The Rookie star Melissa O’Neil says she’s been “embraced with a lot of warmth and generosity” from Kiwi fans of the hit TV series.<\/p>\n
The Canadian actor, who plays fan-favourite Lucy Chen on the police procedural, told Seven Sharp she came to Aotearoa with her friend and co-star Lisseth Chavez, who plays Officer Celina Juarez on the show, to “explore some of your beautiful country” ahead of appearances at Auckland’s Armageddon Expo this weekend.<\/p>\n
O’Neil said the reaction from Kiwi fans of the show had been “very unexpected, ’cause it’s not the treatment we get when we’re not here, I can tell you that”.<\/p>\n
“We’re from LA \u2013 nobody cares. Nobody cares.”<\/p>\n
She continued: “We have been embraced with a lot of warmth and generosity \u2013 and everyone’s been so welcoming and they’re not shy at all.” <\/p>\n
The 37-year-old said she and Chavez attempted to “sneak in” to Te Puia, in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, yesterday but were caught and given a “special private tour”. <\/p>\n
“It was spectacular.”<\/p>\n
The Rookie was recently renewed for its ninth season, and O’Neil said she was “thrilled to be working”.<\/p>\n
“To be able to be doing it with such a family like the one that we have on The Rookie is genuinely a blessing beyond measure,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We love what we do, we love the stories that we get to tell and the fact that we get to do it together as a team for as long as we’ve been doing it, it’s very rare and none of us is confused about that.<\/p>\n
“We’re happy to keep this party going.”<\/p>\n
Along with acting, O’Neil was also an accomplished singer, becoming Canadian Idol’s youngest ever winner in 2005, at the age of 17.<\/p>\n
O’Neil said her talent as a singer had bled into her roles, including a stint on Broadway, but it wasn’t her sole focus at this point in her career.<\/p>\n
“But in a very strange twist of events, the exposure I’ve received from the show has driven people to find the music that I did almost 20 years ago, which is very peculiar,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I’ve had a lot of encouragement to get back into music so I think about it sometimes but I’m a bit shy, I think, with that stuff these days.”<\/p>\n
Along with singing and acting, O’Neil had another hidden talent \u2013 rugby.<\/p>\n
“I love the sport. It’s super fun and you get to hang out with a bunch of badass ladies who know how to use their strength, so I miss it. I’d love to catch a game out here. I don’t know if it would be possible, though.”<\/p>\n
During the interview, the actor was given a signed Black Ferns jersey from Seven Sharp host Jeremy Wells. <\/p>\n
“I love it,” she said. “Thank you. I love presents. This is so cool.”<\/p>\n