Former Neigbours sexpot Nicola Charles says producers offered ‘to buy her a set of tits’
While most actors take the scandalous tales of the TV green room to the grave, former Neighbours sexpot Nicola Charles has revealed the slimy comments made by producers and what really went on behind the scenes of the wholesome family show.
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Former Neighbours sexpot Nicola Charles says the iconic TV soap’s producers offered to “buy her a set of tits” and encouraged her to leak naked photos of herself to boost her image.
Thankfully times have woke-n up.
Charles said it was, er, different back in the heady, roaring 90s.
A pat on the knee in the producer’s room or a chat about your body size was de rigueur, Charles says.
The woke storylines of Ramsay St today, tackling progressive issues like same-sex marriage, were unknown in the ’90s.
Charlene Robinson, aka Kylie Minogue, had driven off in her green mini along with the sweetheart storylines.
Ex-Bugs Bunny Show presenter Sophie Lee was hosting racy show, Sex, and that three-letter-word was what it all came down to.
Welcome to the ’90s.
Enter Nicola Charles, a former bikini and lads’ mag model, who was the new girl on the suburban block.
She had arrived to Erinsborough to shake things up playing saucy Sarah Beaumont, Dr Karl’s mistress. Producers were, well, panting for more.
“I was patted on the knee in a very condescending way and told you can always leak photos of yourself after you wrap with the show to boost your image,” Charles said, feeling reflective.
“It’s from days of old that one, naked photos leaked online. This is the same Neighbours’ producer who said to me, would you like me to buy you a set of tits?
“It was the late ’90s and different times.
“I said no thank you, I plan on breast feeding. He said, it’s fine, I’ve done it for all the other girls and I said, really I’m okay thank you.”
Those in the showbiz industry normally take tales of the green room to the grave.
There is an unwritten rule that exposing industry trade secrets means you will never get work in the ‘biz again.
Charles, a publisher and author, says she doesn’t give a toss about all that and says it’s high time to tell it like it is.
Sitting in the green room, Charles said there would be a collective sigh when the second assistant runner came in and bellowed your surname.
“They’d yell out, CHARLES go and see the producer please. Everyone then looks at you goes, oh, you are f--ked.
“I remember on my first day thinking, what have I done now, I’m the new girl, they must think I’m really shit. But it was just the general stuff, offering a set of boobs, telling me to behave, what to wear.
“The producer was old school. He didn’t really cross any boundaries, he was just a cheeky old scoundrel.
“I have a tolerance for that, I’m definitely not one of these new wave snowflakes. But he would say some pretty out there stuff to me about how I looked, my body, the things I said, the direction my career could take, dangle things like money (phew) in front of me and say this is how much you could earn.
“Leaking images was a phrase constantly used as to how you keep your profile up and this was well before the Kardashians,” Charles laughed.
“I’ve got pictures of my naked boyfriend and if the police saw them they would come and arrest us that’s how bad they are.
“They are not these lovely beautiful, everything set-up photos, they are proper intimate photos.
“But I always thought why do all that to perpetuate the fame? I just wanted the work.”
“It was more sensationalism in my day. Not so much wholesome.
“The show has taken a really interesting turn now and focusing on a lot of minority and gay relationships which I think is good.”
Letting it all hang out is so old school.
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