In a reflective interview looking back on her monumental run, ‘Neighbours’ star Jackie Woodburne pinpointed the explosive Karl-Susan-Izzy love triangle as her most memorable arc, a storyline that allowed her to explore a darker, more complex side of the iconic Susan Kennedy.
For over 30 years, Jackie Woodburne was the heart of Ramsay Street, portraying the steadfast and beloved Susan Kennedy on the iconic Australian soap, Neighbours. Through countless dramatic twists, character departures, and even a brief cancellation, Susan remained a pillar of the community. Now, the veteran actress is opening up about the single storyline that she considers the most impactful of her entire tenure.
In a recent discussion about her decades on the show, Woodburne identified the long-running love triangle between her character, her on-screen husband Karl Kennedy, and the scheming Izzy Hoyland as her definitive favorite. This wasn’t just another bump in the road for the Kennedys; it was a seismic event that reshaped the characters and the series for years to come.
The Storyline That Defined a Legacy
Fans who followed the series will instantly recall the drama that began in 2003. The plot saw Susan’s husband, Dr. Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), become entangled in an affair with Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte). The betrayal ultimately led to the birth of their daughter, Holly, creating a permanent and complicated link between the three characters.
“I always come back to the Karl, Susan, Izzy love triangle because it had such a long arc,” Woodburne explained in an interview with TVTonight. The extended nature of the storyline allowed for a depth rarely seen in the fast-paced world of soap operas. “It went on for such a long time, and it gave all of our characters the opportunity to play vastly different emotions, everything from high drama to comedy.”
A New Dimension for Susan Kennedy
For Woodburne, the storyline was more than just compelling television; it was a crucial turning point for her character. After nearly a decade of playing the virtuous matriarch of Ramsay Street, the affair gave Susan Kennedy an edge she never had before. It forced her to confront betrayal, rage, and the desire for revenge.
“For Susan, up until that point, she’d never hated anybody, she’d never had an enemy,” Woodburne noted. This shift provided rich new ground for her as an actress. “So, for her to explore how she represented those emotions, that was a nice change for me as an actor, to get to play that with Nat. That was terrific.” This arc solidified Susan not just as a supportive wife and mother, but as a complex woman capable of profound strength and vulnerability.
The End of an Era on Ramsay Street
Woodburne’s reflection comes as the final chapter of Neighbours has concluded, adding a layer of poignant nostalgia to her comments. The show’s finale centered on the threat of Ramsay Street being demolished for a new freeway, forcing residents to decide the community’s fate. The narrative saw longtime rivals Paul Robinson (original cast member Stefan Davis) and Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien) proposing different futures for their neighbors.
In a fitting tribute to her character’s enduring spirit, the series concluded with Susan expressing her unwavering desire to stay and fight for the home she loved, leaving the show’s ending open-ended. The finale is available for streaming on Amazon, while classic episodes of the series can be found on its official YouTube channel, a detail confirmed by Parade.
The Karl-Susan-Izzy saga remains a benchmark for long-form storytelling in television, proving that a well-executed plot can resonate with actors and audiences alike for decades. For Jackie Woodburne, it wasn’t just another script—it was the moment Susan Kennedy truly came alive.
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