Terese Willis

Terese Willis
Neighbours character
Portrayed by Rebekah Elmaloglou
Duration 2013–
First appearance 14 May 2013
Introduced by Richard Jasek
Classification Current; regular
Profile
Occupation Hotel manager
Home 22 Ramsay Street

Terese Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. The actress was cast in the role after attending an audition in late 2012. Before she began filming her first scenes in early February 2013, Elmaloglou had to ask the producers to change the pronunciation of her character's name. Elmaloglou's character and her family were created and introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units within the show. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 14 May 2013.

Terese is portrayed as being ambitious, organised, hard-working and a good mother. Elmaloglou said she admired Terese and that while they shared some similarities, but they did not have much in common. Terese was introduced as the manager of Lassiter's Hotel, which is owned by Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). Terese and Paul share a love/hate relationship, but despite the tension between them, they work well together. Terese's other storylines have often revolved around her marriage to Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) and their family. Terese has struggled to accept that her husband has a daughter with his ex-girlfriend and her friend, Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall).

Creation and casting

On 7 February 2013, it was announced that the four-strong Willis family would be introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units.[1] News of the Willis family's introduction came shortly after producers decided to also bring in the five-strong Turner family.[1] Executive producer Richard Jasek commented "As viewers will find out shortly, the Turners are a family of secrets, and the unique backstory of the Willis family is just as compelling."[1] The character of Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) was reintroduced to the show, along with his wife Terese and their teenage twins; Josh (Harley Bonner) and Imogen (Ariel Kaplan).[2]

Actress Rebekah Elmaloglou was cast in the role of Terese, the matriarch of the Willis family.[3] Elmaloglou's agent asked her to audition for the role in late 2012 and she thought appearing in Neighbours would be something "interesting to do", especially as she had previously appeared in rival soap opera Home and Away.[4][5] Elmaloglou won the role and she and her family relocated to Melbourne where the Neighbours studios are based.[3] The actress thought it was an exciting time to join the show and did not feel under any pressure.[4] She also said the production style was similar to Home and Away, but Neighbours was fast paced because they shoot an extra episode a week.[3]

Before she began filming, Elmaloglou asked the producers to change the pronunciation of her character's name.[6] Elmaloglou was initially happy with her character's name, as it was a deviation of her mother's name, Theresa.[6] However, she was concerned about the pronunciation chosen by the producers, explaining "At first I thought, 'That's nice, I'll always have mum close to me' - until I realised it's pronounced exactly how mum hates it! I knew she would cringe every time she watched me on Neighbours."[6] The producers agreed to change the pronunciation shortly before Terese was mentioned on-screen.[6] Elmaloglou started filming her scenes two weeks after the casting announcement.[1] Elmaloglou made her first screen appearance as Terese on 14 May 2013.[7]

Development

Characterisation

Elmaloglou described Terese as being "ambitious, organised and extremely capable when it comes to her job".[4] She thought her character would appear to be "a tough nut", but she displays a softer side when it comes to her family.[4] Elmaloglou liked that Terese's personality was changeable as it made her interesting.[4] She did not think Terese had a devious side, but she often riled people when she made decisions on their behalf.[4] A writer for the show's official website called Terese "a devoted wife, loving mother and hard working career woman."[5] They also agreed that she was ambitious and had put in the hard work to achieve her dreams.[5]

Elmaloglou said "Terese is a good mum, but she's also very career-orientated too. I think Terese worries about it a little bit more than she should."[8] Elmaloglou thought Terese was the kind of person she would be friends with, branding her an "all-rounder".[9] She explained that she admires Terese and is quite similar to her in terms of how organised they both were.[9] However, Elmaloglou thought Terese was more businesslike than her and she was unsure if she could be the mother of three children.[9] She later commented that she and Terese did not really have anything in common and that she was much naughtier than Terese was.[10]

Marriage to Brad Willis and family

Kip Gamblin (pictured) plays Terese's husband Brad.

