Kāpiti actor Madeleine Adams playing new character on Shortland Street

Madeleine Adams, front right, and the other new Shortland Street actors. Photo / South Pacific Pictures

Popular TV drama series Shortland Street is introducing six new characters – and one of them is being played by a Kāpiti-grown actress.

Ex-Paraparaumu College student Madeleine Adams will be playing one of the new doctors, Britt Adams.

It started when the 23-year-old received an email from the show’s casting agency and scheduled an audition.

She said after auditioning that she really gravitated towards the character because they had so much in common.

Both Madeleine and Britt were head girls at school, both are driven and ambitious, and both share the same last name.

“I remember when I walked away from that audition, I wanted it so bad.”

After getting the call to inform her she had won the part, Madeleine said she was looking forward to being a part of such an iconic part of New Zealand culture.

Like so many other Kiwis, she grew up on Shortland Street and said she was a bit of a superfan when she was younger.

“I’m so excited to be a part of it.”

She said the six new characters promise great dynamics, lots of banter and a lot of competition.

“It’s a really exciting storyline and really exciting characters.”

Madeleine Adams is playing the new Shortland Street character Britt Adams. Photo / South Pacific Pictures

Madeleine moved to Kāpiti from Wellington when she was 7 and attended Raumati Beach School until her last year of primary school when she switched to Kenakena.

Once she went to Paraparaumu College, she found that she really loved drama and performing arts classes. Despite that, she didn’t think acting was a viable option.

She intended to be a human rights lawyer and said she had always loved politics.

However, she was always “very much a little performer” and her mother signed her up for an acting class with actor Miranda Harcourt.

At first, she wanted to pull out but her mother forced her to go (mainly due to a non-refundable deposit) and Madeleine said it changed her life.

Her plans changed and, after graduating from college, she moved to Auckland and started pursuing a career in acting.

Despite never studying performing arts, she landed a couple of roles and learned from other actors. “It was basically my version of training.”

She never abandoned her human rights dream, though, and says she wants to gain a platform and advocate through her acting.

“I want to get this platform, and get this voice, and use it for good.”

She plans to return to Kāpiti in the future and says she wants to talk to drama and performing arts students at Paraparaumu College.

She wants to provide guidance about acting careers and how to get into them. “When I was younger, I had no idea how to make that leap.”

Tune into Shortland Street on Monday, May 1, to watch Madeleine’s premiere.