Carla Crozier
Carla Summerfield | |
---|---|
Bernie Leach (1995–1996) | |
Nieces | Minnie Crozier |
Carla Summerfield (née Crozier, also known as Leach) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, who was portrayed by Elisabeth Easther from early 1995 to mid 1996. The character debuted as the sister of established character Ellen Crozier (Robyn Malcolm) and gained notoriety as the show's first ever on screen murderer.
Creation and casting
Carla was created as the estranged sister of
Storylines
Carla arrived to visit her estranged sister, Shortland Street Head of Nursing
The hospital soon saw the return of Carla and she instantly caused trouble by manipulating an abusive parent to drive drunk, causing him to crash into the hospital and kill Nurse
25 years later, Head of Nursing
Months later Nicole learned Carla had been captured and she was required to give evidence in court. In December Carla was admitted to the Emergency Department after having been in a fight in prison. She apologised to Nicole and warned her against new doctor Vincent Hughes (Milo Cawthorne) who appeared to share history with her. However she managed to escape her hospital bed after hypnotising her prison guard and kidnapped Nicole by knifepoint. Threatening her life, she managed to convince Maeve that Vincent had known her at a former hospital job and had abused her physically. Releasing Nicole and apologising for the horror she had put her through, Carla was imprisoned with additional charges.
Character development
The character was one of the soap opera's first true villains, being recognised as someone viewers "loved to hate" and contributing to the longevity of Shortland Street.[7] Described by reviewers as a "psycho-bitch",[8] and "psychotic",[5] Easther believed Carla was, "super-smart ... and misunderstood" and attributed her nature to believing her sister "Ellen was the golden child and absolutely poisonous to Carla when they were little, so there's a Cinderella element there."[2] An intense jealousy toward Ellen leads to Carla carrying out countless villainous acts including spiking her food so that she would fail a medical test.[5] The chemistry between sister's was helped due to Easther and Robyn Malcolm's off-set relationship with Easther believing, "often when there's an actor who you're regularly doing tense scenes with, the awkwardness can bleed into real life, but she was always so kind."[2] Her antagonistic nature was justified by Easther as Carla, "really does want to do good things, but there is always that little bit of Carla that can’t quite keep her grip on the good part."[4]
The character infamously bludgeoned her husband to death on the show in what was the soap's first on-screen murder.
Reception
Carla made a significant impact on Shortland Street viewers, with Easther becoming highly recognisable in public despite her original short stint.[2] The character was remembered as the show's first ever on screen murderer,[6][9][10] and was named by The New Zealand Woman's Day magazine as the 23rd best character of the soap's first 25 years.[11] Easther found the fan interest odd, believing "everyone else has found her harder to let go ... It was probably the most defining thing I've ever done in my life and yet it's not the most important thing by a long shot."[2] Carla was well received by critics with the character being named in an article by Michelle Hewitson for The New Zealand Herald, the 7th best character to feature on the show.[8] Hewitson explained her choice, stating: "she was our very own psycho-bitch; our very own multiple-personality sufferer (all of them psycho-bitches.)"[8] Ana Samaways also praised Carla, calling her a "beaut" when referring to a typical "run-of-the-mill nasty who gets away with it. A character who is related to someone and who makes viewers swing from hatred to understanding."[12] Easther herself did not enjoy her acting throughout her stint and believed she was simply happy to be in the role.[1] The episode airing on 31 May 1995 that saw Tiffany finally confront Carla is the highest rated episode of Shortland Street of all time with nearly a quarter of the New Zealand population viewing.[13] Woman's Day Editor Sebastian van der Zwan named Carla as his favourite character and had been lobbying the show's publicists for a return prior to her 2021 reappearance.[14]
References
- ^ TV One.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k van der Zwan, Sebastian (8 November 2020). "Elisabeth's killer Shorty comeback 'I'M HAUNTED BY CARLA'". Woman's Day NZ.
- ^ stuff.co.nz.
- ^ a b c Harvey, Kerry (18 February 2021). "Shortland Street's first killer returns in a new guise". New Zealand TV Guide.
- ^ a b c Simich, Ricardo (24 October 2020). "Spy: Which Shorty St villain is returning to wreak havoc in Ferndale?". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media.
- )
- ^ APN News & Media.
- ^ Television New Zealand. 2004. Archived from the originalon 14 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- APN News & Media.
- ^ "Shortland Street's 25 most memorable characters". Woman's Day. Fairfax Media. 23 May 2017.
- APN News & Media.
- APN News & Media.
- ^ van der Zwan, Sebastian (8 November 2020). "Kia Ora!". Woman's Day NZ.