Photography: John Tsiavis/Binge
As Bea Smith in Wentworth, Danielle Cormack was top dog – a tough-as-nails woman who ran the prison with an iron fist, but all to keep her friends safe. And now, as lawyer Gabe Nicholls in The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer, she stars opposite fellow Kiwi actor Sir Sam Neill, as a barrister who’s unstoppable in her determination to put a killer behind bars, no matter how long ago his crimes took place. Once again, it’s to keep others safe.
They’re worlds apart, Danielle, 54, says of the roles, but the two women share one quality – they’re both “dynamically interesting”.
Drawn to complexity
The former Shortland Street and Xena: Warrior Princess actress explains, “I don’t know whether it’s me liking the complex characters or just being lucky enough to fall into projects where the writers have created such fantastic characters with all their intricacies, flaws, vulnerabilities, strengths and weaknesses, but that’s what I find really interesting.”
In the third season of The Twelve – which also stars New Zealand talents Marlon Williams and Sarah Peirse – Danielle’s character, prosecutor Gabe, is a lawyer who grew up wanting to defend those accused by a system she felt was unfair. However, after a case in which she started to suspect her client might be guilty of the crime he was denying, she switched sides.
From defence to prosecution
“Something that really drew me to the character was that she had worked in defence and then jumped to the dark side, as they say,” shares the Auckland-born, Sydney-based star.
“For a start, I find that ironic because I always felt that she was jumping to the light side of the law… But what drives her is that she wants to find the truth – the actual truth – and hold people accountable for what they’ve done.”
Danielle adds Gabe’s noble quest goes beyond the job.
A turning point
“You discover as the story progresses that she realised this when she found out she was pregnant. She didn’t want to bring a child into a world where she was advocating for people who had potentially done damage to others.”
And so a crusader was born. It’s a transformation that also has parallels to Bea’s in Wentworth – flipping from being a quiet suburban mum to a would-be killer. But the two characters had very different paths to become who they would ultimately be.
“Bea was fair and she had a moral compass that she tried to follow,” Danielle says of the role that won her a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress.
Two very different women
“But I see her as a very different character to Gabe, who has chosen a life that is based around really knowing herself. “Someone like Bea, however, didn’t really know her own strengths early on in her life and that knowledge came about through her circumstances later on.”
Throughout her career, the star – who has two sons, Ethan, 29, and Te Ahi Ka, 15 – has chosen roles that have been vastly different but always interesting – from Rake’s ambitious but slightly
lost lawyer Scarlet to sex worker Deziyah in the Kiwi series Madam.
Many worlds, many roles
“The joy of this business and of being an actor is being able to step into the shoes of many different people in many different worlds,” says Danielle, who relocated to Australia in 2007.
It’s something she’s doing in real life too, moving from acting into directing with last year’s award-winning short film Why We Fight, made by the production company she formed with Wentworth co-star Nicole da Silva.
Whats next
Danielle’s also set to appear in Return To Paradise and is continuing as an ambassador for Aussie charity Shine for Kids, which supports children affected by the justice system. She’s got a busy schedule, but she prioritises spending time with her two boys.
“I have a wonderful family,” she enthuses.
“I love living in Sydney. I feel very blessed that I’m here and in this part of the world right now.”
The third season of The Twelve premieres Wednesday on TVNZ+.
