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Lisa's a wild child now

TV golden girl Lisa McCune makes a sexy switch as Ros in Marshall Law

She won Australian viewers' hearts as Maggie Doyle over six seasons of Blue Heelers—only to see her character die in a terrible hail of bullets.

For the past two years, Lisa McCune has been noticeable absent from local TV screens, apart from the mini-series The Potato Factory.

But she's back, starring in Seven's new 17-episode legal drama, Marshall Law. And she says her new character Ros Marshall will erase all memories of Maggie…

"The two women are absolute worlds apart" smiles McCune during a short break in filming at Network Seven's Melbourne studios.

"The dialogue that comes out of Ros' mouth is so different to anything Maggie would say.

"If Maggie was the girl-next-door, then Ros is the girl-next-door-gone-wrong!" she laughs. "Ros would annoy Maggie to her wit's end. Maggie was always very black-and-white, but Ros sees all of the shakes in between."

Unpredictable Ros is the pivotal character in Marshall Law, which centres on a legal practice run by Ros and her older sister Verity (Alison Whyte).

Verity is at loggerheads with her ex-hubby, Queens Counsel Dylan Boyd (William McInnes)—but he and Ros are still great pals.

Ros is a wild child who ran away from her family's legal tradition and travelled the world to discover her true identity. A decade later, she's back where she started and quickly realises it's where she belongs.

On upcoming eps, this free-spirited woman's love of sex spices up the drama McCune is quick to defend her. "She's a girl who's looking from something fantastic and a place where her heart belongs. When Ros falls in love, she falls heavily and she wears her heart on her sleeve. But a girl needs to have a good time and she can't sleep alone every night! She's very honest and a very modern girl in making her own choices. She does want she wants and follows her instincts." With a laugh, McCune adds: "She's much more of a tramp than I ever was—I will tell you that!"

Ros and Verity practice law differently, but their family bond is unbreakable.

"Verity is the shining legal star of the family, while Ros is the little sister who's grown up in the shadow," says McCune. "Ros is looking for ways to establish her own identity, but she's actually a much better lawyer than she gives herself credit for. But she's very loyal to her sister. If I had to find the one thing that Ros and Maggie Doyle had in common, it's loyalty."

The two sisters encounter bizarre family situations, such as the sudden arrival of letters from the former lovers of their late father. In the courtroom, Ros must tackle Dylan's prowess at a bail hearing.

When the series finishes shooting in September, McCune will take a short break before rehearsing for the Melbourne season of the stage musical, Cabaret, in which she plays the lead of Sally Bowles.

"I'm so looking forward to that," she says. "It's a role I've always wanted and it's such a different world to my last stage show as Marie in The Sound Of Music. I'll have spent the first half of this year in from of the TV cameras and the second half on the stage."

Happily married to Tim Disney, McCune has just returned to work after giving birth to their son, Archer. "It's been pretty easy so far, but I'm lucky," she says.

"Tim really is a brilliant husband and father. He's staying at home taking care of Archer while I'm working on this. Later on, I'll stop working when he has a new project. We think Archer needs this. You don't get this time again in a child's life. It's very precious".

John Burfitt
August 12, 2002
TV Soap