Nick and Waverley are well remembered by fans - but are they Shortland Street's most iconic characters? Photo / Supplied
Nick and Waverley are well remembered by fans - but are they Shortland Street's most iconic characters? Photo / Supplied
Shortland Street's 30 years have been filled with iconic couples, dating back to the early years when the seeds of the Chris Warner and Rachel McKenna were first planted.
But which couple is truly the most memorable - and is having an on-screen love interest as glamorous and romantic as it seems to the audience?
On today's episode of Shortland Street - The Podcast, Kura Forrester (Desi) is joined by Zak Martin (Rahu Parata) and Ngahuia Piripi (Esther Samuels) to discuss finding love in Ferndale, and why it actually can be a bit complicated.
Forrester brought up the fact that many relationships only last a certain length of time, and as actors, they often have to get used to being intimate with different cast members.
"I remember when I first started on the show, I said to Michael Galvin 'It's just so weird, I've slept with so many people'. And he just gave me a look like 'do you really want to go there with me?'"
However, both Forrester and Piripi agree that the introduction of intimacy co-ordinators - who are responsible for overseeing romantic scenes on set - has made things a lot easier.
"What I love about the intimacy is that we choreograph the kisses, so all the icky feelings are taken away from it as it's just like a stunt," Forrester said.
Zak Martin (Rahu Parata) and Ngahuia Piripi (Esther Samuels) are on the podcast this week. Photo / Supplied
Clare Dougan, who works as the intimacy co-ordinator for Shortland Street, said that her role opens up the communication between actors and crew, and ensures that the scenes are safe and repeatable.
"Just making everyone aware of what the expectations are, how long the kiss is going to be, just to get quite technical," she said.
And while a 7PM time slot means things never get overly intimate, Dougan said there can be a broad range of scenes that could fall under an intimacy co-ordinator's role, not just sex scenes.
"In other productions, bathing an elderly relative can fall under the umbrella of an intimacy co-ordinator."
The panel also discusses which classic pairing is the most iconic, the funniest intimate scenes, and if fans ever judge them when they step out in public with their real-life partners. And Sarah Wiseman pops in to discuss her time on the soap.
A new episode of the podcast will be released every Thursday. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss out on any of the action.
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