Kat Stewart on why Offspring works without Patrick

PATRICK’S death was a change Offspring fans didn’t see coming, but Kat Stewart reckons the risky TV move has more than paid off for those left behind.

SUNDAY TV COLUMN JUN8 ONLY Offspring stars Kat Stewart and Asher Keddie. Pic supplied/Ten.

IT is time for Billie Proudman to step up. That is the instruction Kat Stewart received as she prepared for the fifth series of Offspring.

Last year’s shock death of Dr Patrick Reid (Matthew Le Nevez) threw Nina Proudman’s (Asher Keddie) world into chaos, but it has also had profound ramifications for Nina’s elder, sister Billie.

Kat Stewart says Billie now has a “pure altruistic purpose” in <i>Offspring</i>.

Billie had withdrawn from the rest of the Proudman family as she coped with her split with husband Mick (Eddie Perfect).

Patrick’s death and the birth of Nina’s baby Zoe, were a huge wake-up call for Billie. This former wild child needs to grow up and help her sister through tough times.

“At the end of the last series we saw Billie really unravel with her marriage and pulling herself away from her family,” Stewart says. “She was in such a bad place and she isolated herself.

“With Patrick’s death, she realised she had to be there for Nina. She was in a funk and now she is out of that.

“Billie has been living with Nina and they’re really co-parenting Zoe. Billie has always wanted a baby.

“Billie has found that helping raise this little girl is her higher purpose. She not a mother per se but she is certainly a co-parent. That has given her a pure altruistic purpose that is bigger than herself. She has always been very self-obsessed. This has given her something else to focus on.”

“My relationship with Asher (Keddie) has got richer and more enjoyable,” says Stewart of working on <i>Offspring</i>.

Early weeks of series five have seen Nina back at work as the first step to overcoming the grief of Patrick’s loss. A fortnight ago, Nina finally bid Patrick farewell after being haunted by visions and daydreams of her dead partner.

Billie has her own heartbreak after Mick confessed to her on the phone from London that he is seeing his manager Mimi. Meantime, Nina’s former counsellor Lawrence Pethridge (Ido Drent) confesses he has feelings for Billie.

Billie is also focusing on her new House Proud business venture with Ange (Celia Pacquola) — styling homes for sale.

Kat Stewart chose a dramatic black dress for this year’s Logies. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

“This series has given me more scope to show different aspects to Billie, which I actually didn’t expect,” Stewart says.

“Billie can get into a funk occasionally but I do love that she will rise to a challenge. She has a devotion to the people she loves. She would do anything for her family. I love her passion and her loyalty and her drive.

“I also love her lack of pretence. She is so honest. In life we can sometimes be a little bit too careful and diplomatic. I’m guilty of that.

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“Nina’s and Billie’s is a complex relationship. There is this great love and support because they’re working towards the same goal, but there’s also the usual antagonism between siblings.”

Patrick’s death was a switch-up that Offspring fans didn’t see coming, but the show has flourished. Ratings are strong and viewers are wondering whether there will be a sixth series.

“It was a bold move to (kill off Patrick),” Stewart says. “The show has developed and the characters have matured and deepened.

“That major event has reset everything. I love that the writers take risks on this show.

Stewart, here with Asher Keddie, says she hopes there will be a sixth series of Offspring, but doesn’t know.

“The great thing about this show is that it straddles comedy and drama. Half the fun is getting a new script.

“My relationship with Asher has got richer and more enjoyable. We have this (acting) shorthand now.

Stewart starred as Roberta Williams in Nine’s <i>Underbelly</i>.

“Hopefully there will be another one (sixth series). We don’t know.”

With the future of Offspring still uncertain, Stewart is on the lookout for more out-of-left-field roles.

“I’m really interested in being surprised. I don’t have a favourite out of comedy and drama. I just want to do good writing,” she says.

Currently, the 41-year-old best known for angst-ridden characters like Billie, Nat Manning in Tangle and Roberta Williams in Underbelly is proving she loves a laugh, taking to the stage on Melbourne in political satire The Speechmakers.

Stewart can do funny. Last year she starred opposite good mate Shaun Micallef in Mr & Mrs Murder.

The series, in which Micallef and Stewart played husband-and-wife amateur sleuths Charlie and Nicola Buchanan, was a brave experiment that met with lukewarm ratings.

“It was really nice to play someone (Nicola) who was so happy,” Stewart says. “She was really happy in her marriage. The conflict didn’t come from the relationships, it came from the situations (crimes to be solved).”

■ Offspring, Wednesday, 8.30pm, Ten

Kat Stewart, Sheridan Harbridge and Erik Thomson in <i>The Speechmakers</i>. Picture: Jeff Busby

Originally published as Kat Stewart on why Offspring works without Patrick