New wave - The fresh face of Summer Bay

[Andy]

Stepping stone to acting fame - The new Hayley hopes to have Bec's appeal

Sunday Telegraph

28 August 2005

Summer Bay's new star sees Bec Cartwright's old role as her gateway to acting opportunity, as Richard Clune reports.

Now that Bec Cartwright has moved into the Palm Beach, Sydney, home she recently bought with tennis-star husband Lleyton Hewitt, it's fair to say she'll be keeping a close eye on Ella Scott Lynch's work.

Palm Beach is the setting for the fictional town of Summer Bay.

This week, Scott Lynch makes her Home And Away debut as Hayley Smith, the character made famous by Cartwright, who has left the show to have a baby.

Scott Lynch says it has been a little daunting coming into an already developed character, but the rest of the cast have been very supportive.

Home And Away has a positive history on switching actors.

The most notable swap in its 17-year history was when Debra Lawrance replaced Vanessa Downing in the much-loved role of Pippa Fletcher.

Then Joel McIlroy replaced Martin Dingle-Wall as Flynn Saunders. The character of Duncan Stewart has been played by three actors.

While Scott Lynch may have become Hayley Smith, taking over the storylines involving love triangles, pregnancy and heart trouble, she has not been expected to take on her predecessor's look.

Where Cartwright oozed a sexy summer vibe, with blonde locks and permanent tan, Lynch has striking red hair, pale skin and an edgy attitude.

"When I first got the job, I spoke to the producers and asked what to do about my look," she says.

"I was curious whether they wanted me to take some of Bec's old tapes home and study them, dye my hair blonde and head for a solarium.

"But they said, no, we want you to make the character your own, but obviously with similar qualities.

A soapie role for Scott Lynch, an articulate NIDA graduate who says she is a very different person to Cartwright, seems a little at odds with her passion for her craft and theatrical desires.

"My father was like, no, you must do theatre with Bell (Shakespeare Company) or the Sydney Theatre Company," she says.

"I intend to make my career after Home And Away, but as an actor you need as much experience as possible, and I saw this as a great opportunity."

She's not wrong. Home And Away draws a nightly national audience of more than one million and broadcasts to more than 50 countries worldwide -- not a bad way to have your face noticed internationally.

Scott Lynch joins a spate of new, young actors who have helped give Home And Away a fresh lease of life in recent months. One of the latest recruits is Holly Brisley, who plays Summer Bay's resident vixen, Amanda Vale.

Then there is the stunning Isabel Lucas, who won the Logie for Best New Female Talent last year, and Chris Hemsworth, Lucas's rumoured boyfriend, a finalist in Cleo Magazine's Bachelor Of The Year.

Add Rhys Wakefield, Paul O'Brien and Sharni Vinson, and Home And Away's international appeal is not hard to understand.

Brisley links the program's success, both here and abroad, with its lively, youthful feel.

"It's a sexy show," Brisley says. "The characters are all healthy, having fun in the sun. I mean, I find that sexy."

Home And Away, weeknights, 7pm, Seven

[-Kelly-]

Thankyou. I hope she does a good job or bring back Bec

[purplesarah]

Stepping stone to acting fame - The new Hayley hopes to have Bec's appeal

Sunday Telegraph

28 August 2005

... One of the latest recruits is Holly Brisley, who plays Summer Bay's resident vixen, Amanda Vale......Brisley links the program's success, both here and abroad, with its lively, youthful feel.

"It's a sexy show," Brisley says. "The characters are all healthy, having fun in the sun. I mean, I find that sexy."

Home And Away, weeknights, 7pm, Seven

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL The characters are all healthy?! And they are all having fun?! Is she talking about the same show that we watch?!!

[John]

All the characters who aren't dieing or being killed are having a blast!!!