Jen Handley
| Jen Handley | |||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Alyce Platt | ||||||
| Duration | 1995–96 | ||||||
| First appearance | 14 February 1995 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 6 March 1996 | ||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Occupation | Medical student Artist Chez Chez Barmaid (1996) |
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| Home | Northern Territory | ||||||
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| Brothers | Luke Handley |
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| Sisters | Morgan Handley |
| First cousins | Sarah |
Jen Handley is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alyce Platt. She made her first on-screen appearance on 14 February 1995. Jen is Luke Handley's sister. She departed on 6 March 1996.
In December 1994, Rachel Browne of The Sun-Herald reported Platt had joined the cast of Neighbours as Jen Handley, a mature age medical student. Platt's introduction coincided with Network Ten's relaunch of the soap. The network decided to add new faces and sexier storylines in a bid to improve ratings. Jen was Platt's first full-time screen part since she left Sons and Daughters in 1985. The actress revealed she found getting back into the "swing of acting" a tough challenge and she was dissatisfied with her early performance. Platt's first scenes as Jen began airing from early 1995.
Jen is described as being easy-going, laid back and fun loving. Jen's university friend, Cody Willis (Peta Brady) introduces her to widower Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings). Jen likes Philip, but she finds it a struggle to get him to go out with her. Philip cannot believe Jen is interested in him and he thinks that she simply feels sorry for him because he is a single father. Philip then embarks on a series of random dates, which makes Jen determined to win him over. Jen eventually persuades Philip to go out with her and they begin a "passionate" relationship. Platt told a writer for Inside Soap that she found her kissing scenes with Rawlings easy as they were co-stars in Sons and Daughters together. Platt also revealed Jen would undergo a personality change due to her relationship with Philip. She explained "Unlike me, Jen is quite an unstable person, but Philip provides the much-needed stability in her life. He's very different to every other guy that she's ever been out with and that's part of the attraction for her." Platt also added that she was concerned for her character's future, saying Jen was not a trailblazer in terms of storylines and it felt like she was just there for the benefit of Philip, with no identity of her own.
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