Wentworth star Kate Box addresses the importance of queer people playing LGBTQ characters
Wentworth star Kate Box addresses the importance of queer people playing LGBTQ characters: ‘It’s quite rare’
She rose to fame as tough inmate Lou Kelly in Foxtel’s prison drama Wentworth.
And now actress Kate Box has spoken out about the importance of queer artists playing LGBTQ characters.
The new Amazon Prime series, Deadloch, stars 44-year-old Dulcie Collins – a police officer married to a woman played by actress Alicia Gardiner.
“It never happens that you get two queer actors to play queer roles on mainstream TV,” said Kate, who is openly gay. The Daily Telegraph on Saturday.
‘It’s quite rare. You feel that responsibility, but it is also very exciting and very liberating.’
Actress Kate Box (pictured) has spoken out about the importance of queer people playing LGBTQ characters in a candid interview with The Daily Telegraph on Saturday
Kate also shared an on-screen romance in Wentworth with non-binary performer Zoe Terakes, who played Reb Keane in the drama series.
Shot on location in Tasmania and streaming now, Deadloch stars Kate and Madeline Sami (The Breaker Upperers) as two mismatched cops on the trail of a killer who has turned the sleepy hamlet of Deadloch upside down.
Elsewhere in the chat, Kate, who shares three children with her actress wife Jada Alberts, said she felt it was important for local film artists to take on more diversity in their stories.
Two female detectives are thrown together to solve a murder case in the new Amazon Prime series Deadlock. Pictured: Madeline Sami and Kate Box in a scene from the show
Alicia Gardiner (pictured) plays the character of Kate’s partner in the new Deadloch series. Kate is married to actress Jada Alberts – the couple share three children
“We need to make sure we don’t just tell Australian content,” she explained.
“But that we tell a wide range of Australian content. There are many communities that have been sidelined within our film and television landscape. I think it’s crucial to have content on screen that is representative of who we are.
“The more opportunities to bring our stories to the screen, the more responsibility we have to deliver a wide variety of stories. And that is very exciting to see.’
Nina Oyama from ABC’s hit Utopia can also be seen in the cast of Deadloch.
She plays an eager young police officer who assists the detectives in their investigation, which takes place as Deadloch prepares his arts and crafts festival.
Deadloch was created by comedy duo Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney, known as the Two Kates, who rose to fame with their ABC hits The Katering Show (2015) and Get Krack!n in 2017.
This is Amazon Prime Video’s third time supporting an Australian-produced scripted drama.
Co-written and created by the Two Kates, Deadloch has attracted a cast of top ensembles including Tom Ballard, Mia Morrissey, Nick Simpson-Deeks, Kris McQuade and Pamela Rabe.
Directors include Gracie Otto, who has just completed her first feature Seriously Red, Ben Chessell of The Great and Beck Cole of Black Comedy.
Also appearing in the Deadloch cast is Nina Oyama from ABC’s hit Utopia (pictured in a scene from Deadloch with Kate Box, right)