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You had a great accent in Married With Fishsticks.

It was quite funny when I went along to the read through, because obviously I've got a New Zealand accent and [slipping into American voice] standard American is no problem but I went along to the read through and it was only there that they told us [slipping into Brooklyn accent] they wanted some Brooklyn ya know, kind of thing going on. [back in her own voice] I think I freaked the director out because I find it hard in those kind of group situations where I feel like everyone is looking at your acting or whatever, so I felt really quite self-conscious. And I hadn't had any practice with that accent and it's not a natural thing for me. The read through was quite shocking to be honest [laughs] and I think the director was sitting there going 'Oh...my God! What am I going to do?' He was trying to be all positive [laughs] but I could see the inner terror that I was going to completely mess up his show for him. But in the end he was really happy.

What do you think your best acting work has been?

It's all different stages. Shortland Street was the first thing that I ever did so that really was a training ground for me. And I was very young then, 17 and just out of school. Ideally you improve as you go on. And I had played Discord over 4 years on all the shows, I enjoyed a lot of work there. It also is a certain style of acting. I've done a few short films and various other things, but I haven't actually done a lot of theater...which is perhaps something I need to [laughs] for myself. But I think ideally it's always the last thing that you've done is your best work.

Okay, Discord was the sister of Ares... but how was she related to Strife?

Now this one's had me puzzled for a long time as well. To be honest with you, on the original script on the first ever thing I did, I was originally scripted as Ares' maid. Then they changed it to his daughter. [laughs] I was Kevin Smith's daughter, the poor guy. Then they decided to make her his sister because they could play around with it more and there's all that incestuous carrying on with the gods in mythology...and they could add a few innuendoes. [laughs] But they established that I was Kevin's sister and Joel's....?

They never actually mentioned what the relationship between Discord and Strife was.

No, they didn't really. Because Joel was Kevin's nephew...so I guess I'm Auntie Discord. [laughs]

Did you ever discuss with Joel or Kevin how the characters were related, in deciding how to play off each other?

To be honest, I don't remember it really ever coming up because we [Joel and I] were both linked to Kevin. So we never went beyond that I suppose.

part 6