Female First couldn't resist the chance to interview Katrina Milosevic, known to Wentworth Prison fans as Boomer - close friend to Frankie and loyal to a fault.

In a new and exclusive chat, Katrina discusses the evolution of her character, what we should expect going forward and more.

Katrina Milosevic as Boomer

Going back to before season one, what was it that initially drew you to Wentworth and this role?

I had known about the show for I think over a year before it actually came into fruition. I've worked with the start-up director Kev Carlin quite a few times and he sort of said: 'Look, I think there might be something in this for you', and then the date was changed, and I was on tour actually in the UK oddly enough and Europe, with a show, and so I'd heard some whispers somewhere along the line that the show was happening, and I can remember waiting up until all hours of the night (laughs) to see what was going on! Then finally, it was all happening and he asked her to come in and just when I'd read the script for the first time I hadn't seen anything like it, and it was grittier than anything I'd seen before, and for me it was a really, a real opportunity that's so rare, I think, in Australia, to play something that's quite sort of removed to how you are in real-life. So it was a real challenge and one that I really wanted, so I fought, and threatened! (laughs) No I didn't! (laughs) And yeah, I was lucky enough to be offered the role. And my particular role was actually meant to be sort of a small guest-role, there wasn't a lot written about her and then all of a sudden, I got the role and Kev the director said: 'we'll make something of this!' and I was lucky enough then to have a bigger chunk of things to do, so very lucky.

The show has had such a great response, how does it feel to be a part of it?

I don't think it's really hit me because, we've actually just finished filming series three last Friday (August 8), and I don't know if you know but the set that was built for the show is way out in the suburbs of Melbourne, and it's in an old Pharmaceutical factory, and basically we have everything from the editing suites to the post-production, to the sets to everything in the one building, so I've been pretty removed from the world really for 11 months straight! (laughs) So I don't know what the reception is gonna be to series two but yeah, there certainly seems to have been a lot of excitement since series one, so that's pretty amazing really! It's really amazing. I'm very, very lucky.

Boomer is an easy-to-love character, she's very loyal to Frankie, is this something we'll continue to see in the second season?

Let me think back to series two... yes... yeah. You will. I think no matter what you see, Boomer loves that girl. I feel quite emotional even thinking about that because they're, Wentworth is a place of some seriously disadvantaged human beings, and Boomer's had a hard road and then this glamour girl, this beautiful, fiery, smart woman comes along and they click. They have something really special - it's a real love story in my eyes - and I think no matter what happens, Boomer's gonna have that love for Frankie. But, I think it's safe to say the relationship will be tested.

Will we learn more about Boomer's past this season?

You learn bits and pieces. We've yet to sort of do a flashback back-story, I don't know if that will happen like it did for other girls, but you certainly, you'll certainly hear about and meet some people from her outside life! (laughs) Without giving too much away!

We've got a new Governor this season, how was working with Pamela Rabe who takes the role?

A dream come true. She is a spectacular actor! The calibre of actors on our show and this is the God's honest truth, is extraordinary. It's actually my favourite job I've ever had. To be working with people who are so smart and passionate and work so hard, and Pamela's certainly one of those people. She's so respected in this country for particularly her theatre work - she's always been an icon - and when I heard that she was coming into the show, my jaw hit the ground. She's something special. (laughs) You'll see, she's extraordinary.

Fans of Prisoner will know her as Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson, should we expect her to shake things up in Wentworth?

You could say that! Yeah, you could say that! She most certainly does. She does more than shake things up, actually! (laughs) She's a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure. And she's very clever. A very, very clever character.

Can you tell us a little about a typical day filming?

A typical day filming usually starts for me, depending on how kind they're being to me, it could mean getting up at four in the morning or five in the morning, and then generally being picked up by one of our beautiful runners and driven 45 minutes to work.

I get there and need coffee straight away and then it's 'hurry up and wait'! (laughs) So usually they're trying to find me somewhere and they pretty much know the spots I hang out, and then I go into makeup. I have this thing with me and my makeup artist where every day was like she's breaking my spirit the moment the Boomer makeup starts to go on! (laughs) The teeth, and the hair, and the skin! It was actually quite liberating really to have all that done.

Katrina Milosevic as Boomer

Then I'll go stick the tracky dacks on and it was just one scene after another. It's a pretty tight schedule and pretty exhausting because the content as you know is pretty full-on. I'm lucky though because I got to do a lot of light-hearted stuff as well, and you can always tell, it would filter through to the crew, you always knew if there were a bunch of light-hearted scenes on the schedule because the crew were always in a good mood, and with high emotion everyone would be kind of sombre! (laughs)

But yeah, that's a typical day. Day in day out!

If you had to sum up this second season in a couple of sentences what would you say?

I would say be prepared for things to be turned on their head. You may have felt one way about someone last series - be prepared to feel a different way about them this series. Because that's life! (laughs) And that's life in Wentworth! (laughs)

Finally, as you said you've just wrapped season three, so what's next for you?

Next for me... I am actually coming to the UK in about three weeks (September 1) so I'm looking forward to that. I'm gonna poke my nose around there for a while and go to some other places in Europe and then come home, and go back again to Europe and the UK! So, that's what the next few months hold for me.

Hopefully somewhere in there some work will pop up as well. I'm gonna do a short film actually, that's the next thing. That's just before I leave and the rest is a mystery, unfortunately! (laughs) The life of an actor!

But I am looking forward to coming over there, and I'll be over there for Christmas as well which is pretty exciting for a girl from Queensland who's used to a hot Christmas. I'm very excited to have the fairytale cold Christmas!

Wentworth Prison returns to Channel 5 this September.

by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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