Shortland Street actor Monique Meredith says ‘Women want to see powerful women – and so do men’

Bringing her back to Ferndale, strong, confident and “in a buff state”, says Meredith, is also “great for women”.

The former Go Girls actor speaks with confidence and ease, as she recalls being in a “different frame of life, now”, than when she was initially cast as Constable Curtis Hannah’s (Jayden Daniels) boss and casual lover on the show.

She later became the disgraced detective that launched a vendetta against killer nurse Kylie Brown (Kerry-Lee Dewing) – and left the show in 2019.

Monique Meredith says the first time she appeared as Natalie was the first time she was given the opportunity to play a character “similar to my own personality – and I loved it”.
SUPPLIED / THE TV GUIDE

Now, at almost 40, Meredith’s back.

As someone who’s often “stereotyped for my face”, stepping into a traditionally masculine role was “so refreshing”.

“My face does not match my personal story,” she says, speaking of growing up in boxing, of working in male-dominated gyms “my whole life”.

“My tongue and language – and how I move, is very male.”

And it would be hard to dispute the fact that Natalie is a character who is, “strong and intimidating”. Being given the opportunity to showcase the character as exactly that is empowering.

“I did all my years in acting where I felt the pressure to be super-thin − and it was miserable,” she says.

She wanted, she says, to show that balance. That power and strength, too, is sexy.

Although, she recalls being told in the past those typically masculine roles of strength and power wouldn’t “land well” – and wouldn’t be “trustworthy”.

“I proved that wrong the first time and I’m already proving that wrong the second time,” she says.

“Women want to see powerful women – and so do men.”

Outside of acting, Meredith is a qualified personal trainer and she and her husband run Shadow Camp – an online training community spurred from an idea during Covid lockdowns. The community, “just went off. It’s become so successful”.

And having a job where she has the opportunity to inspire women – both older and younger than her – has been amazing, she says.

“When you grow up being told ‘shut up’, or you’re pigeonholed your whole life, it’s pretty damn freeing to be able to do that.”

She’s loving being back on set – showing off her strength and time spent in the gym. She praises the supportive cast a few times during our interview – mentioning that some of them do her online programme themselves. She laughs about on-set jokes about protein and Lara Croft comparisons.

And the response to her return from the public, she says, has “been amazing”.

“I was blown away that they were bringing her back and I’m real blown away by the response.”

The first time she appeared as Natalie was the first time she was given the opportunity to play a character “similar to my own personality – and I loved it”.

“Women want to see powerful women – and so do men,” says Monique Meredith.
SUPPLIED / THE TV GUIDE

Although, when she first landed the role, more than half-a-decade ago, Meredith admits she was at a “low point”. The mum-of-two had recently had her son, who’s now six. She weighed 30kg more than she does now – much of which she lost while on the show. It was a time, she says now, she was “pretty insecure”.

At the time, the role of Natalie was “all I had”. Bringing that insecurity to the role of someone so stoic and direct, “I felt my energy was a bit desperate”.

But she found playing the character to be healing, too.

Meredith has previously spoken publicly about her own childhood – one that involved sexual assault, drugs, gangs and foster care. Now, coming from a place of strength and empowerment, Meredith pauses a moment when asked if she feels any sense of responsibility as a role model.

“I feel a sense of responsibility to girls like me,” she starts. “But I feel a sense of pride for women.

“I want to show those little girls they can break all the rules and lift the ceilings,” she starts, before adding that she’s keen to show the same to any woman − and that a lot of what hinders women in life are universal.

“They’re not based off a story, they’re based off society. And the limitations that are set upon us.”