Stingers: articles


Kate Kendall and Jacinta Stapleton

Angie (Kate Kendall, left) shakes off her quiet rookie tag, while Chris (Jacinta Stapleton) reveals the scared little girl underneath her tough exterior.

A Stinger of a year

The wait is finally over. Stingers is back with more drama and excitement than we've ever seen before!

The latest series of local police drama Stingers is sure to keep viewers tuning in. There's romance, a lesbian affair, the arrival of a hunky new team member, some unexpected laughs and, of course, loads more dramatic twists.

Back on our screens for it's seventh season, this fast-paced program will give us more of an insight into what makes the team of undercover cops tick.

And according to two of the show's gorgeous stars, Kate Kendall and Jacinta Stapleton, we're in for more adventure.

Kate, who has been playing Constable Angie Piper since the very first episode, and Jacinta, who came on board last year as streetwise operative Christina Dichiera, can't hide their enthusiasm for the show.

"I think it's going to be fantastic this year," says Jacinta. "We've really grown as a cast and the characters have become more whole and interesting."

"Stingers really pushes the boundaries. Some storylines are really heavy, but they are complemented by lighter ones. It's also a show about people's quirkiness and their little individualities."

Kate adds, "Stingers has always had that quite intense sort of edge, but there are some episode coming up that are just hilarious. I'm very excited about this season and I'm also excited to see how the audience likes it."

Kate sees her alter-ego as a "relatively untapped source".

"There's still a lot about Angie that people don't know and that I don't know," she says.

"This year, Angie becomes more of a leader of the pack rather than a follower, which is good. She's no longer the youngest member of the team and she's taking on more of a role in the frontline.

"It's a great push for me as an actor because I've played the quieter, more subtle side of the character until now."

Best-known for portraying the young blonde bombshell Amy Greenwood in Neighbours before joining Stingers, Jacinta is also relishing playing Chris.

"we find out a lot more about Chris this year—the audience will discover what has happened to her as she meets up with people from her past.

"Chris has upheld a strong, self-assured attitude but now we'll get to see her vulnerability. We'll see that she can be a scared little girl underneath it all.

"Chris has had a lot of trouble in her family. Things have been very difficult for her in the past. She got into trouble with the law and then decided to change her ways."

We were given just a glimpse of Chris's bisexuality last year and, Jacinta reveals, this will be further explored in 2003.

"I don't think the audience really believed she was bisexual last year as it was ambiguous as to whether it (her relationship with another woman) was because she was acting undercover or whether it was of her own volition," she says.

"But this year, we get to see it is of her own volition. There's a funny scene between Angie and Chris, where she discovers Chris is bisexual."

Jacinta admits there are some very steamy scenes ahead for her character.

"Exploring sexuality on camera is embarrassing enough anyway because it's such a private thing," she says. "But it was fine. It helps us to know what Chris is all about and makes her a whole character."

This year will see the undercover unit finally accepting their new boss, Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Harris (Gary Sweet). Harris certainly ruffled a few feathers among Church (Peter Phelps) and the rest of the team when he first arrived.

"Even those characters who don't understand him manage to work alongside him," says Kate. " He does get the job done. His mannerisms might be slightly weird or disturbing at times, but they can also be endearing."

And new to the show this year are Katerina Milosevic, who joins the undercover unit as shy admin assistant Sophie Novak, and good-looking young actor Daniel Frederiksen who will come in as probationary constable Leo Flynne.

"The cast is an awesome bunch of people," says Jacinta. "They're so much fun to work with and be around. We really do have a good time."

Indeed, despite a gruelling filming schedule, the cast still finds the time to socialise together out of work hours.

"We had a barbie at my house the other week," smiles Kate. "Everyone came around and it was great."

By Jackie Brygel
March 24, 2003
TV Week