Terese married Brad Willis (Gamblin) when she was 21. They have three children; twins Josh and Imogen, and Piper.[5] Gamblin explained that Brad and Terese met and married very quickly. Terese has some issues with Brad's ex-wife Beth (Natalie Imbruglia) because of their history and Gamblin called the situation "a bit messy".[11] Gamblin added that Brad and Terese's marriage was pretty strong.[11] Elmaloglou agreed, calling the marriage "absolutely solid" and saying that although Brad and Terese are different, they work well together.[12] Prior to relocating to Erinsborough, Terese had become the breadwinner and was running the family, as Brad was busy coaching Josh, who was a competitive swimmer.[11] Shortly after her arrival, Terese was introduced to Brad's ex-girlfriend Lauren (Kate Kendall). Elmaloglou explained that Terese was aware of Brad's past and she was fairly relaxed about it.[13] As Terese felt secure in her marriage, she got on well with Lauren and their respective husbands became rivals instead.[13]

Elmaloglou was initially shocked that she was cast as the mother of three teenagers and told a New Idea writer that she liked to think Terese was a very young mother.[14] After Imogen was diagnosed with an eating disorder, Elmaloglou said Terese and Brad would feel guilty for not noticing, as they had been too focused on Josh and his swimming.[12] The actress said the situation wakes them up and makes them realise that they had been neglecting their daughter. Elmaloglou commented "There is an element of regret that they weren't more in tune with Imogen and her problems."[12] Imogen found it hard to accept that her parents knew about her condition and their reaction was just added pressure.[15] In an effort to help Imogen, Terese opened up to her about her own eating disorder she had suffered with as a teenager. Kaplan called the moment "really powerful" and thought it would bring Imogen and Terese closer together, as well as help Imogen to come to terms with her own condition.[15]

Elmaloglou hoped that Brad and Terese's youngest daughter, Piper, would be introduced at some point, especially after the character's began talking about her more during storylines. Elmaloglou thought Piper's introduction would add another dynamic to the family because of her young age.[12] In early 2014, Lauren told Brad that she had given birth to his daughter twenty years ago. Lauren had believed that their daughter died soon after birth, but she had actually been adopted out.[16] Terese did not take the revelation well and Elmaloglou said it was definitely a shock and not something she had ever prepared for.[17] She explained that Terese had been fine with the fact that Lauren and Brad had dated, but she struggled with the new situation and she worried about her own family and how the news would affect them.[17] When asked what advice she would give Terese, Elmaloglou replied "My advice to Terese would be to think before reacting and while it's a huge ask, try to put herself in Lauren's shoes... And watch Lauren like a hawk!"[17]

In April 2014, Terence Donovan returned to Neighbours as Doug Willis, Brad's father. Donovan had previously played Elmaloglou's on-screen father in Home and Away.[17] The actress was pleased to be reunited with Donovan "as father and daughter-in-law after all these years."[17] On-screen, Terese expressed her fears that Doug preferred Brad's ex-wife Beth to her. As Doug was "old school", he was not keen on Terese balancing her career and family. He was also not used to Terese's feisty side.[17] Elmaloglou thought Terese was being a little paranoid and said the fact was Doug and his wife, Pam (Sue Jones), had spent more time with Beth.[8] During Doug's visit, Terese was "bemused" when she found the television remote in the fridge and assumed Doug was getting a little forgetful due to his old age. Doug continued to have memory lapses, but Brad refused to listen to Terese's assumptions that it might be more serious, insisting that Doug was fine.[18] However, Doug was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[8] Elmaloglou added that the diagnosis would affect the family and she hoped Donovan and Jones would return to explore the storyline further, as it is a common disease.[8]

Lassiter's Hotel and Paul Robinson

Terese was introduced as the new manager of Lassiter's Hotel, which is owned by Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis).[13] Terese decided to visit Erinsborough alone to check out the hotel and meet with Paul. Elmaloglou told an Inside Soap reporter, "This is the perfect chance for Terese to see things at the hotel as they really are, before Paul can cover anything up!"[13] Paul believed he was conducting an interview for the manager's job, so he was surprised when Terese let slip that his sister, Lucy (Melissa Bell), had already offered her the job without consulting him.[13] Elmaloglou said Terese was keen to get on with things and it would not take her long to get the measure of Paul.[13] Elmaloglou said Terese and Paul were "fantastic foils for each other" and believed Terese was capable of holding her own with Paul.[17] Dennis pointed out that Terese and Paul shared a love/hate relationship and said Paul respected Terese for her business skills and the way she stands up to him. He added that while there was a tension between them, they did work well together.[19]

