Danni Stark
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Danielle "Danni" Stark is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'', played by
Eliza Szonert Eliza Szonert is an Australian actress, known for her role as Danni Stark in ''Neighbours''. Career Born in Victoria, Australia, Szonert acted in a stage production of Cinderella at the Children's Oxford Theatre and appeared in a television ...
. She made her debut during the episode broadcast on 30 November 1993 and remained in the show until 13 November 1996, with a brief cameo in 2005 as part of the serial's twentieth anniversary. Danni is Cheryl Stark's daughter and suffered from
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
. She had a complex, long-term relationship with
Malcolm Kennedy Malcolm Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Benjamin McNair. Shortly after he was cast, McNair relocated to Melbourne to be closer to the studio. He admitted that it was a shock lea ...
.


Creation and casting

The character of Danni was created in 1993 as part of a new family, the Starks. She joined already established characters brother
Darren Stark Darren Stark is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Todd MacDonald. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1993 and was originally played by Scott Major. When the character was released from p ...
(
Todd MacDonald Todd MacDonald (born 1973) is a Canadian Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and the drama series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and '' Rush''. Early life MacDonald and his older brother Paul were born ...
) and mother Cheryl Stark ( Caroline Gillmer). Danni arrives with her brother Brett ( Brett Blewitt), another new addition to the serial's cast. After being a part of the ''Neighbours'' cast for almost a year, Szonert said: "I'm really getting into it now, but I hated seeing myself on screen at first and the long hours and routine took a lot of getting used to."


Development

Danni arrives in Ramsay Street with Brett after they are both expelled from boarding school. Upon her arrival, Danni was described as being a "tearaway" and having a "devil-may-care" attitude. Of her character, Szonert said: "Danni like to get what she wants and she can be a right little schemer. She likes to concoct plans to get her own way and can be real troublemaker." Danni can be manipulative at times, especially when she wants something. Szonert told Rochelle Tubb of ''
The Sun-Herald ''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Entertainment. It is the Sunday counterpart of the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. In the six months to September 2005, ''The Sun-H ...
'' that she did not share many similarities to her character, but did occasionally display some aspects of Danni's personality in real life. Danni is
diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
. When she is caught injecting
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...
with a needle, fellow residents thought she was using heroin after Michael Martin ( Troy Beckwith) gossiped about her. She had previously been emotionally neglected at boarding school and decides to pretend to be an addict because she loves attention. Danni's condition becomes a problem when she and
Malcolm Kennedy Malcolm Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Benjamin McNair. Shortly after he was cast, McNair relocated to Melbourne to be closer to the studio. He admitted that it was a shock lea ...
(
Benjamin McNair Benjamin John McNair (born 25 August 1974, London) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Malcolm Kennedy in the soap opera ''Neighbours''. Early life McNair moved to Australia with his family when he was 18 months old. He develope ...
) go on holiday. A flood finds them stranded without food or water causing her blood sugar levels to drop. They go out and search for food so that her diabetes does not prove fatal. Danni can be incredibly moody at times and she often leads her brother Brett astray. Danni is not happy with Cheryl's relationship with
Lou Carpenter Lou Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Tom Oliver. He made his first screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Oliver appeared for a brief time, having been initially contracted for six months, ...
(
Tom Oliver Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British naturalised Australian retired actor. Oliver is best known locally and internationally for his long-running role in TV soap opera ''Neighbours'' as Lou Carpenter, a role he played for 25 years bec ...
) and she makes her feelings about the subject very clear to her mother. Szonert explained that Danni is "angry at life" and that she has not sorted out her feelings regarding her father's unexpected death. Danni initially does not like Lou interfering in her family's lives, but her relationship with Lou gradually grows better. In January 1996, Diana Taylor of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' confirmed that Szonert would be leaving the show. She reported on Szonert's return to Australia from the UK, where she had been appearing in pantomime, in order to film her final episodes. Szonert had decided to leave ''Neighbours'' after two and a half years, as she felt it was time to move on and look for new roles. She commented: "I love everyone on the cast and crew. But I'm looking forward to auditioning for different roles and doing acting classes again." She eventually filmed her final scenes in September and completed her last scene in one take. She admitted that it became "a bit much" and she almost broke down and cried. Blewitt also filmed his final scenes at the same time, and Szonert stated "It's really weird because it feels like only yesterday that Brett and I were doing our first scene. But it's great that we could do this together. We came in at the same time and we're leaving together." On-screen, Danni leaves Erinsborough for a job in the fashion industry in Malaysia. Jeff Jenkins of ''
TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...
'' described her exit as "a tearjerker" as Danni is forced to leave her boyfriend, Luke Handley (
Bernard Curry Bernard Curry (born 27 March 1974) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Jake Stewart in '' Wentworth'', Luke Handley in ''Neighbours'' and Hugo Austin in ''Home and Away''. Early life Alongside his actor brothers Stephen and And ...
) behind. Her final scenes aired in November 1996. In early 2005, Szonert was asked to return to ''Neighbours'' for a guest appearance as part of the show's 20th anniversary. She accepted and was one of many ex-cast members who made an appearance in the episode " Friends for Twenty Years", which was broadcast on 27 July.


