High Country star Linda Cropper on why ‘cliché female characters’ should be behind us

Aussie actress Linda Cropper is best known for starring in the award-winning drama Offspring, but her new role is quite the departure.

Australian actress Linda Cropper is best known for starring as the matriarch in the award-winning drama Offspring, playing Nina Proudman’s larger-than-life, free-spirited mother, Geraldine.

But Cropper’s enigmatic character in the new Aussie drama High Country is a pivot in the opposite direction.

The eight-part mystery thriller, which premieres on BINGE on March 19, revolves around Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell), who is transferred to the Victorian High Country to solve a baffling mystery involving five missing people who have vanished in the wilderness.

Andie soon uncovers a complex web involving murder, deceit and revenge among the locals, one of which is Cropper’s character.

Leah Purcell stars in High Country alongside Linda Cropper.

Cropper plays a mysterious bohemian artists named Rose in High Country. Picture: Binge

The 66-year-old portrays Rose, a mysterious bohemian artist with a secret past.

The actress describes Rose as “alternative” and “exotic” – a far cry from the clichés that most film and TV shows cast older actresses.

“She’s a bit of a firecracker. She’s not all she seems, though, put it that way,” Cropper tells news.com.au ahead of the series’ premiere. “It’s so great, obviously as a woman, to see more and more terrific roles being written for women and women producing. We’ve got a female director [Beck Cole for three episodes] as well on this block, and she’s terrific, and female producers.”

“It’s high time, and it’s becoming more and more the norm, which is wonderful. And that’s always a huge plus. The days of the cliché female characters are hopefully behind us.”

Stream High Country from March 19 on BINGE, available on Hubbl

The actress says it’s great seeing more terrific roles being written for women.

Along with Cropper and Purcell, the series stars Mystery Road’s Aaron Pedersen, Game Of Thrones’ Ian McElhinney and Sara Wiseman, who stars in the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

“I knew Leah was the lead, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’d be wonderful to work with Leah.’ I didn’t know who else was cast. I met Sara in the audition and I really liked her and we really clicked. So that was another great plus as well,” Cropper recalls.

“The script reads really well, but it was mainly the character of Rose that I thought, ‘There’s a lot to play in that.’ And I think for most actors, they’re the two things. It’s the character and the script.”

The real-life Victorian High Country, particularly the town of Jamistown where the majority of the show was filmed, also added to the allure and played a vital role in the series.

The High Country cast Aaron Pederson, Henry Nixon, Leah Purcell, Sara Wiseman, Linda Cropper and Michael Logo. Picture: Martin Philbey

“The country up there is so atmospheric, and we had a couple of cracker blue sky days, but we had a lot of mist and not rain so much, but misty. There’s a part of the production going, ‘This makes it hard,’ but there’s another part going, ‘No, this is wonderful’ because the atmosphere is just right,” she explains.

“So I think the town really adds to the mystery and the spookiness, and there’s a whole other kind of element in it. There’s a bit of a mystery there to a number of the characters, which is quite one of the good things about this series. Every episode has got a wonderful kind of cliffhanger and it keeps you guessing.”

Cropper played Asher Keddie’s mum in the award-winning drama Offspring. Picture: Channel 10

On a personal note, Cropper – who has also appeared in the Hollywood film Fool’s Gold with Kate Hudson and Little Fish with Cate Blanchett – is partial to Victoria as she now calls it home.

After spending more than four decades of her career in her native Sydney, Cropper made the move to the suburb of Collingwood before setting up roots in Mount Evelyn in the Yarra Ranges, one hour drive from the CBD.

“I kind of fell in love with Victoria during [filming of] Offspring with that whole Fitzroy/Collingwood area. And when I decided to move, I thought I’ll move to Melbourne, and I ended up living in Collingwood in Oxford Street, which was great,” says Cropper, who starred on the show from 2010 until the series wrapped in 2017.

“I lived there for about four years, which I absolutely loved. But then I thought, no, I want a garden and a dog. So I moved to Mount Evelyn, which is kind of half country, half city, so sort of on the edge of the metropolitan area. I’m surrounded by National Park and I’ve got a dog and it’s beautiful.”

High Country premieres Tuesday, March 19 on BINGE and on Showcase at 8.30pm and available On Demand