Wentworth star Kate Jenkinson has won the coveted role of Top Dog, as her character Allie Novak was revealed to be running things among the inmates in last night’s season eight premiere.
Over the years, fans of Wentworth Prison have seen the likes of Franky Doyle, Jacs Holt, Bea Smith, Kaz Proctor and Joan “The Freak” Ferguson as Top Dog.
The role is difficult and demanding, and a number of them have ended up dead as they tried to protect the women in the prison.
With that in mind, actress Kate Jenkinson exclusively told Daily Star Online that she wouldn’t mind if Allie’s time as Top Dog ends with her in a body bag.
Kate Jenkinson returns to Wentworth season eight as Allie Novak (Image: Jackson Finter/Fremantle)
Australian star Kate told us: “This season is different from any other season we’ve had before because we knew from the outset that these final 20 episodes were going to be the last episodes that we made.
“Having said that, there was kind of safety in moving forward because while most actors would say they never want their character to die, because with the death of the character comes the death of your part in the show and employment as an actor, knowing this was going to be the last hurrah, I kind of relished the potential that Allie might end up in a body bag.
“I still don’t know if she does or doesn’t, we have yet to receive our final episodes so I truly don’t know what fate awaits her.
“But I have faith in the writers and I think they have crafted such an exceptional and honest world for all of those characters that if my character ends up dead I’ll be happy with that – but if she’s alive then I’ll be happy with that too.”
Allie is now Top Dog in the prison and has a new look to highlight it (Image: Supplied)
Viewers may have noticed that Allie looks dramatically different in the opening episode – a much foxier version of the character fans are used to.
Kate told us: “I remember when I was told I would be Top Dog and got a bit of an insight into the character, immediately I thought that she needed to look different, sound a bit different, she needed to walk a bit different because she truly has transformed in a way.
“But I think she is putting on a show of power because you kind of have to in that position.
“I think the new look is a visual representation of that and the producers and writers absolutely were on the same page with that.
“They felt we wanted to see visually on the outside that there was a huge change going on in Allie.”
Allie has to deal with new inmates Reb and Lou (Image: Fremantle)
Allie has had a difficult journey and Kate admitted she didn’t know if her character had it in her to be Top Dog.
She told us: “The way that it’s been written, and ironically her journey up until now with all of the chaos and destruction and the breakdown of her sense of humanity, I think it has equipped her to be a strong and capable and quite ruthless Top Dog.
“Of course she’s learnt from the best. She’s seen Bea be Top Dog, Caz, the Freak, Marie, she’s really seen a broad spectrum of how people deal with that position and what happens to them once they’ve been in that position.
“So I think even though she’s an unlikely leader, she takes it in her stride and while it may not be a role that feels comfortable for her, I think she embraces it and for the safety of the women she does her best job.”
Kate said she’d be ‘happy’ if Allie died as she knows Wentworth is coming to an end (Image: Jackson Finter)
Fans will get to see a firm but fair Top Dog in Allie – she punished new character Lou Kelly for attacking Boomer like any ruthless leader would.
But she also shows a softer side when it comes to transgender male prisoner Reb and his surgery fund.
Kate said: “Unlike some of the Top Dogs that have proceeded her, Allie’s not in this position for any personal gain.
“She’s in it because she understands that she’s the best person equipped for it and the women need a strong leader, and they need someone in charge who can help them to thrive and flourish.
“Given Allie’s history with drug abuse and prostitution and living on the streets, she more than anyone understands how desperate you can be, that life can present you with really s***ty circumstances and it’s how you handle that that makes you who you are.
“She’s happy to see the women do their thing and thrive and I don’t think that she is oppressive in any way. She genuinely wants the women to be happy because ultimately that makes her job as Top Dog easier.
Kate admits she wasn’t sure Allie had it in her to be Top Dog (Image: Supplied)
“She’s happy to keep the peace and make concessions and compromise, especially with a character like Lou Kelly who is very much gonna be on her radar in terms of an adversary – she’s playing the game and she’s learnt from the best.
“She knows the best Top Dogs have to be able to negotiate and I think especially with a character like Lou Kelly, you are gonna have to find more common ground, otherwise she may find that she’ll get railroaded quite soon.”
One of the most dramatic moments of season eight will be when Allie learns that her enemy The Freak is still alive – something viewers learned in the season seven finale.
She had been thought dead after Will Jackson thought he’d buried her alive, and fans will have to wait to find out how she survived.
Kate told us: “Of course when the producers and writers made the decision to bring The Freak back, that was a genius move in my opinion because it’s just the one character that has the ability to completely throw a spanner in the works of every single plot line and character.
“It was such a joy to know that Pam [Rabe] was coming back to reprise her role as The Freak.
“So many of those characters have history with Ferguson. Allie has a very specific and bloody history with Ferguson, she hates her more than she hates anybody else on the planet and revenge was such a strong desire for Allie in season five, it overtook her entire life.
“The news that Ferguson is alive is possibly the most cataclysmic information that Allie could receive and what happens next is the tip of the iceberg, it’s pretty wild.”
Wentworth Prison continues Wednesdays at 10pm on 5STAR in the UK
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
