TV Week: “Rebecca ponders a law career” The Restless Years 10th October 1981

At 13 she’s a veteran movie star but…

Rebecca ponders a law career

TV Week
10th October 1981

SHE HAS had a starring role in two films, a part written especially for her in another and is now being seen in The Restless Years.

Quite an achievement for any actress, but Rebecca Rigg has only been in showbusiness for 18 months and is just 13 and a half years old

To date she has made several TV commercials and also starred in the movies Fatty Finn, Doctors And Nurses and Monkey Grip.

Rebecca’s stunning dark looks, which she attributes to “some Spanish and Portuguese blood”, have helped her career… but it didn’t start out that way.

It all came about when she auditioned for the role of Tilly, Fatty Finn’s girl friend, in what was to be her film debut.

“I went and auditioned and I thought I’d never have a chance,” said Rebecca.

“I just went along for the experience of doing an audition.

“Then I was called back a second and third time and it was scary because there were three of us in contention.

“The producers thought I was the wrong height and they decided not to have me and it was between the other two girls.

“But that night they went along and saw the original Fatty Finn movie and found Tilly was taller than Finn.

“My height and coloring got me the part in the end.”

Rebecca had to give up her entire Christmas school holidays of 1979 to appear in the movie with co-stars Bert Newton, Gerard Kennedy, Lorraine Bayly, Noni Hazlehurst and Ben Oxenbould as Fatty Finn.

“I loved making it but it certainly was hard work,” she said.

Last year there were further TV commercials and then during the 1980 Christmas holidays Rebecca starred in her second film, Doctors And Nurses, due to be released this December.

“All the adults were the patients and the children were the doctors and nurses,” explained Rebecca.

“I played a 35-year-old divorcee.”

It looked like Rebecca’s luck had changed for the worse when she auditioned for a part in the new movie, Monkey Grip, earlier this year.

“I went along for the audition and I was told I was too tall and too dark,” she said.

But the producer of the film, Ken Cameron, was so impressed with the young beauty that he wrote a small part into the script especially for her.

“It was just a day’s work,” said Rebecca,

Like most little girls of five or six Rebecca dreamed of being a movie star but it didn’t stop there — she went out and achieved her ambition.

Now she is thinking of the future anda possible career in criminal law.

“I think it would be very interesting,” said Rebecca.

“My family say I should do law because I’m always arguing at home and I usually win the fights.”

Rebecca still has another four-and-a-half years of schooling left — she is in second form at North Sydney Girls High School.

She admits she’s “not crazy” about maths and would rate herself “below average” scholastically.

Her acting career does interfere with her school work and Rebecca had a private tutor during her time with The Restless Years.

In the Ten Network soapie she plays Sandra Harper, a troublesome 12-year- old who is deaf.

She will be seen in the soapie until mid August.

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