Jacqui Purvis, who plays Felicity “Flick” Newman on Home and Away, has explained what it was like to play a sexual abuse plot as her character.
Purvis describes her character’s rocky tenure on the iconic Australian soap as “full on,” adding that it was “heartbreaking.”
Her character’s drink is drugged on a night out before she is sexually raped and coerced into paying her attacker money, according to the plot.
“It was an honor to be able to play that,” she says.
-ADVERTISEMENT- “It was also a massive pressure at the same time, to do it right and do it justice.”
During her preparation, the actor recalls being “angry and frustrated” when she learned of the horrific facts about sexual assault.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she expressed her feelings.
And she described the plot as “incredibly important” in terms of mirroring real life.
“It’s rare to see this kind of thing on TV; it’s quite a taboo subject, it’s not talked about, it’s not shown and reflected,” she explains.
“It’s confronting for those who have lived through this in real life, but I also think it’s pretty invigorating… so they don’t feel alone, so they can see themselves reflected, so they can feel seen, heard, and understood.”
Purvis claims her stunning performance did not go unnoticed.
“I’ve had some really beautiful interactions, and people have come up to me, told me their story, and said I did it justice,” she says.
“That was the most incredible thing to hear because you put so much work into it.”
When questioned if her character will be alright, Purvis indicated it will be a hard journey ahead.
“It’s a long road of recovery and then there’s what seems like light at the end of the tunnel, but then Tane asks a question that could change their lives forever,” she reveals.
Outside of acting, and despite not being able to make it over to Perth for Telethon this year, Purvis says she loves the West Coast – and hopes to make it back over soon.
“I actually did a road trip from Freo to Coral Bay and it was the most incredible road trip I’ve ever been on,” she says.
“That coastline is something else.”
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