NewsBite

Jenni Baird says it’s a privilege to film A Place to Call Home in Macarthur

ACTRESS Jenni Baird, who plays villain Regina Standish on A Place to Call Home, said filming her scenes in the Macarthur region makes her realise she has the best job in the world.

SNEAK PEEK: A Place to Call Home Season Five

ACTRESS Jenni Baird, who plays villain Regina Standish on A Place to Call Home, said filming her scenes in the Macarthur region, including Camelot, Camden and Wollondilly, makes her realise she has the best job in the world.

The Macarthur region’s iconic landscapes will again feature as backdrops on the much loved Australian period drama, which is based at Kirkham’s Camelot, when Season 5 premieres on Foxtel and Foxtel Now on Sunday, October 8, from 7.30pm.

The cast of <span id="U322060599749lf" style="font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;">A Place to Call Home</span>, which is based at Kirkham’s Camelot. Picture: Foxtel
The cast of A Place to Call Home, which is based at Kirkham’s Camelot. Picture: Foxtel

Baird, who loves playing the villain Regina, who she admits everyone loves to hate, said she felt privileged to film her scenes in our region, including in Camden, Brownlow Hill and Wollondilly.

A Place to Call Home is based at Camelot, at Kirkham.
A Place to Call Home is based at Camelot, at Kirkham.

“When we are filming in Brownlow Hill I always hear the bellbirds chiming,’’ she said.

“I was in a vintage car during filming and I could hear the bellbirds and it made me realise what a beautiful place it is.

’It’s a privilege to be in the Macarthur area.

“Sometimes when I’m filming a scene and I’m on horseback and riding along, I think I’m the luckiest person in the world to have this job.’’

Regina Standish (Jenni Baird) has spent the past 3 ½ years in an asylum for the criminally insane.
Regina Standish (Jenni Baird) has spent the past 3 ½ years in an asylum for the criminally insane.

Baird said the show had put the Macarthur area on the map on an international scale.

“People from around the world who watch the show write that they have driven past Camelot and looked past the gates,’’ she said.

A scene from Place to Call Home being filmed in St Paul's Church, in Cobbitty.
A scene from Place to Call Home being filmed in St Paul's Church, in Cobbitty.

“I am grateful we are able to film in the area and everyone is so accommodating to us. We always stay at Camden Valley Inn and they are wonderful and so willing to help us and make us feel welcome.

“As an actor I never dictate where I’m filming but it’s been a real gift to film in the area.’’

A glamorous Regina (Jenni Baird) before her fall from grace in A Place to Call Home.
A glamorous Regina (Jenni Baird) before her fall from grace in A Place to Call Home.

For Season 4, Baird spent time filming on a property off Burragorang Rd in Wollondilly, which was depicted as her character Regina’s new home.

“It’s a wonderful property owned by a 90-year-old farmer named Fred. He has a wonderful garden with chooks and cows. It’s so quiet and beautiful and when I’m there I feel so at peace,’’ she said.

“What I love about the area is there are so many different terrains and I love the open country. It’s a tranquil, quiet and peaceful place.

A scene from A Place to Call Home being filming at Macarthur Park, in Camden.
A scene from A Place to Call Home being filming at Macarthur Park, in Camden.

“I have the best of both worlds. I live in the city and every three weeks during filming I get to enjoy a country getaway.’’

Season 5, which jumps four years to 1958, reveals a very different Regina who has spent the last 3 ½ years in an asylum for the criminally insane.

George Bligh (Brett Climo) and Regina Standish (Jenni Baird) in a scene in A Place to Call Home season 5. Picture: Foxtel
George Bligh (Brett Climo) and Regina Standish (Jenni Baird) in a scene in A Place to Call Home season 5. Picture: Foxtel

When asked what audiences can expect from Regina in Season 5, Baird said she was not allowed to give anything away.

However she said at the end of Season 4, audiences watched Regina be locked away for murder and be declared insane and it was quite gruelling and difficult to film these dark scenes.

“In Season 5, Regina has been altered by time and what she has been through. She was such a feisty character before this happened,’’ she said.

“Audiences love to hate her but it’s so much fun playing the villain.’’

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/jenni-baird-says-its-a-privilege-to-film-a-place-to-call-home-in-macarthur-ahead-of-season-5-launch/news-story/93367433ff9aa56200f709ed038d1f4b