The name Maggie Millar may not mean much to younger Television viewers, but for older fans of Aussie soaps, she's nothing short of a legend. So the news that Maggie has joined the cast of Neighbours is bound to arouse plenty of excitment!

Neighbours.com
First of all Maggie, welcome back to television. How did you come to get the role of Rosie Hoyland?

Maggie: It's an amazing story. An English writer and journalist friend, Shelley Bovey, was over visiting me. She's a total Neighbours nut and she said 'do you know of any way of getting me onto the set?' so I rang up Jan Russ, the Casting Director and she arranged for us both to come out.
Shelley was over the moon, and while I was there Jan said 'I know you've retired but there's a part coming up that we'd be interested in you for'. So I said 'Okay' thinking I'd hear no more, but then two weeks later she rang and told me about the role and faxed me through the character breakdown.
So here I am and loving every minute!

Neighbours.com
For those viewers who missed Rosie's arrival, how do we first meet her?

Maggie: We meet Rosie at the baptism of Libby and Drew's baby, Ben. Harold knows Rosie through his activities with the Salvation Army. It was a lovely way to come in - it was done in a beautiful Angelican church in suburban Melbourne.

Neighbours.com
Rosie is a minister, which is quite a rarity in soap. Tell us about her.

Maggie: We gradually find out little bits about her as the series goes on. She's not your typical minister of religion. She's very funny, she's fiesty, she loves a drop of red and she loves a good joke.
She has a lot of compassion for people. She is fun to play because she is so multi-dimensional and funny.

Neighbours.com
Most of your scenes are with Ian Smith (Harold) and Tom Oliver (Lou). Do you enjoy working with them?

Maggie: I'm having great fun working with Tom and Smithy, who I've known for yonks. I worked with Smithy in 'Bellbird' years ago - he was the policeman and I was the doctor. I've worked with Tom too - somewhere along the line! We have great fun together. It's great to come to work, I feel so lucky. I wake up and look forward to what I'm going to do. Not many people can say that.

Neighbours.com
Without giving too much away, can give us any hints about the love triangle that develops between Harold, Rosie and Lou?

Maggie: Harold has a huge crush on Rosie. He makes it obvious, and she's aware. In the initial scenes, they are both trying to arrange a date with her, and she's a bit naughty and plays them off against each other to get them to do something she wants done. But it's for a good cause - it's for the church!!

Neighbours.com
The last woman to come between Harold and Lou was the late, great Madge Bishop played by Anne Charleston. Do you feel as though you are stepping into her shoes?

Maggie: Not as such. I worked with Anne in Possession, and she took over from me in a play when I got sick. We go back and I love her dearly. She's a fabulous woman and everyone here loves her dearly too. You can never take anyone's place and that's not what's going on. Rosie is totally different from Madge. I think the show needs that kind of a presence. Apart from it being Annie Charleston, she was a woman of that age between those fellas and she left a gap that needed to be filled. The writers have bee very clever about how they have done it, because there's no way Rosie could ever take Madge's place. That's a tribute to Annie and the show.

Neighbours.com:
Do you enjoy working with the younger cast?

Maggie: The younger cast are beaut. There's a lot of great talent here. I didn't watch the show until I knew I would be in it. Then I started, and I was impressed by the talent. The beuatiful, beautiful young women took me by surprise. There's a lot of talent there, not just pretty faces.
That often works against women who are beautiful, because people say "Oh, she's only there because she's pretty" but I don't think that's the case in this at all.

Neighbours.com:
Many Neighbours fans are also fans of Prisoner: Cell Block H, in which you played Marie Winter. What are your recollections of that time?

Maggie: It's funny, because that period does come back to haunt me. I have done a lot of work - I was going to marry Dave Sullivan in The Sullivans at one stage but the only thing people remember is Prisoner. Marie had quite an impact which surprised me. She was fun to play, but you had to make sure you left her at the door. It wasn't hard for me to do. I've been doing this for long enough to know that's what you have to do. We get to let all our agression out and get paid for it! I based her on a cheeky little boy. She had a bit of a swagger and a funny laugh. It worked.

Neighbours.com
Lastly, are you hoping for a long run in Neighbours?

Maggie: That would be wonderful. There are some interesting things coming up for Rosie, including the arrival of some other members of her family. She's an intriguing character and I'm having a wonderful time so far, so I hope it continues.