In January 2014, Terese and Paul's working relationship became very strained when Paul tried to make things intolerable for Terese at Lassiter's.[20] Dennis told John Burfitt from TV Soap that Paul wanted to make Terese as uncomfortable as possible in order to get rid of her from the hotel.[20] He explained "I actually don't think he genuinely dislikes her, but he has decided to dislike her as he had no control in her being there and being such a control freak, he didn't like Lucy coming in and telling him who was going to work there. He then decided to buck back against the decision and push her out in every way he can."[20] After Paul pushed Terese too far, she quit her job with immediate effect. Lucy was "furious" as she was aware that Terese was a great employee and she threatened to remove the hotel from the Lassiter's chain to make Paul see sense.[20] Neither Elmaloglou or Dennis thought Terese and Paul would have an affair in the immediate future. Elmaloglou doubted it would happen as Terese's marriage to Brad was very solid.[9][19] She did think with all the tension between Terese and Paul, there could be an underlying attraction there though.[9]

Storylines

After accepting the Lassiter's Erinsborough general manager's job, Terese meets with the hotel's owner Paul Robinson for a tour. Paul is initially unaware that she has the job and Terese allows him to interview her, before telling him that she just wanted to make sure they would work well together. Terese moves into Number 22 Ramsay Street with her husband Brad and their twins Imogen and Josh. She learns that Brad's ex-girlfriend, Lauren Turner, is living across the street and befriends her. Terese fires receptionist Caroline Perkins (Alinta Chidzey) for being lazy and rude. Caroline then sues the hotel, claiming that Paul sexually harassed her. Terese arranges for Caroline to be paid off. After Terese stays late at work, Brad accuses Paul of trying to take advantage of her in front of the inspector, costing the hotel it's five star rating. Terese assures Brad that he got it wrong. Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) becomes concerned that Imogen might have an eating disorder, but Terese does not believe her. Imogen later collapses and is admitted to hospital with a torn oesophagus, as a result of bulimia. Terese tries to get Imogen to talk to her, admitting that she once suffered an eating disorder too. After Imogen breaks down in her arms, Terese finds her a counsellor.

Paul promotes Terese to Head of Operations for the Lassiter's complex. He installs paid parking for the complex, angering the business owners. Terese realises Paul set her up, so she increases the maintenance rates for the apartment tenants and scraps the paid parking. Relations between Paul and Terese deteriorate and she quits her job. Paul threatens to sue her for breach of contract, but Terese counter-sues him for defamation. Lucy convinces Paul to reinstate Terese. When Josh is badly injured in an abseiling accident, Brad blames Mason Turner (Taylor Glockner) and sues him, causing tension between the Willis and Turner families. Terese tries to persuade Mason to leave Erinsborough for a job in Darwin and Lauren accuses her of wanting to get rid of her son. Terese struggles to cope when Lauren informs Brad that they have a daughter together, who was adopted out. The Turner and Willis families agree to hire a private investigator. However, a false lead causes Lauren to call off the search. When Brad's father, Doug, visits, Terese believes that he prefers Brad's first wife, Beth, to her, but they rebuild their relationship when Doug is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Brad's mother, Pam, soon arrives in Erinsborough and Terese helps her see that Doug needs her support.

Terese begins seeing Imogen's counsellor as a way of coping with all the stress in her life. She also learns that Brad has hired a new private investigator to find his daughter and she urges him to tell Lauren. Brad and Lauren get a lead and fly to Adelaide. Brad stays longer than planned, causing further estrangement from Terese. When he returns, Terese questions the strength of their marriage but they reconcile. After Brad loses his job, Terese pushes him to take a teaching position at Erinsborough High. She also tries to help Paul when he becomes depressed, and clashes with hotel guest Paige Novak (Olympia Valance). Paige is revealed to be Lauren and Brad's long lost daughter and Terese struggles to accept her. Upon learning Paige trashed Harold's Store, Terese has her arrested. She tries to convince Lauren's husband Matt (Josef Brown) to join her in keeping an eye on Paige, but he refuses. Terese later drops the charges and decides to give Paige the benefit of the doubt. When Terese learns that Brad kissed Lauren in Adelaide, she orders Brad to stay away from Lauren, suspecting a continuing affair. Terese and Brad's marriage becomes strained, and Terese moves into the hotel.

Terese confides in Paul about how she fell for her previous boss Ezra Hanley (Steve Nation). Paul invites Ezra to Erinsborough to help her organise a festival. Terese and Ezra almost kiss, but Terese pulls away, realising she loves Brad. She asks Ezra to leave her room, but he refuses and Terese has to physically force him to go. Brad asks Terese to work on their marriage and she agrees. Ezra attempts to sue Terese and Paul, but he is beaten by a mystery assailant and he leaves town. Terese is reunited with her brother Nick (Damien Fotiou) when he comes to Erinsborough for a job. She learns that the day before her wedding to Brad, Nick engineered a meeting between Brad and his ex-wife, to see if Brad was faithful to her. She tries to calm things between Brad and Nick as they feud. Terese is troubled by lack of staff at Lassiter's and indulges returned superstar Nina Tucker (Delta Goodrem) by letting her work at the hotel for the day. She stumbles upon Matt kissing Sharon Canning (Natasha Herbert).

