11-07-2025
‘Even after all these years': Siobhan Marshall on forever being called Pascalle West
As we wrap up Outrageous Week, actor Siobhan Marshall takes us through her life in television.
It's been 20 years since Outrageous Fortune first stormed onto New Zealand television screens, but Siobhan Marshall still meets a 'terrifying' number of people who think she's Pascalle West. Whether they're from overseas viewers who have only recently discovered the iconic New Zealand series, or locals who have loved it for decades, Marshall still gets messages about Pascalle almost every day. 'It's such a funny one, because it just hasn't gone anywhere after all these years,' she says. 'It's so nice to see.'
The role of Pascalle, the wide-eyed amateur model hellbent on being the next Rachel Hunter, was only Marshall's third acting role since drama school, having previously played Chris Warner's nanny in a brief stint on Shortland Street, and a centaur on the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The 21-year-old got a lucky spray tan ahead of her audition, and remembers another auspicious sign that the role was hers. 'When I walked out of the audition, this girl walked in wearing a jacket with 'Siobhan' written in diamantes on the back',' she says.
'I got in my friend's car and said, 'I got that'.'
Marshall had nerves about working alongside experienced actors like Robyn Malcolm and Grant Bowler, but she was fully committed to the role of the West's eldest daughter. Her boyfriend at the time was from West Auckland, and she remembers his advice on how to swear like a Westie ('just let it out: fuck!'). Swears aside, Pascalle was always a joy to play. 'She was the comic relief for ages, but then she got into some more gritty stuff,' she says. 'Seeing what she got up to was always fun. It was like, 'what's in the next script? What happens in this one?''
While Pascalle's legacy remains, Marshall does have one regret: 'I would have loved to have kept the Pascalle necklace, but I didn't.' And as for where she thinks the character would have ended up? 'I reckon she's probably still with Judd somewhere, and she's probably got some kids.' Since Outrageous, Marshall has starred in everything from The Blue Rose to Find Me a Māori Bride, and dipped her toes into reality series Celebrity Treasure Island. As we continue to celebrate all things Outrageous Week, we asked her to take us through her life in television.
My earliest TV memory is… My sister and I watched a lot of TV growing up. A lot of Play School, and all sorts of cartoons, I loved Friends and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, too. All the greats.
My earliest TV crush was… Martin Henderson from Shortland Street. I auditioned for Shortland Street when I was about 11, and I went out to do the audition and saw him in the flesh. It was very exciting. It was a real moment for me. I didn't get cast, but it was my first audition ever. I don't even know how I got that audition – I didn't have an agent.
The TV ad I can't stop thinking about is… That Cadbury ad with the gorilla. That's still one of the best ones. So good, so simple, and it's chocolate.
My first time on screen was… Shortland Street, straight after drama school. I played Chris Warner's child's nanny turned love interest. The role was a bit racy for Shortland Street and there were bed scenes with Chris Warner. I remember people were like 'oh, you played that slut on Shorty Street'. That's how it started, and then it continued [on Outrageous].
My TV guilty pleasure is… My current obsession is Peaky Blinders, and before that I rewatched Taboo with Tom Hardy. I also just finished Weak Hero on Netflix, which is a Korean series. It's about a bunch of teenage boys who basically fight all the time. It doesn't sound good, but you can't stop watching it. Even though it's a bit silly, I like it.
The on-screen moment that haunts me to this day is… The Blair Witch Project. I watched it at the movies with my friend, and she was sitting on my right side. Something happened on screen and I got scared. I went to hug her, but I went the wrong way, and I hugged this random guy.
My favourite TV character of all time is… Can't go past Chandler Bing and all the Friends characters.
My favourite TV project is… Outrageous Fortune. I got to do so many different things, and work with such great actors. I didn't know at the time, because I was so fresh, but they really just let us go as actors. You just made up whatever you wanted to do and they filmed it, whereas normally, it's very 'stand here, do this, stand there'. Quite often you'd do the scene and then you'd just keep going until they called cut.
The TV show I wish I was involved with is… It changes depending on what I'm watching, but I'd love to go way back in time in some sort of period piece. Watching shows set in the 1800s and 1900s and seeing how they lived just fascinates me.
My controversial TV opinion is… I didn't get through Adolescence. It was great, I enjoyed it, and then I just didn't want to watch anymore. I also didn't like Breaking Bad. I had to watch it because I was doing this course in New York, and part of it was I had to watch Breaking Bad. I don't know if I watched the last season, because I think I had enough.
The last thing I watched on television was… After the Party. I feel so bad that it's taken me this long. I've been meaning to watch it. I wanted to see Robbie [Marshall's Outrageous co-star Robyn Malcolm], and it's amazing. They did such a good job.
