Character Development
Of Gina, the serial's official website said "Gina is a loving mother, and she knows she has made terrible mistakes with her eldest and youngest boys. But she did her very best She's been worn down by the way her life unfolded, but blames no one and tries not to indulge in self-pity. It is what it is, and she just has to get by." Soap opera reporting website Holy Soap describe Gina as a "down-to-earth, warm woman who has spent her whole life looking after her family at the expense of her own needs and desires." Todd states the thing she likes most about Gina is the fact that she has three children that are all boys. In a 2011 interview, Todd explained that Gina had had a tough life and she was a bit downtrodden, but she had now grown nicely since her arrival.
While interviewed by TV Week, Todd said Gina is "a mum struggling to bring up three boys whom she loves very much." Her son Brendan (Kain O'Keeffe, suffers from learning difficulties. Todd said Brendan's disability is a "double-edge sword" because it puts a lot of "stress and pressure" on Gina, however, because of this the Austin's share a "close and lovely" bond. Todd revealed that Gina's husband Jeremy walked out on the family, which left Gina in a "fight or fight" situation which she manages to stay throughout.
In one storyline Gina's eldest son, Hugo (Bernard Curry) is put into witness protection. When he breaks his cover, Gina, Xavier (David Jones-Roberts) and Martha MacKenzie (Jodi Gordon) are kidnapped by Killer (Mirko Grillini) and entrapped in a water vat. Luke Jacobz who plays Angelo Rosetta told TV Week the reason Hugo was put into protection was to keep Gina "out of the way of his many enemies". Network Seven used the storyline to keep viewers guessing who would die, by confirming there would be a death and refusing to reveal their identity. However, Gina survives.
Gina and her husband, John (Shane Withington), began fostering Jett James (Will McDonald) in 2012. Todd noted that Jett came into Gina and John's lives at the right time, calling him "a much-needed light when their relationship was on the rocks." The actress thought that Gina and John had found common ground in their need to care for Jett and their marriage became more stable.
In April 2013, Todd departed Home and Away. She told TV Week's Carolyn Stewart that after four years on the show, she felt it was time to move on and pursue other acting challenges. Gina's final storyline saw her fall unconscious at the wheel of her car, during a family trip. Todd explained "Gina's eyesight starts to blur and she questions what she's seeing in front of her. It's a scary moment for John and Jett. They don't know what is happening and Gina also doesn't know what is happening to her own body. It all happens so quickly. One moment she is driving and the next she passes out and collapses in the car." Digital Spy's Sophie Dainty said the moment would be "a devastating blow to the family", who had just learned that Jett's adoption had been approved. Todd hoped John would find happiness after Gina's death.
Read more about this topic: Gina Austin
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