Home and Away’s Sophie Dillman reveals she ‘loved’ playing a mum
The real-life pair from Home and Away, Patrick O’Connor (Dean Thompson) and Sophie Dillman (Ziggy Astoni), are presently portraying new parents on the serial, with Sophie ‘giving birth’ last week. The plot of her pregnancy has taken many unexpected turns, and advertisements indicate that the pair is set to face a challenging period.
Sophie assures us that she “liked” working with the newborns on set, despite the fact that her character finds it difficult to bond with her infant daughter. Their “daughter” was played by several sets of babies as a result of the tight working requirements set by the Children’s Guardian of NSW.
She talks about how “nervous” Patrick was while filming, what it was like to cope with the unpredictable newborns, and reveals she has definitely considered having her own children in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle.
For the childbirth scene, the two worked with a four-week-old baby, and there were rigorous rules about who may hold him and how long he could perform.
We had like, really, really, fresh [babies], so [Patrick] was a little scared when we first started handling the kids. I believe he was a little anxious about that because we were four weeks pregnant when we gave birth,” she admits.
She does, however, note that Patrick quickly fell in love with his role as a new father after filming with their numerous “children.”
Bring them all, he said. She quips, “Get [all the infants] in here,” and then she starts laughing.
Sophie ‘loves’ playing a new mum
When Sophie discusses her role as a new mother, she beams and calls the babies “so beautiful.” She then offers the startling revelation that the babies’ unpredictability made both her and Patrick’s acting seem much more authentic and natural.
They were extremely well-behaved, and working with infants is wonderful because you can never predict what they’ll do. Therefore, you must give them your full attention when working alongside them.
“I thought our acting was excellent since it felt so natural to have a baby grasping at you, smiling, or sobbing…
It indicates that you are fully present, she says.
The 4-week-old child who was Sophie’s newborn daughter’s real-life mother subsequently disclosed that her kid “pooed on Sophie” during their first on-screen encounter. The audience was unaware of Patrick and Sophie’s continued participation in the scene.
‘I’ve been clucky for my entire life’
Sophie has been open about wanting children with Patrick one day, and working with the adorable babies definitely pushed that thought further to the surface.
“I’ve been clucky for my entire life. Like, that’s no doubt. Paddy loved it too,” she admits. “Every single one of them would come on set and we’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re the cutest!’, and then the next one would come on and we’d be like, ‘No, you’re the cutest!’.”
The actor claims that working with the infants has been “wonderful” and thinks that Ziggy and Dean’s journey is made so much better by the tale.
Sophie also acknowledges that Patrick has taken pleasure in seeing his partner wear a large false belly before the baby is born.
“I believe Paddy enjoys my pregnancy. He continues telling me that suits me well. And I truly believe that I look nice while pregnant, she admits.