Storylines

Danni arrives with Brett, and Cheryl moves in with them. Cheryl initially does not want her children around as she prefers to live the high life after her
Lotto Lotto may refer to: * Lotto, original, 15th century name of the Italian lottery * Lotto America, one of many U.S. lottery games called Lotto * Lotto (Milan Metro), a railway station in Milan, Italy * Lotto carpet, a carpet having a lacy arabesq ...
win. After seeing Danni inject insulin, Michael Martin spreads a rumour that she is using drugs; she plays along with this for attention. Michael is infuriated with her when she reveals the truth, but she seduces him. Danni begins a relationship with Michael; they also sleep together without contraception on one occasion. Cheryl becomes annoyed with Danni over their relationship, but she continues seeing him in secret regardless of her mother's opinion. In turn Danni makes it clear that she disapproves of Cheryl's relationship with Lou Carpenter, refusing to be happy for her mother's newfound happiness. She and Michael separate and she begins seeing Malcolm for one year. Danni believes she is in love with Mal; they later move in together to prove they are serious about each other. Their relationship crumbles after one year; upon their break-up, she dates Kingston White (Simon Wilton). She later dates Ben Dalziel (Stephen Pease), Steve George ( Alex Dimitriades) and Luke Handley (
Bernard Curry Bernard Curry (born 27 March 1974) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Jake Stewart in '' Wentworth'', Luke Handley in ''Neighbours'' and Hugo Austin in ''Home and Away''. Early life Alongside his actor brothers Stephen and And ...
). Danni is devastated when Cheryl is hit by a car and dies. She emotionally blackmails Luke into starting a new life with her; this along with Darren's wild behaviour against Mal, Lou and Karl makes Brett decide to leave. She later leaves after being offered a job overseas, leaving at the same time as Brett. Nine years later, Danni appears in
Annalise Hartman Annalise Hartman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Kimberley Davies. She made her debut during the episode broadcast on 15 January 1993 and departed on 31 January 1996. Davies reprised the role in J ...
's ( Kimberley Davies) documentary about Ramsay Street.


Reception

A writer for the
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
said Danni's most notable moment was "Being caught with Michael Martin in Lou and Cheryl's bed." Editor of
MSN TV MSN TV (formerly WebTV) was a web access product consisting of a thin client device that used a television for display (instead of using a computer monitor), and the online service that supported it. The original WebTV device design and servic ...
, Lorna Cooper, described the character's storylines as typical, stating: "Danni experienced the typical growing pains of a Ramsay Street female teen (school and boys)." Anthony Cowdy of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' called Danni "the nubile enfant terrible of BBC1's ''Neighbours''". Following Danni's expulsion from school, he said "In your adamant refusal to renege on your contracts to protect school bullies and other unsavoury youngsters, you had a quiet dignity that was truly attractive." Rochelle Tubb of ''The Sun-Herald'' dubbed the character "havoc-creating". A reporter from ''
Inside Soap ''Inside Soap'' is a weekly soap opera and television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom. The magazine is currently released every Tuesday. It covers storylines featured in British and Australian soap operas that are broadcast in t ...
'' criticised the character, stating "When it comes to heeding advice from others, Danni prefers to bury her head in her ego." Noting Danni's sudden fashion career, Letitia Rowlands from ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' commented "Consume in moderation as a ''Neighbours'' overdose can lead to serious self-delusion as you, too, think you can become an award-winning fashion designer in less than a week, just like Danni Stark (Eliza Szonert)." In 2014, writers for ''
All About Soap ''All About Soap'' was a fortnightly UK magazine founded in October 1999. It was released on Tuesdays. Storylines of the shows it covered were from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia, including ''EastEnders'', ''Coronat ...
'' called for Danni's return to the show for the 30th anniversary. They said "The former wild child would definitely up the glamour stakes if she attended the big bash, and can you imagine how exciting it would be if her first love, Mal Kennedy, was there too? Sparks would be bound to fly!" They also branded Danni "our ultimate style crush".


References


External links


Danni Stark
at
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

Danni Stark
on
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Danni Neighbours characters Television characters introduced in 1993 Fictional waiting staff in soap operas Fictional bartenders in soap operas Australian female characters in soap operas Fictional characters with diabetes