Gemma Ward on track for Perth stage debut in The Ugly One

Posted by mija on Feb 19, 2011 in News | 0 comments

Most men would dream of having supermodel-turned-actor Gemma Ward as their wife.
But for Benj D’Addario, it’s all in a day’s work.
Ward, once the most-sought-after model in the world, will play D’Addario’s wife in the stage play The Ugly One, which opens at the new State Theatre Centre on March 22.
They have been busy with rehearsals this week.
D’Addario, 39, said Ward was holding her own on stage, despite it being her first theatre production.
“She’s a lovely girl,” he said. “She’s fitted in really well.
“She’s thrown herself into the role with great gusto.
“She’s a very good actress. She has good instincts and is not scared to take risks. She’s giving everything a go.”
D’Addario’s character is an ugly man who suddenly finds himself the envy of men and the desire of women after having plastic surgery.
Ward, 23, plays several other characters besides that of his wife. She told The Sunday Times she was excited about her stage debut.
“I’ve just been jumping out of my skin,” she said before her return to Perth. “I’m definitely nervous, but excitement is overriding everything now.”
Ward also opened up about her relationship with fellow West Australian Heath Ledger, who has a theatre named after him in the new State Theatre Centre.
D’Addario said there was no special treatment for her on set and she was working the same hours and under the same conditions as the other three cast members.
“We’re all drinking the same instant coffee,” he said.
PTC artistic director Mel Cantwell said she rated Ward highly as an actor.
“She’s fitted in beautifully,” she said.
Cantwell recruited Ward for the production over coffee in Perth last December.
She was pleased with the first week of rehearsals.
“It’s such a brilliant play and such a brilliant ensemble,” she said.
The production will be the first at the new theatre complex, and theatre-goers are anxious to see how Ward, who appeared in the 2008 Australian film The Black Balloon, stacks up on stage.
Ward is also tipped to attend the Sydney premiere of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in June. She plays a mermaid in the flick, which stars Johnny Depp.
source: perthnow.com.au