The writers of High Country know they can throw pretty much anything at Leah Purcell. So, when one of them came up with the idea of filming her submerged in chilly Lake Eildon for an underwater scene in season two’s first episode, they put it in the script.
“I said, ‘Yeah, look, I’ll give it a go,’” Leah tells TV WEEK. “I learnt to hold my breath for a full minute underwater, no bubbles. It was scary, but it was cool. I had to be anchored and they spun me to the camera. We had paramedics because of the temperature of the water.
“So that was something to do at 55. Move over Tom Cruise, here I come!”
Leah, who turned 56 in August, stars in High Country as Andie Whitford, a police detective who has recently moved to the beautiful mountainous region of Victoria known as the High Country and has uncovered a whole lot of secrets – including some about herself.
The first season of the mystery drama was a hit not only in Australia, but also in the US and UK.
“For me, this is my first lead role, holding a show,” Leah says. “So it was absolutely amazing that it had done that. We were all pretty chuffed.”
The second season introduces new cast members, including Brendan Cowell, Ryan Corr and Nadine Garner. Brendan plays a police detective who joins Andie at a murder scene only to discover that the victim is his brother.
There are new mysteries that need to be solved, but there’s still unfinished business from season one – particularly between Andie and retired cop Sam Dyson (Ian McElhinney).
“It’s not just a cop show, but it’s that personal journey of Andie as a woman, dealing with what she’s doing and finding out about her dad,” Leah says. “And then also the First Nations stuff, and the spirituality that she’s learning about Country and trying to connect. So I think it’s a really nice balance.”
Leah, whose first regular TV role was in Police Rescue, has always liked doing her own stunts – and keeping fit so that she can do them.
“Always got to keep fit,” she says. “I think it’s just great for mental health, anyway. Sport and fitness has always been a part of my life. I think my body craves it.
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“But I’ve got an injury in my arm at the moment, so it’s a bit annoying. Got to take it easy, but I can keep the dog-walking and do all the leg stuff.”
In this season of High Country, as well as the underwater scene, Leah does a bit of stunt driving, following in the dust of the faster stunt drivers.
“I grew up in the bush, so I knew how to handle a dirt road,” she explains.
Growing up, Leah lived in the small Queensland town of Murgon. The youngest of seven children, she would watch TV and dream of becoming an actor – and more.
“I grew up watching Doris Day, who could sing, act and dance,” she remembers. “So, if Doris Day was doing it, Leah Purcell wanted to do it.”
Leah did have success as a singer. She toured the east coast of Australia with country music star Shania Twain in 1999, as her support act.
“We had no phones in those days, so I don’t think I’ve got any photos,” she says with a laugh. “I think someone may have recorded it.
“It got to the point where I had a meeting, I think, with Mushroom, Michael Gudinski. But my true calling was acting. So I decided to steer away from it but utilise my vocals when I needed to.”
Leah can be heard utilising her vocals in High Country, but she’s not exactly singing.
“It’s more like a wail,” she explains. “They just thought that it was beautifully haunting, that the land is awake and there’s another element that Andie is experiencing.”
Leah has written for shows, including Redfern Now and The Twelve, and directed series such as The Secret Daughter and Cleverman. She’s also written an opera, The Drover’s Wife, based on her film of the same name. And she’s not only the star of High Country, but also executive producer and cultural consultant – a role that’s very important to her.
“It makes me feel good as a First Nations person, knowing that we’re reaching out to community,” she says.
But it’s as an actress that most people know Leah. She has fans all around the world from her three seasons on Wentworth, playing Rita Connors. Leah says the show was “pretty special”.
“It was beautiful to be around, on a good day, 12 women, talking and sharing,” she remembers. “So I do miss the girls.”
The spin-off series, Wentworth: Halfway Home, is currently in production. Is there any chance Rita – last heard of behind bars – will make an appearance?
“Maybe if they go a second season…” Leah teases. “I think there were three or four ideas floating around, and I was approached and I said I’d come back if I was asked. But I did say: ‘I don’t know if Rita’s going to get out for a while.’ So we’ll see what happens. But it’s just great it has life in it.”
Having done so much in her career already, Leah says the only thing she wants to do now is “just keep going”.
“Just continue to have work for at least another 30 years,” she adds. “Because then I can just be an actor and be the old granny out the back on stage saying a few lines, drinking tea. Can’t wait!
“And with Jacki Weaver going to America and getting stuff done, there’s hope for all of us.”
Not that she’s in a rush to go to the US.
“They’d have to come to me to offer me something,” Leah says. ”I’m happy in Australia telling Australian stories. But you never know. Never say never.”
Catch new episodes of High Country weekly on BINGE from from September 14 and Monday 8.30pm (AEST) Showcase.
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