Cassie Turner - Character Creation and Casting

Character Creation and Casting

Sharni Vinson appeared in Home and Away in 2001 and 2003, as guest characters named Tonya and Summer respectively. In 2004, Vinson's agent submitted her to audition for the role of Martha MacKenzie. Vinson received a re-call for the role and was also handed scripts for another character, Cassie Turner. However, fellow actress Jodi Gordon went on to secure the role of Martha. Vinson said she wanted to play Martha because she was characterised as a tomboy, a trait which Vinson attributes to herself. Soon after, Vinson signed up to play Cassie. Vinson was twenty one at the time, while Cassie was portrayed as a fifteen year old student. Vinson later described the experience as "such a stretch" because she "well out of school and then I was back into a school uniform, with the pigtails, no makeup, playing this real young character." In her first few months on-screen, producers decided to cast Todd Lasance as Aden Jefferies. Aden was introduced as a new boyfriend for Cassie and was planned to heavily feature in her early storylines.

In 2006, rival channel Network Ten tried to tempt Vinson into joining pop group Girlband, however she decided to stay in Home and Away. In July 2007, media outlets reported that Vinson wanted to quit the serial in order to pursue other projects in Los Angeles. In November that year it was confirmed that Vinson had quit Home and Away so she could move to Los Angeles to be with her boyfriend. However, the serial refused to comment on her departure because Cassie would still be seen on-screen into 2008. Vinson said she was happy that she got to play Cassie, because she enjoyed the work and portraying her storylines. By the time Vinson left, Cassie had appeared in a total of one hundred and three episodes.