Leaving the Street: No short cuts for Brooke Williams

The popular actress is farewelling New Zealand's much-loved soap – and chasing her dreams overseas.

Walking away from a starring role on Kiwi institution Shortland Street could be seen as a huge gamble.

But, as Brooke Williams reveals to New Idea, she has no regrets – and her future lays across the Tasman.

After playing the role of sweet-as-pie PA Lana Jacobs for two years, Brooke realised she had reached a personal and professional crossroad.

‘When my contract came up, I had to decide whether to renew it or not,’ the 29-year-old explains. ‘I thought about it for a long time and decided not to. I loved the show and learned heaps, but felt like a new challenge – not just work-wise, but personally.’

Brooke admits it was scary giving up such a ‘secure’ job – a rarity in the acting game. ‘It was a tricky decision but I needed to do it. I thought, “Well, I’ve got to just jump and hopefully fly.” That’s the nature of the job – you have to be OK with the instability because otherwise it’s too difficult.’

This month she’s heading to Sydney to find an agent and it will be the first time the Christchurch native has lived overseas. ‘You learn a lot when you have to re-establish yourself in a new environment,’ she says. ‘This year is going to be about refreshing myself and growing up a bit.’

Brooke’s move bears a striking resemblance to Lana’s exit storyline. Last week, we saw her leave Shortie to pursue her dream of becoming a designer in Melbourne. ‘It was so lovely for her,’ Brooke says. ‘She’s so uptight and burdened by everyone and everything. She needed a push, and I think it’s cool that the characters who gave her the hardest times are the ones who pushed her to make a jump. It felt like her journey was complete.’

Lana’s love life, on the other hand, didn’t end so happily. While Brooke was glad to see romances with Daniel Potts (Ido Drent) and Josh Gallagher (Chris Tempest) come to an end, she thinks bisexual nurse Nicole Miller (Sally Martin) was Lana’s perfect match.

‘Daniel and Josh were so mean to Lana,’ Brooke explains. ‘She’s so sensitive, so to flourish she’d need to be with someone looser and kind, and Nicole is both of those things.’

The seasoned actress, who has also appeared on Go Girls, Outrageous Fortune and The Almighty Johnsons, had no reservations about kissing Sally on camera.

‘It would only be awkward if the other person was awkward but Sally’s cool and we’re friends. It was just like kissing anyone else, really.’

During Nicole and Lana’s mid-2012 fling, fans were desperate to needle Brooke for details. ‘Everyone wanted to know what was going to happen,’ she says with a laugh. ‘A few people said, “I really want it to work out.” Of course, I knew it wasn’t going to!’

Although Brooke got used to being approached in public, some fans still left her at a loss for words.

‘People were surprised to see me at a supermarket at 7pm [when Shortland Street screens on TV2]. They’d say, “How are you here?” I really politely explained that we didn’t film it live.’

She also fielded frequent comments about her appearance. ‘I constantly got, “You’re so much smaller in real life”, or, “You look so different without all that make-up.” Or they’d comment on my shape changing and say, “You look so much better now.” I was like, “Thanks, I hadn’t realised how awful I was looking!”’

However, Brooke was less recognisable than many of her castmates because her real-life style is so different from Lana’s vintage look. While it took the styling department at least an hour every day to get her camera-ready, on days off she rarely wears make-up at all. ‘I love getting dressed up for an occasion but day-to-day I rock around in my gym gear and leggings or in a singlet top and jeans.’

Her personality is also a far cry from her character. ‘Lana’s very prudish and in control all the time, and I don’t think I’m those things. I’m far more impulsive and emotional than rational. Being her every day was quite consuming.’

Brooke filmed her final scenes in December, just managing to stay composed as she farewelled castmates, who she says changed her life. ‘Whenever anyone else left, I’d be the one bawling,’ she admits. ‘When I do went I was really proud of him, so I got emotional. But this time I had a speech prepared, so I didn’t let myself cry.’

Since leaving, she’s relished her first summer off – and first proper tan – in five years. She planted a vegetable garden, watched Mad Men from start to finish and finally read Gregory David Roberts’ novel Shantaram.

She admits to missing the familiarity of Shortland Street, but knows leaving was the right thing to do deep down.

‘It would have been easier if I’d hated it,’ she says. ‘But I don’t think you can make a wrong decision. Anything will work out if you make it work out – you just have to commit to being positive. You can choose to doubt things but that’s not going to help you move.’

Source: New Idea