Lana Crawford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lana Crawford | |||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Bridget Neval | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2004–2005, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 30 August 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 25 March 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Ric Pellizzeri (2004) Jason Herbison (2020) | ||||||||||||
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Lana Crawford is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Bridget Neval. The actress's casting was announced in June 2004, and she stated that she was excited to take on the role of Lana, a schoolgirl and the serial's first lesbian character. Neval explained that Lana's sexuality did not bother her, but she hoped her story would not be told in a sensationalist or distasteful way. Neval made her first screen appearance as Lana during the episode broadcast on 30 August 2004 and departed on 13 January 2005. Despite being retired from acting, Neval agreed to reprise the role for the show's 35th anniversary celebrations, which saw Lana marry Sky.
Lana was introduced as a high school student, who has been closeted due to homophobic bullying at her previous school. Upon moving to Erinsborough, Lana befriends Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher) and Serena's cousin Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh), whom she develops a crush on. The storyline between Lana and Sky was billed as a relationship story between two close female friends, "made compelling by the complexity of the feelings involved." Lana and Sky's friendship eventually culminated in Neighbours' first lesbian kiss.
The episode featuring the kiss was broadcast in the serial's regular G-rated timeslot and gave Neighbours a small increase in ratings. However, it led talkback callers and conservative groups to attack the storyline and the characters. Writers for AfterEllen and the Sydney Star Observer branded the storyline "a real television advance" and praised Lana and her journey. The show's executive producer, Ric Pellizzeri, believed the storyline reflected reality and some viewers said that it had had a "profound effect" on them.
In June 2004, Pete Timbs of TV Week reported Wicked Science actress Bridget Neval had joined the cast of Neighbours as Lana Crawford.[1] Timbs revealed that Lana was a schoolgirl set to "liven things up among the Ramsay Street teenagers as she comes to terms with her sexuality."[1] Neval told Timbs' colleague Helen Vnuk that she was initially taken aback when she learned of the character she might be asked to play.[2] However, she was very excited to take on the role of Lana, calling her "a fantastic character".[2]
Neval later explained "My initial reaction to the part was surprise as Neighbours have never had a gay character. But the nature of the character never really bothered me. My only real concern was that the story would not be told in a sensationalist or distasteful way. She's not a stereotypical character and being gay is certainly not the only interesting thing about her."[3] Neval made her first screen appearance as Lana during the episode broadcast on 30 August 2004.[4] In April 2005, Eliza Taylor-Cotter said that she had originally auditioned for the role of Lana, before joining the cast as Janae Timmins.[5]
Development
"The first gay character on the long-running Australian soap, teenage newcomer Lana discovered a soulmate in straight series regular Sky. Their friendship survived Lana's early crush, Sky's sexual confusion, and homophobic pressures from outsiders, and they emerged as platonic BFFs who took each other to the prom."[6]
Lana was introduced as Neighbours' first lesbian character.[2][7] Neval revealed that while Lana would fuel a storyline for established character Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh), she would also go through her own journey.[2] A representative from Grundy Television explained that the storyline would be "a relationship story of a close female friendship, made compelling by the complexity of the feelings involved."[2] The representative believed the storyline would "strike a chord" with teenage viewers, who could relate to Sky and Lana's feelings.[2] Scriptwriter Helen MacWhirter also stated that Lana's story is "multi-faceted", saying, "On one level it's about a young girl coming to terms with her sexuality, which on its own might have been a bit boring and gratuitous, but it also brought into play other story strands which added depth and dimension."[8]
Lana was a "pretty" Canadian high school student.[9] She left her old high school due to homophobic bullying, and as a result she became "very closeted".[10] Describing the character, Natasha Norton from AfterEllen stated "She comes across at first as a touch flighty, as if she can't quite make up her mind as to who she wants to be, but it soon becomes abundantly clear that Lana's carefully constructed façade has a purpose."[9] Following her arrival in Erinsborough, Lana befriended Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher).[11] They both learned that they had been taken advantage of by "sleazy" photographer Chris Cousens (Simon Mallory).[12] Serena's cousin, Sky, took an instant dislike to Lana. Sky had learned that Lana had flirted with her boyfriend, leaving her "less than impressed".[11] During a game of basketball, Sky began feuding with Lana, and they started a brawl on the court.[11] Of filming the fight, Neval stated, "We wanted to make it look spontaneous, and really gritty and brawly. It was a lot of fun learning how to choreograph a fight and how to be aware of the other actor and not actually hurt them."[11]
After being placed in detention together, Lana and Sky came to know each other better.[9] They gradually formed a bond, and Lana developed feelings for Sky.[9] Lana's crush on Sky eventually culminated in Neighbours' first lesbian kiss.[13] The episode featuring the kiss was broadcast in its usual 6.30pm G-rated timeslot.[14] The executive producer of Neighbours, Ric Pellizzeri, said the storyline reflected reality and continued the show's move toward more contemporary issues.[13] Pellizzeri explained that Neighbours was simply telling "a story about tolerance."[13] The producer added that the kiss was as far as they would go, but the writers would not be discouraged from telling other stories about homosexuality in the future.[13] On-screen, Sky told Lana that she was only interested in her boyfriend, but they remained friends.[10] With her main storyline completed, Lana was seen attending the prom with a female admirer, before moving to Canada with her family.[10][15] Script producer Luke Devenish told a reporter for the Sydney Star Observer, "There is that great tradition that the lesbian is always dead in the final scene, and we were very aware of that as we were writing her out. We wanted to avoid that at all costs."[15]
On 13 December 2019, it was announced that Neval had reprised the role for the serial's 35th anniversary celebrations in March 2020.[16] In a post to her Instagram account, Neval explained that she had retired from acting, but she could not refuse a request from series producer Jason Herbison to return, after learning that Lana would be reunited with Sky. The characters will marry upon their return to Erinsborough, having reconnected off-screen.[17]