The departure of Courtney Miller from the serial opera Home and Away earlier this year left fans inconsolable.
The actress was engaged to Nikau Parata for more than three years while portraying Bella Nixon on television (Kawakawa Fox-Reo).
Courtney talked candidly to Yahoo Lifestyle about her life since leaving Summer Bay, whether she would consider returning, and why she will always keep in touch with her on-screen “family.”
Since quitting the soap opera, Courtney has been occupied with acting classes at Melbourne’s 16th Street Actors Studio.
Working on “various acting styles,” such as “American situations” and “great theater” works, she has devoted her time developing her art.
Despite the fact that her education is about to finish, she says that it has been her “total joy for the past nine months.”
‘I would feel so safe’
When Nikau broke up with Bella over FaceTime because of the bikie threat, that was the last time we saw her. Although her conclusion was unpopular with the audience, the possibility of her making a comeback is still open because she wasn’t killed off.
Even though Courtney says she would love to repeat her part as Bella, she doesn’t want to return for a while.
“I would [return]. Since I recently finished a small amount of theatre school, I wouldn’t undertake a lengthy stint, but only to see everyone,” she explains.
To see what I’ve learned, what I’ve taken on, and how I’ve improved as an actor, I want to work again.
She continues by saying that due of how fast-paced the show is, Home and Away would be the perfect setting to practice her new acting skills.
“I would feel so safe there. You’re continuously [filming] scene after scene, working with new individuals. This setting is comfortable since I can just stroll on set and go.
‘We’ll never lose touch’
The actress claims that although the close-knit cast doesn’t have a group chat, they will always be pals.
Courtney is well known for her intensely close friendship with her “bestie,” Lukas Radovich (Ryder Jackson). Earlier this year, Courtney even traveled to Sydney to celebrate Sophie Dillman’s (Ziggy Astoni) birthday.
The closeness between costars is something that doesn’t just evaporate suddenly after working closely together for years. She considers several words before settling on the word “family” to define their relationship.
We’ll always be in touch, but our lives must eventually diverge, which is unfortunate, she muses.
It’s funny how your lives can transform overnight. They are employed, although I am a student. You have a heart for them, yet you can’t always communicate with them.
‘My first day was crazy’
The actor can still recall how “hectic” the day was when she made her Home and Away debut in late 2018.
She says, “My first day was crazy, my [on-screen] brother kidnapped me on my first day. I was so new to the location at the time, so that was probably the busiest day.
“I had to be kicked and thrown onto [Tim Franklin’s] shoulder. I was so inexperienced that I had no idea that you shouldn’t actually kick with all of your strength. She quips, “I almost seriously wounded [him].
When asked how many times Bella was taken hostage on the show, Courtney chuckles and says she believes it happened four or five times.
Her first plot featured being abducted and taken away from her violent father Ross Nixon, who later kidnapped her back.
She adds that playing Bella was “really fun,” despite the fact that she found it humorous how frequently she was “shoved in a car.”
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