When you’re top dog you can’t show a chink — Wentworth’s Franky on dangerous collision course with The Freak
SHE’S dangerous and volatile and about to come up against The Freak. Wentworth gets even darker.
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WHEN she traded a US green card for a teal blue prison tracksuit to take the role of Francesca “Franky” Doyle in Wentworth, Nicole da Silva never imagined it would turn out like this.
It was 2012 when da Silva, having wrapped four years playing tough girl Senior Constable Stella Dagostino on Rush, was ready to tread the well-worn path of Australian actors trying their luck in landing an American television role at pilot season.
“I was waiting for approval for my Green Card to give LA a shot. Then along came Franky,” da Silva says.
Season one of Wentworth, Foxtel’s reimaging of cult 1980s prison drama Prisoner, proved a hit for da Silva and the rest of the ensemble cast.
Now, as the 32-year-old dons the tatts and Wentworth teal for series two, those trackies are feeling mighty comfortable, and Hollywood’s on hold in favour of cell block H.
And if you thought season one was dark and tough, it’s about to get a whole lot meatier.
Franky is cementing her spot as top dog at the prison. Bea (Danielle Cormack) is non compos mentis in isolation in ‘the slot’ after taking down prison matriarch Jacs (Kris McQuade) in the season-ender.
And striding into Wentworth, intent on taking charge, is new governor — Joan “The Freak” Ferguson” (Pamela Rabe).
Wentworth has never been a place for the weak, and da Silva says that’s especially true for Franky, in season two.
Ferguson’s mandate is to clean up the prison.
“Each and every person here will know their place,” The Freak warns, and immediately starts trying to put Franky in hers.
It’s a brutal, dangerous and potentially deadly collision course, which sends Franky to new depths, da Silva says.
Worse than murdering a prison guard, or shoving someone’s hand in a steam press, as she did with prison matriarch Jacs (Kris McQuade) last season?
“It’s a dark arc. When you’re top dog you can’t afford to show a chink,” da Silva warns.
“She’s dangerous and volatile. She has to guard her position. Tapping into that is heavy.”
Da Silva was bowled over by audience reaction to Franky and Wentworth in season one.
“I never would have thought that Franky would resonate the way she did and be received with positivity,” she says of fan reaction to the show.
“We had no idea how the show would be received, let alone individual characters.
“In a way season two for Wentworth as a whole is a bit like Franky’s story, or second album syndrome.
“The pressure of — now you can’t take anyone by surprise — now you have expectations and we are faced with a new challenge maintaining those standards and topping them.”
It seems Foxtel has no such qualms, with season three already in production.
Off screen, da Silva says she shares Franky’s natural strength “but I don’t let my temper get the better of me as opposed to Franky, who might”.
Also, she laughingly concedes, she hasn’t shoved anyone’s hand in a steam press recently.
“While it was nice to step into Franky’s skin again, this is definitely a darker season,” she says.
“Shaking her off at the end of the day was hard to do last year. This is a tricker season for me, just because of the content.”
LA is still calling — “absolutely — but right now these trackie dacks and a singlet are possibly the best work uniform anyone could ask for”, da Silva says.
“Except that it’s turned me off the colour teal blue.”
■ Wentworth, Tuesday, 8.30pm, SoHo
Originally published as When you’re top dog you can’t show a chink — Wentworth’s Franky on dangerous collision course with The Freak
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