Teresa Bell
| Teresa Bell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Neighbours character | |||
| Portrayed by | Krista Vendy | ||
| Duration | 1999–2001 | ||
| First appearance | 17 September 1999 | ||
| Last appearance | 18 September 2001 | ||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh | ||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||
| Profile | |||
| Occupation | Teacher at Erinsborough High School (1999–2001) | ||
| Home | London | ||
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| Husband | Brendan Bell (until 2000) |
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Teresa "Tess" Bell is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Krista Vendy. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 September 1999 and departed on 18 September 2001.
Vendy originally auditioned for the role of Sarah Beaumont, but Nicola Charles was cast instead. Three years later, Vendy auditioned for another role in Neighbours through her agency. Vendy auditioned three times in total and she revealed she was one of three girls up for the role. The actress told the official Neighbours website she learnt she had won the part of Teresa six months later. Of her reaction to the news, Vendy said "I'd put it out of my mind until one night when I got a call from my manager, Scott. He called me all the way from the UK to say 'congratulations, you've got the part'. It was a dream come true for me because I've been trying to get into acting for such a long time."
Vendy told Jason Herbision of Inside Soap that she had initially auditioned to play a different character. She said "The role was originally that of a barmaid called Tamsin Flynn, but after I got the part, the producers took a look at my audition piece and changed my name and occupation." Vendy said Tamsin was supposed to be a surfer and a party girl, but when the character became Teresa she was changed into a "strait-laced schoolteacher" instead. Vendy revealed her cousin, Kristian Schmid (who played Todd Landers), gave her some advice before she entered the show. The actress said "Kristian told me to always think about the motivation of other characters as well as my own." Vendy filmed her first scenes on location at the Erinsborough High set. Two months after her on screen debut, Gina Leros of The Sun-Herald said Vendy would be the one to watch in Neighbours in 2000.
Teresa was introduced as a 24-year-old, married English teacher. She moved to Erinsborough to regain her independence and found employment at the local high school. Vendy said Teresa prefers to be called Tess and she described her character as a "perfectionist", especially when it came to teaching and cleaning. Vendy said while she is not a "cleaning freak" like Tess, she does share the same work ethic as her. The actress revealed Tess has a vivacious side to her and she has been married to her husband for a couple of years. Vendy told an Inside Soap columnist that she was glad her character had more depth than a bimbo and she said Tess is nothing like the person she thought she would be playing. When asked if it felt strange to be playing a married school teacher, Vendy said "Yeah! It is weird because in real life, I have no desire to get married whatsoever! Tess has many more responsibilities than Krista, so it has been interesting to play someone like her." A writer from the official Neighbours website called Tess "headstrong and intelligent."
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