Abigail Wilson was just a toddler when she stood beside a bed on the set of Shortland Street, where her on-screen dad Ali lay lifeless. As soon as the crew yelled “Action!”, the tot clicked into character and appeared sombre, before they called “Cut!” and she began jumping on the bed with actor Tane Williams-Accra.
At that moment, watching in awe, Auckland finance broker Stefanie Wilson knew her daughter was a born performer.
“Abigail is naturally dramatic and very passionate about whatever she does,” says Stefanie, 39, whose little girl was a month old when she scored the role of Lulu, the daughter of late character Lucy, played by actress Grace Palmer. “She loves anything that gets her on stage or in front of the camera.”
First appearing on our screens in Shorty’s 25th anniversary episode – which saw Lucy give birth in the back of a car during a volcanic eruption – Lulu is now an orphan and has been fostered by her on-screen stepmum Dawn, played by actress Rebekah Randell.
“Rebekah’s really nice and she snuck an entire packet of sweets for me,” enthuses Abigail, six, who is also fond of castmates Carlos Muller, who plays Logan, and Tatum Warren-Ngata, aka Stella. “We like to dance around and sing. I enjoy being on Shortland Street and I never want to leave.”
Although Abigail didn’t remember the TVNZ 2 stars when she arrived at the studio after a few years away from filming, she quickly settled into acting with the help of Stefanie, who is her on-set chaperone.
Her proud mum laughs, “There are so many new people since we were last there, but everyone has been fantastic and made her feel so special. She has been having such a good time and the crew is great.”
Abigail’s a born performer.
When Abigail saw herself on screen again as Lulu, watching with her parents and their two-year-old golden doodle pup Arthur, the pint-sized star was ecstatic.
“I was about to scream!” says Abigail. “My family are really proud of me and so excited to see me on TV – and now my grandma can watch from Malaysia on YouTube.”
Despite her natural talent, when Abigail got her debut acting role in 2017, it wasn’t something her parents ever planned. Stefanie was recovering from a Caesarean after giving birth and a friend tagged her in a casting call on Facebook that asked for a Middle-Eastern baby.
The Malaysian-born first-time mum thought she’d give it a go and sent in a photo of Abigail, who was selected for the role that was meant to be a three-month contract but lasted three and a half years.
“I was over the moon and really surprised because I watched the show,” recalls Stefanie, who is married to Abigail’s dad Jonathan, 39, also a finance broker. “I haven’t done any acting, but her father used to do some extras work when he was in university, including a few scenes on Outrageous Fortune and Shortland Street.”
Having gone to a Montessori preschool, Abigail could read fluently by the time she started primary school, which has been hugely helpful with reading her lines.
“Being on Shortland Street has improved her reading even more and she has learnt quite a few medical terms, like surgeon and intravenous,” laughs Stefanie. “She even got a bit cheeky and corrected some of the actors when they messed up their lines, which was really cute!”
As a baby in Tane’s arms
Abigail only works on set for a few hours at a time in between her schooling because her storyline “gets a bit hectic”, says Stefanie. When she isn’t acting or learning, the young dog lover likes to relax and play with her pup Arthur, as well as dancing.
“My favourites are ballet and jazz, and I like it when we do shows because everyone’s watching,” says Abigail, whose favourite actress is Emma Watson. “The costumes are really sparkly for jazz and,
for ballet, we wear beautiful, glorious flowers.”
With hopes to continue acting in the future, Abigail’s dream job is to star in a Harry Potter movie or a live-action version of Moana. She’d also like to be in charge of the Kiwi soap one day.
“Abigail has a fantastic time when she’s on set and the crew really look after her,” smiles Stefanie. “She gets to call ‘Action!’ and help the makeup artist brush other actors’ hair. Seeing her act again brought back the memories of how she was as a toddler, but this time, she’s amplified and even more professional.”
A confident Abigail pipes up, “I always click into business mode!”
Shortland Street screens 7pm weeknights on TVNZ 2.
