Star of Home and Away Jacqui Purvis disclosed that in order to make her short film, she had to force her father out of his own home.
The actor, who first appeared in a soap opera in 2021 as Felicity Newman, has since established herself as a writer and producer thanks to the success of Voicemails Last Forever, her most recent endeavour. The 16-minute movie’s premiere fell on R U OK Day, an Australian nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention.
The short film centres on two housemates, Robbie (Bradley Walsh) and Ali (Jacqui), as they cope with the unexpected death of their buddy James, who committed himself. James, portrayed by Adam Rowland, who presently plays Remi Carter on the Australian serial opera, was also Ali’s lover.
Jacqui had been working on the project for three years, and it held special meaning for her since her close friend had disclosed his thoughts of suicide. The actress told TV WEEK, “It all began when my friend Bradley came to me and opened up about his mental health and his suicidal thoughts.”
She went on: “I asked him what I could do because I really wanted to help in some way, and he said, ‘Oh, I just wish people knew that it wasn’t just the people that you suspect.'” The stigma surrounding mental health is so great, and it still has to improve.
“Everyone must be at ease speaking candidly about their mental health. I got home and just started writing with it in mind. However, it kind of just kept getting better and better, and before I realised it, I was filming it.”
Jacqui was forced to ask her dad to move out of his house in order to start the film. “We filmed it in my dad’s house in Melbourne,” she clarified.
“He moved into a motel after we expelled him for four days. The entire house was required. He has been incredibly helpful and was glad to do it.” It seems that Jacqui will have more roles behind the camera in the future. This is her first.
“My love for producing blossomed. I’m a huge movie fan, so I helped choose everything from the soundtrack to the setting,” the woman remarked. Felicity has been trying to recover from being drugged and raped over the past few weeks.
The actor said she wanted to do the plot justice, even though she knew it would be difficult. “I wanted to give the folks who have experienced it justice. She stated, “I think it should be handled very lightly and delicately,” in a TV WEEK interview.
