FRIENDS OR RIVALS
Saop Sirens Tell What They Really Think Of Each Other

the following article was taken from 'TV WEEK'

There's no shortage of rivalry between the soaps, with each trying to outdo the other in pursuit of those all-important ratings.
But what about soap stars? Do they bitch and backstab whenever they see each other? In an attempt to try to find out, TV WEEK brought three leading ladies from three diffrent soaps together for a photo shoot. However, if we wanted a catfight, we picked the wrong girls!
Home And Aways Bree Desborough, Neighbours siren Jacinta Stapleton and Heartbreak High favourite Lara Cox might appear on diffrent networks, but they are best friends in real life. Giggling and gossiping were the order of the day, with all three girls spending as much time catching up as posing for our camera. After all, Jacinta had just flown from Melbourne to Sydney and there was so much to talk about!
When we asked the girls how they first met, we received a unanimous answer. The TV WEEK Logie Awards, of course!
"Everyone meets at the Logies," Lara explains. "It's a really great night. Even though were all from diffrent shows, it's a fantastic atmosphere. A lot of friendships seem to begin there."
Bree, who plays H&A's Justine, smiles as she recalls meeting Lara at TV's biggest night. "I got along with Lara right from the moment we met", she says. "She's absolutely gorgeous - the most genuine, sweet, kind and beautiful perosn."
After meeting at the Logies, Jacinta and Lara cemented their friendship when they were thrown together as models for a footwear promotion.
"We had to jump around and dance," recalls Jacinta, who plays Amy on Neighbours. "It was quite scary, but fortunately Lara was there and made it a lot easier. We just seemed to click."
It seems Lara is the central character in this tale of three soaps. Althogh she's best known as Heartbreak High's Anita, she also recently played the nast Bianca in Home And Away.
"I was so excited when I won the role, because I thought I would be working with Bree," she says. "But we didn't end up having any big scenes together at all."
Now that Heartbreak has finished, Lara admits she wouldn't mind working with Jacinta again - on Neighbours!
"I've watched Neighbours ever since I was a kid, and really enjoy it," she says. "I'd be very happy to go down to Melbourne [where Neighbours is filmed] to be in it."
Meanwhile, Bree adnits she would have loved to have played a part on Heartbreak High.
"It was one of my favourite shows," she says. "I always wanted to be on it!
Talk about a mutual appreciation society! But are we to believe it's all true? No rilvalry whatsoever?
"There is probably a lot of rilvalry between the shows, but not the actors," Lara maintains. "Even though Jacinta is on another network, I don't think of her as the enemy. Besides, actors don't tend to stay on shows for very long, so after that everyone is just friends anyway." Bree and Jacinta agree.
"People might think that we hate each other, but that's not the case," Jacinta insists. "I hardly watch teh other shows so when I see them out and about, I judge them as people, not as actors in a rival soap. If they are on a show that happens to be in opposition to Neighbours, well, good on them. It's nothing to hold against them."
Aside from scoring annual invites to the Logies, the trio has discovered many things in common. One of these is an understanding of the workload and the pressures involved in starring in a hit soap.
"It's good to talk to people who are experiencing the same kind of thing," Bree says. "It can be a hard job, so it helps to have support."
"We understand each other," Jacinta adds. "When I say, 'I've got to go to another function', or something similiar, they know the feeling. Because we all do the same kind of thing, we relate to each other really well."
Another reason they relate well is the simple fact that their personalities all complement each other.
"Jacinta is the rager, Bree is the funny one and I'm somewhere in the middle," Lara says, laughing. "I like to go out partying with Jacinta and I also love listening to Bree's jokes. I guess that makes me the dopey sidekick!"
Bree is flattered to be called the funny one. "I don't mind being labelled the comedienne," she says. "I like to make people laugh."
Jacinta proudly claims that she's "all of the above". But she also admits to being "the loud one". "People are always telling me to be quiet!' she laughs.
By the time our photo shhot is over, the girls are busy making plans to go out and party the night away. It's hard to imagine them joining forces without attrcating attention. So do they cause madness and mayhem wherever they go?
"I go out to have fun, not to be recognised," Lara says. "But if I go out with either one of the girls, there's always bound to be someone who watches one of the shows we're on. When I went shopping with Bree, she got pretty hassled, but it's not a big deal."
So what exactly does a night out on the town with Bree, Jacinta and Lara invlove? "Lots of dancing," Lara says. "Then lots of chatting. That's about it!"
We couldn't let the girls go before asking them a silly question, just for fun. If they had the opportunity to star in a show together, what kind of program would it be?
"A tacky American show," Jacinta offers. "Something really over the top, but also quite funny. It would have elements of just about everything.
"I reckon it would be set in a big warehouse," Bree says. "It would invlove a non-stop, hip-hop dance party."
Lara has a different theory. "It would have to be a drama!" she says, giggling. "Lots of relationship fiascos, and lots of going out and dancing. There would be definitely be plenty of ups and downs - we are girls you know!"