Jemma Donovan has opened out about the “difficult” filming experience for her next Neighbours plot based in London.
Her character Harlow Robinson can be seen in episodes showing this week in the United Kingdom, but Jemma shot the sequences in October of last year. Amanda Holden, who plays Harlow’s aunt Harriet, will appear as a guest star, as well as popstar Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will make a surprise appearance.
Following her brief relationship with Ned Willis (Ben Hall), who she now seemed to be developing love for, Harlow decided to take a vacation to her hometown. When they became lost in the bush during River Bend week, the two slept together, but Ned reconnected with Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton) soon after they returned home.
The actress has now disclosed that she didn’t even receive the scripts for Harlow and Ned’s surprising romance when filming the London strand of the plot.
Jemma explained the difficulties of portraying Harlow’s conflicted emotions to Digital Spy before she had even recorded the source of her character’s tension.
“I believe it was difficult. It’s difficult when you haven’t got any scripts to work with “she stated
“I was definitely briefed on what happened, but Neighbours moves at such a fast speed that things might alter at any time.
“You have to go in there and picture what would have happened if you had been given all of the information you have.
“It’s also difficult to imagine the previous scenes – why she’s so flustered – without having properly filmed them. But that’s part of the show’s fun and games — it’s very much like that – so you just have to do what you’re doing.”
Since Harlow’s arrival on Ramsay Street in 2019, Jemma, whose father Jason is a fellow Neighbours alum who portrayed Scott Robinson from 1986 to 1989, has been a staple on the show.
Harlow, Donovan added, is in need of a break after a difficult year, and she welcomes some time to contemplate.
“I think she just needs to get out of Erinsborough for a little while and meet some people who aren’t on the Street,” she remarked.
“You have time to reflect about what’s going on in your life whenever you go home. I believe she was in desperate need of that, and she also gets to visit her aunt, who is probably the closest thing she has to her mother.”