Olympia Valance (Paige Novak) interview
Hi Olympia – can you tell us what brings Paige to Ramsay Street?
Well her secret is that she is the biological daughter Brad and Lauren have been searching for all this time! Paige herself has always been curious about her background – and not having had a particular happy childhood, as she has got older the urgency to find her real parents has grown.
What happens when Brad turns up at her house in Adelaide?
When Brad arrives and meets her brother from her adoptive family, Ethan, Paige has a sense of relief that she’s found her parents. But she’s also very scared about how things will pan out. Will she like them? Why was she put up for adoption? There are so many unanswered questions, which is why she decides to go to Erinsborough to suss it out before she announces who she really is.
How does she end up with a job working at Harold’s, though?
One thing that viewers will pick up pretty quickly about Paige is she’s very resourceful. She tracks down Lauren in Harold’s and then impresses her by making menu suggestions to a customer. Lauren needs help so she offers Paige a job. It’s perfect – she’s able to learn more about her parents.
Then she engineers meeting her father too, doesn’t she?
She decides to join the gym, which is where she fins Brad, and she really likes him. There’s an instant connection, but she freaks out when Ethan turns up because Brad will recognise him and put two and two together. It’s too soon for her to tell the truth about who she is – there’s a lot more she wants to find out first.
How does she get along with her newly discovered half-siblings?
Not brilliantly – particularly with the girls, Amber and Imogen. Amber thinks Paige is flirting with Josh, which in the beginning she sort of is until she realises the connection – and thank goodness that happens pretty quickly! And I think Imogen is just naturally suspicious. Bailey is the most chilled and they seem to hit it off.
Is it a struggle for her to hide her true identity?
It involves lots of lies! She also doesn’t use a credit card so when she’s at Lassiters, there is no way of finding out her real name – which is Paige Smith, not Novak as she’s told Brad and Lauren. She made up a back story that she comes from Tasmania and later on she’s tripped up on this, so her plan isn’t foolproof!
Terese is quite anti-Paige…
Terese is a really smart lady and she picks up on the fact Paige is a young girl with disposable cash, staying in an expensive hotel, and she has no ID. Terese won’t let it go, which later on becomes a problem for Paige…
How long does she intend to keep up the charade, though?
She obviously has hang-ups from her childhood that have caused her to be incredibly cautious. She’s really, really scared of being hurt so she won’t let her guard down until she’s absolutely sure becoming a part of her parents’ lives is what she really wants.
What’s in store for Paige?
Well, when the truth is finally revealed, the fall-out will be felt far and wide! There will be twists and turns in the story for a while to come. It’s really great stuff.
Do you like the character?
I do, yes. One side of her is feisty, unpredictable and reactive, yet she can be very compassionate, sensitive and very funny. It’s interesting for me as well because her family situation sort of parallels mine in a way – I am one of eight half-siblings so I know all about extended families.
And are you enjoying being part of the Neighbours cast?
Oh, yeah, I’m absolutely loving it! Everyone there’s made me so welcome, and I felt like I belonged from my first day on set. I was nervous, of course, but I didn’t feel for an instant that I couldn’t do this. The most challenging part of Neighbours, which all the actors will tell you, is the pace. If you’re not filming, you’re rehearsing – and then another load of scripts arrive and you’re reading these while learning the lines for the next day. It’s definitely full-on, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Source: All About Soap magazine