Lucinda Croft
| Lucinda Croft | |||||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Dee Smart | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1991-92 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 13 June 1991 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 16 September 1992 | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Des Monaghan | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Occupation | Artist | ||||||||||||
| Home | Perth | ||||||||||||
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| Mother | Mary Croft |
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| Brothers | David Croft |
| Grandmothers | Isobel DuPre |
| Uncles |
Donald Fisher Clive Fisher |
| Nieces | Tamara Simpson |
| First cousins |
Bobby Marshall Alan Fisher Rebecca Nash Byron Fisher |
Lucinda Claire "Lou" Croft is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Dee Smart.
Smart had been studying drama in Sydney for three years when she secured the role of Lucinda. It was Smart's first ever acting role. Smart signed a contract to remain with the series for two years. Smart said that she was "a wreck" before filming her first scenes but soon learned to cope with the process. Each weekend Smart would attend acting classes to improve her skills.
Smart decided to give the magazines TV Week a "scathing" interview about her role in the serial. Only eight months into her contract, Smart told the publication that she felt as though she was completing a "prison sentence". She added that "It feels like I've been here for years". Smart criticised the serial for their fast production. She claimed there was no time to develop a character and said it was "impossible to do a good job" because of the time limits. Smart even said that she was surprised there was time to do any acting. Smart also spoke negatively about Lucinda because she "goes on and on and on - it is kind of abnormal for a character to last this long". Smart ended the interview by saying she would not sign another long-term contract.
Smart's comments annoyed the Seven Network, who tried to release her from her contract. The move proved difficult because the serial had already planned storylines for Lucinda in advance. TV Week said that the character would have to remain in the serial for "some time yet". However, producers retaliated further by publicly sacking Smart via an announcement in TV Week and Lucinda was written out of the serial. Speaking of her departure, Smart told Inside Soap that she had learned a "tremendous amount" from working on the series. Smart said that she is like her character she is not traditional; Lucinda does not care about doing "the 'done' thing".
Lucinda arrives in Summer Bay to visit her uncle, Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn). They have not seen each other for many years and Donald is left bewildered when Lucinda turns out to be a tomboy into motorbikes. Donald still wants the best for his niece though and tries to set her up with policeman Nick Parrish (Bruce Roberts) by inviting them both round for a dinner party. Lucinda quickly figures out Donald's scheme but learns Nick is genuinely interested in her. After a series of false starts, Nick stops Lucinda as she is about to leave town and kisses her. Lou attempts to put some spark in their relationship by organizing a treasure hunt, although Nick is disappointed when the prize turns out to be a toy car he wanted as a child rather than Lou herself. Lucinda's life takes knock when her brother David (Guy Pearce) arrives to stay, since relations between the two siblings are somewhat strained after his poor financial advice led to their parents losing their home. Just as they begin to put the past behind them, David is killed in a car accident caused by teenager Karen Dean (Belinda Jarrett).
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