Reception

A TVTimes reporter reckoned that Elmaloglou's casting proved that there was still a shortage of actors in Australia.[21] When Terese stated that she and Paul would make a good team, the reporter commented "You live and learn, love."[21] Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy observed that Terese had received a lot of positive feedback and Elmaloglou was pleased that viewers were loving her character.[12] A New Idea columnist thought Terese was "tough" and branded her a "feisty mum".[14] A Sunday Mail reporter noticed "The fued [sic] between Terese and Paul shows no sign of abating as we move in to the New Year."[22] A writer for The Sun newspaper's TV Magazine noticed that Terese was left "frustrated and helpless" during Imogen's eating disorder storyline.[23] In February 2014, another writer for the publication stated that everyone wanted Terese to get her job back, explaining "Without her at the helm, Lassiter's is falling apart."[24]

After Lauren revealed that she and Brad had a daughter, Laura Morgan from All About Soap said she was "pretty sure possessive Terese won't be happy about her hubby spending time with his former flame."[25] Morgan then speculated as to whether Terese would turn to Matt for comfort, saying it would be "a brilliant twist to the tale!"[25] Morgan later questioned Terese's personality transplant, saying "The ballsy businesswoman has always been no-nonsense and forthright (and we love her for it), but since discovering Paige is Brad's daughter she's turned into a full-on soap bitch. Terese reckons Paige is 'dangerous' – but sorry, we can't agree with her."[26] Morgan accused Terese of being jealous and did not think her actions were for Brad's benefit at all.[26]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kilkelly, Daniel (7 February 2013). "Updated: 'Neighbours' to introduce another new family". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (19 February 2013). "'Neighbours' new Willis family – more pictures". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mitchell, Thomas (11–17 May 2013). "Rebekah's back!". TV Week (19): 41.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Kilkelly, Daniel (12 June 2013). "'Neighbours': Rebekah Elmaloglou on Terese role, Willis family plots". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Rebekah Elmaloglou as Terese Willis". Network Ten. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Kilkelly, Daniel (21 May 2013). "'Neighbours' Rebekah Elmaloglou sparked Terese name tweak". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Soap Diary". TV Week (19): 54. 11–17 May 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Kilkelly, Daniel (23 April 2014). "Neighbours' Rebekah Elmaloglou: 'I hope Doug, Pam return again'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Everyone wants Terese to a have a fling with Paul". Inside Soap (43): 52–53. 26 October – 1 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Stefan Dennis: Paul may not find love, but he'll find lust!". Channel 5. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Barrett, Kerry (8–21 June 2013). "The ex-factor!". All About Soap (298): 28.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Kilkelly, Daniel (30 September 2013). "'Neighbours': Rebekah Elmaloglou on Imogen story, Willis clan future". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "Meet Mrs Brad Willis!". Inside Soap (23): 23. 8–14 June 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "We feel fab at 40!". New Idea (14): 31. 7 April 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Imogen's shock collapse!". Inside Soap (38): 24. 21–27 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Lake, Rebecca (8–14 March 2014). "Haunted by the past". TV Week (10): 38.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 "Neighbours' Rebekah Elmaloglou: 'I'm so excited we're reuniting as father and daughter'". What's on TV. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "A son in denial". Soap World (255): 20. May 2014.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Kilkelly, Daniel (30 January 2014). "Neighbours: Stefan Dennis on Paul stories, Rebecca return and more". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Burfitt, John (30 January 2014). "Birthday blitz". TV Soap (2): 14–15.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Neighbours". TVTimes (24): 35. 8–14 June 2013.
  22. ↑ "Parting is such street sorrow". Sunday Mail. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014 – via The Free Library.
  23. ↑ "Sick with worry". TV Magazine: 24. 28 September – 4 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Memory lane". TV Magazine: 24. 8–14 February 2014.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Morgan, Laura. "Neighbours: What now for Lauren and Brad?". All About Soap. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Mogan, Laura (27 August 2014). "We're all talking about...Terese turning nasty!". All About Soap. Retrieved 29 August 2014.

External links