When Madeleine McCarthy was offered the chance to audition for Shortland Street, the talented young actress nearly turned it down.
“Originally, I was asked to audition for Poppy, a slightly older doctor, but I was just 20 at the time, so I told my agent I didn’t think I’d get cast and there was no point me auditioning,” she explains.
Thankfully, Maddie – as she’s known to her mates – did get in front of the casting directors. She ended up landing the plum role of Cleo, a junior surgeon with anxiety.
“I’ve watched Shorty since I was little and I always knew I’d be on it one day, but I never thought I’d be a core character,” shares the Auckland-based actress, now 21.
“I thought I’d just come in with a broken leg, get it fixed and never be seen again.”
From soap star to household name
What she didn’t anticipate was her character becoming a household name. This was true both in life and because of the sensational nature of her death.
“I had the best storylines,” she enthuses.
“I loved that Cleo was given such a deep range of emotions. I got to fall in love and be angry, and finally to fall off a building covered in blood!”
Getting to experience such a “cool ending” was her final act in Ferndale and she’s proud she chose to take the fall herself.
Doing her own stunts
Daring Maddie tells, “When I was told I’d be pushed off a building by Hendrix, I said, ‘I am totally doing my own stunt.’ Although they tested it with a stunt double, I did everything you see on screen in my last episode. “You see me drop and everyone thinks Cleo has committed suicide, then at the end of the episode, you realise she was thrown off by Hendrix. It felt more like a blockbuster than a TV show, with cranes, wires and blood packs.”
Maddie says she felt completely safe every step of the way because she was supported by such an amazing team.
“I was lifted and dropped about 30 feet [nine metres] maybe five or six times. Then they’d say, ‘Three, two, one,’ and they’d drop then stop me. It was definitely scary hanging up there with my back to the ground!”
Finding love on set
Along with the chance to be a stuntwoman, Shorty has helped her find love – with co-star Carlos Muller, 26, who plays ambo Logan “The Bogan” Barns.
“I’ve known Carlos since I was 14, but Shorty brought us together after I dropped him home from a work do one day,” she recalls.
“We had such a nice conversation and a really good connection.”
Maddie’s time on New Zealand’s favourite soap also honed her ability to cry on cue.
“I don’t know how I do it, but if you want me to cry, I can because it comes really naturally to me,”
she says. “As soon as I step on set, the tears just fall!”
From Shorty to the big screen
That skillset came in handy when Maddie landed a role in the powerful Pike River film. She stars alongside screen legends Robyn Malcolm and Melanie Lynskey. However, its fans’ enduring love of her Shorty character that sees her get noticed.
Maddie muses, “I was only on Shorty for 10 months and I still get recognised every time I leave the house. It even happened when I flew home from Sydney after the Aussie Pike River premiere recently.
A lady at the airport told me she’d been watching Shorty for 32 years. It was so cool to hear her story and to meet people like her who love the show.”
As for Maddie’s final scene, it was filmed in the hospital where the doctors were unable to save poor Cleo.
“When they called ‘Cut!’ I was given flowers and a speech was made, but I didn’t cry, even though it was bittersweet. This is a tough industry and I’m just super- grateful to have had such a good run. “I’ve almost forgotten I was even on Shorty now because 10 months flew by so quickly, but it brought me so many opportunities. I met some amazing people and it feels like a crazy Shorty dream.”
Shortland Street screens 7pm Monday to Wednesday on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
