\u201cI know from experience that life is not as black and white as some people make out,\u201d Angela reflects. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of grey out there and we should go easy on ourselves as we navigate all that life throws at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all different and what works for me might not work for you. Another thing I\u2019ve learned is not to be too critical of myself or others, and it\u2019s better to lead with kindness and grace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela also endeavours to remain in the moment as much as it\u2019s possible. <\/p>\n
She explains, \u201cStay in the day is something I say because yesterday is done, tomorrow\u2019s not here yet, so all we\u2019ve got is now, which I know sounds clich\u00e9, but it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now Angela, 53, is turning full circle, returning to the beloved soap and Rachel McKenna. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe offer to come back came via email from my agent, but before I said yes, I needed to know a bit more,\u201d Angela admits. \u201cAnd because I grew up in the \u201970s, I\u2019m used to people ringing me to ask big questions, so Ollie Driver, the producer, and I ended up having a good long chat, where he shared his vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela Bloomfield with the cast of Shortland Street in 1993. Photo \/ NZ Woman’s Weekly<\/p>\n
Deciding that the moment was right, the move has thrilled her fans. Since learning of Angela\u2019s return to Ferndale, the internet has lit up with speculation as to what her complex character might do. <\/p>\n
Having already handled a range of sensitive storylines, from battling bulimia to alcoholism, as well as a string of ill-fated romances, one thing fans can be sure of, there\u2019s bound to be plenty of drama. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t give away too much, but there\u2019s definitely a power struggle between Rachel and Chris,\u201d says Angela of the clinic power dynamic. \u201cHe\u2019s been the CEO a lot of the time, while I\u2019ve been working in hospitals in America, and Peter Elliott, who plays Dr David Kearney, is back too, and he\u2019ll want to take charge. Plus, there\u2019ll be messy love stories!\u201d <\/p>\n
On the subject of love, Angela takes the opportunity to confide that even though she is flat out busy, she\u2019d still be up for a little romance of her own. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no one on the scene right now, even though I give it a good nudge,\u201d Angela laughs. \u201cAnd while I don\u2019t say this to strangers, if people in my world want to set me up on a blind date, they are welcome to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Proof that she means it, Angela recently allowed her co-star Fleur Saville, 41, to have a go at playing matchmaker. <\/p>\n
\u201cFleur is also back on the show, playing Libby Jeffries, and she knows I\u2019m very much open to meeting someone,\u201d Angela says. \u201cAlthough maybe I\u2019m just not good at relationships.\u201d <\/p>\n
Angela Bloomfield and Fluer Saville. Photo \/ NZ Woman’s Weekly<\/p>\n
The star ponders if fame makes courtship more complicated. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know I can hold a conversation, being the person I am and the work that I do. I\u2019m good at meeting strangers and getting to know people, but there still has to be a connection. And just because you have a good conversation, it doesn\u2019t mean you have to have a relationship. It\u2019s such a minefield.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the positive side, the mother of two delightful twenty-somethings is well aware that looking for love in one\u2019s fifties has many positives. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not looking to have any more children \u2013 that\u2019s all sorted,\u201d Angela says. \u201cAnd I\u2019m self-sufficient, so I don\u2019t need another person for that. It\u2019s more about, \u2018Are you someone I want to hang out with,\u2019 because I don\u2019t require a partner for money or procreation. It\u2019s still very nuanced. Besides, being single is absolutely fine and should never be frowned upon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela\u2019s more than happy that her two children, Max, 21, and Maya, 20, are still living at home. <\/p>\n
\u201cThank goodness I\u2019m not an empty-nester yet,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cMaya and Max are both studying, and I\u2019ve made our home as picturesque and sweet as can be, hoping to keep them under one roof for as long as we can all cope!<\/p>\n
\u201cMax is studying law and Maya is doing criminology and sociology, which are both very heady degrees,\u201d says the proud mum. \u201cAnd because I didn\u2019t go to university, it all seems incredible to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible there\u2019s also a hint of relief that her kids haven\u2019t followed in her thespian footsteps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey both did a little acting when they were younger, but they have seen me struggle over the years,\u201d Angela admits. \u201cBut in spite of the tough times, acting is still the thing I love best in the world. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a script in the vicinity, that\u2019s my happy place. Being on set and working with talented actors gets me so jazzed, and even though I\u2019ve not acted for a while, it\u2019s just like riding a bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viewers can also look forward to seeing her on an episode of TVNZ\u2019s new beachy crime drama Blue Murder Motel. <\/p>\n
\u201cI loved playing Sheree on that show,\u201d she enthuses. \u201cShe\u2019s wonderfully different to the characters I\u2019ve played before \u2013 low status and comedic, which made it so much fun. Because the industry likes to put actors in boxes, I get a lot of auditions for strong, assertive women, so I enjoyed breaking out of that mould. \u201d<\/p>\n
Not only is Angela relishing flexing her acting muscles again, but returning to Ferndale has brought an unexpected perk \u2013 the gift of friendship with Fleur. <\/p>\n
NZ Woman’s Weekly Masthead<\/p>\n
\u201cOne win I didn\u2019t consider when saying yes to going back to Shorty was finding Fleur,\u201d she tells. \u201cWe sort of knew each other from when we were on the show 15 or so years ago, but this time we\u2019re like magnets, completely drawn to each other. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe love hanging out, talking and laughing. Plus she\u2019s been juggling her regular job as well, and we\u2019ve become fast friends, which is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if she worries that fans won\u2019t ever be able to accept her as anyone but Rachel, the talented actor looks wistful. <\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think I\u2019m an okay actor, but I have wondered if I\u2019ve booked less work because of her,\u201d Angela says. \u201cBut I try not to overthink it as it doesn\u2019t do me any good because what will be will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
After completely charming the Weekly with her upbeat and philosophical musings, Angela is off to enjoy that rare thing of a day off, which she plans to spend part of having lunch with her cherished daughter, for a brief moment of respite from her wonderfully busy life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI know from experience that life is not as black and white as some people make out,\u201d Angela…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3376,66917,806,168007,156,64944,5511,424,5338,90567,111,139,69,23277,1527,6443,1517,5419,5411,2737,5424],"class_list":{"0":"post-307463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-actor","9":"tag-angela","10":"tag-as","11":"tag-bloomfield","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-hectic","14":"tag-just","15":"tag-life","16":"tag-makes","17":"tag-mckenna","18":"tag-new-zealand","19":"tag-newzealand","20":"tag-nz","21":"tag-rachel","22":"tag-return","23":"tag-returns","24":"tag-reveals","25":"tag-screen","26":"tag-shortland","27":"tag-star","28":"tag-street"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}