Angela Bloomfield is stepping back into her stilettos nearly a decade after leaving Ferndale.
The actress is reprising her role as Rachel McKenna in Shortland Street: Legacy, marking her first return to the screen since departing the long-running soap in 2016.
Bloomfield sat down with Seven Sharp's Erin Conroy, a self-confessed superfan of the show, ahead of the new chapter's release.
While she's keeping tight-lipped about the finer details, Bloomfield revealed what enticed her to return.
"What brought me back was ultimately the storyline, but I'm not allowed to tell you," Bloomfield told Conroy.
"After 10 years it just seemed like the right time to put the high heels back on and see what that looked like," she said.
Rachel McKenna first arrived on screens in 1993 and quickly became one of the show's most recognisable and formidable characters. Known for her sharp tongue and unapologetic leadership style, she became a central figure in the fictional Ferndale hospital.
Shortland Street: Legacy is the first of four planned chapters marking the show's new era and will see Rachel return in a powerful new position as the CEO of Shortland Street Hospital.
Her comeback brings a long-awaited reunion with Dr Chris Warner, played by Michael Galvin. The pair's long-running "will-they, won't they" romance began in the early 2000s and has become one of the drama's most enduring storylines.
Bloomfield wouldn't give any hints as to whether the two characters would reconcile on the show but admitted she would love to see the pair end up together.
"They are two people that struggle to stay separate from each other. They like each other a lot," she told Seven Sharp.
Following her departure from the show in 2016, Bloomfield spent several years acting and directing but said it didn't quite "grab ahold" like Shortland Street did.
After Covid-19 she took a different path, gaining her real estate licence and beginning a career selling houses - something Bloomfield said she loves doing.
"People in that job say it must be so different to acting, but it’s not. It’s got scripts, reading people, and you dress up in pretty clothes. It's quite actor-y, I love it."
Returning to the beloved role after such a long time away from acting came with its own doubts, Bloomfield said.
"It's been 10 years, what kind of capacity do I have to find this character again?" she said. "She [Rachel] isn't like me at all."
"But the scripts take you there in a heartbeat."
Rachel's character has long resonated with viewers of the show, particularly young women inspired by her ambition and confidence.
"That makes me feel really special that I get to be a part of people’s lives like that," Bloomfield said. "I think it comes down to the fact that she was a young person and a woman who just called a spade a spade."
Watch Erin Conroy's conversation with Angela Bloomfield on Seven Sharp on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ on Monday at 7pm.
Shortland Street is back on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm.
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