think they possibly brought me back because, maybe I did a good job! And they could definitely see possibilities for the character. The writers knew six months in advance, so they knew where the character was going.

So when you did your initial scenes as Myra, had they already planned that Myra would be in for the whole of the eighteen months?
No, no, no. It wasn't in the contract. I think it was only for two-three weeks, wasn't it? I think it was long after that. They knew my work and they'd already set up the storyline that Myra was a friend of Betty Bobbitt's character, Judy, so there was a connection there. She had an in to the prison and Myra worked with the Prison Reform Group. So it was a logical step for the writers.

Was it just a coincidence that your character was around at the time that Val Lehman was leaving the series?
Val had left long before I went into the show, full time as Myra Desmond. Long before. But she was there when I went in for those few weeks of work as Myra, naturally enough.

What attracted you to a long running series?
Work. That's it! I was up for the job. I enjoyed it. I loved it! You're only contracted at that part for six months at a time and I did one six months and then they asked me back and I said, 'Yes.' Like most people, it was nice to be able to pay the mortgage (Laughter). It (the pay) comes in handy. It was thoroughly enjoyable and it was a wonderful part and also a wonderful group of people. I loved every minute of it. Doesn't mean I can remember every part of it (Laughter) I won't do jobs I don't enjoy.

Was Prisoner the longest role you've had?
No, I was in Bellbird, for four years. Yeah, but Bellbird was very different in as much as you wouldn't work the long hours because it was only one hour of television a week on air, so you weren't working twelve to fourteen hour days. So, four years of Bellbird was equivalent to two years of Prisoner. Then there is the stress factor to consider.

So, you are used to long hours?
Oh, yeah! Not as much as some of the girls.

Do you prefer long stints because of its security or because it's such a great character?
You're not really secure!

18 months is secure.
But you're not! The channel can axe it at any time, even if you're sewn up (in a contract) for six months and you're axed, you don't get paid for those six months. Bang! Your salary stops the day you stop working. You're contracted to the production company, not contracted to the TV channel. Look at Family & Friends that I did.

Was that the first time you've ever been axed?
In that sense, yeah. Bellbird came to a natural end. It had run for ten years. It was still a shock to us all. Bellbird was an institution, you just thought it was going to go forever and so did most of Australia. The Official Prisoner CBH Fan Club has got nothing on the letters that came in after Bellbird was axed! A Country Practice came from Bellbird, basically, in a sense. One of Bellbird's producers came in. It was a lovely gentle show set in the country, about ordinary country people. You had a copper, a publican, a doctor and the same sort of audience. It came to a natural end, I think, like Prisoner did.

How soon after Prisoner did you start working on Family & Friends?
It was ages. I left Prisoner in March 1985, so it was about four years afterwards. I went on to work on Harp in the South, Poor Man's Orange and did some stage work in between.

Do you prefer theatre to TV?
I like both. They're very different. I like them for different reasons. I love the camaraderie of television and film, the fun crews etc. But theatre is special in a sense that you're in control. In television you're in the hands of the editors. Once your performance leaves you, it can be played around with, to buggery.

What happens to your life when you're on tour?
I'm a homebody. I love travelling, on holidays. I've got a van and I'm always camping. I love the country but I don't mind touring so much because I've got a home, a very solid base, so I can come back to it. But touring is a chore because you've got to work. I used to love country touring, I haven't done it for a long time, so I don't know if I still love it, ie one night stands, all around the country. I take my own van and the dog. I get to see so much of the country. One play I did, called, Flexitime, toured for fourteen months. Capital cities and a lot of country touring and I saw so much of Australia and went to towns and places that I would never go to normally. Wonderful! Loved it! I hate hotels and motels, I loathe them! It's OK if you're going away for a romantic weekend, bubblebaths etc though!

Did you ever find that your character fluctuated in mood swings, due to the change in the writers, on Prisoner?
Oh, I suppose that happens all the time, yeah, but it's inevitable. You'd often get a script and go, 'What?'. We were very lucky in Prisoner, because they were such experienced actors, on the whole, both the company, Grundy, producers and the directors really didn't mind the odd changes. In fact there were some weeks we would have massive changes. When I say you have some say, it depends on your relationship with the producer, they're going to listen to ideas. If you come up with an idea and often you do, the reply is 'Well that's not bad,' or 'What a heap of shit, go away!!' A lot depends on the director. If the director had a respect for the actors and vice versa, you can say to them, 'This is just bullshit! My character wouldn't say this, it's garbage.' Now when you've got an experienced actor saying that, you take notice. I don't think that happens nearly as much now. Maybe for the right reasons, you've got shows now that have a lot of young inexperienced people and if they all get in there and want to change this and that ... We had paid our dues on Prisoner. There were some things that you couldn't change such as storylines but you could change the way you said something. One of my biggest problems that I had was the way the violence was dismissed so easily. I think there had to be violence, it was a prison for Christ's sakes, but I don't believe when someone was shot or had the shit punched out of them, that a week later the character would be walking around without bruises or anything. I'd like to see the result of the violence. That way at least it would be sort of real because it does hurt when you get kicked in the ribs, it hurts like fuck! It hurts for weeks. That's where I hate the gratuitous violence. I used to often have arguments about that. What it was, was a lot of time and pain in the butt for a lot of people because of the make-up and continuity. At one point, Myra had the shit beaten out of her and two weeks later they wanted to cut the bruises. I said 'No!' It might have been two weeks our time but in actual fact it was only four days on air, and that's what you've got to remember.

Why did Myra exit the way she did?
I don't have the faintest idea!! After the end of my contract they asked me to go back, and I asked for more money and they wouldn't give it to me, so I said 'Well, piss off!' They didn't believe me, I don't think. I've never mucked around, if they're not going to pay it, right, get someone else. I think it's great to have this dramatic ending to a character rather than to piddle out.

How did you find the younger cast members on Prisoner?
Terrific. Maxine was also in Family & Friends, and Genevieve Lemon, of course is a wonderful actor! There were some beaut ones. They were all great, all terrific. That was the thing about Prisoner!

How soon after you'd said that you weren't returning did they write Myra's demise?
It was actually probably sooner than they thought. They thought I was going to stay on, so they had to do a big rethink!

I didn't mind if she was killed off, and goes out with a whoppo, bango end! It doesn't worry me at all! (Laughter)
Thank you Annie. Annie will shortly be seen in episode #3 of Good Guys, Bad Guys, with Marcus Graham.