White Lotus' Morgana 'I REALLY WAS A TEARAWAY'

The Kiwi legend opens up about a rich resumé that includes playing footsies!

- As told to Elisabeth Easther

My full name is Morgana Le Fay Naomi Jane O'Reilly, although my legal name is Morgan, which my parents found in the phone book.

When my parents told my great-aunt what I was being called, she asked if it was for Morgana le Fey from the King Arthur stories, so they added le Fey, which means fairy or faith. Naomi is for my grandmother on mum’s side, Jane is from mum’s name and O'Reilly is dad’s last name.

I was quite a tomboy in primary school. I had short hair and because I was called Morgan, people often thought I was a boy. When I was about 10, I was at a brunch to celebrate women’s suffrage and I met Helen Clark, who leaned down and said, ‘You must be the only bloke allowed in here.’ So when I started intermediate school, I asked Mum to enrol me as Morgana, which she did. No questions asked.

I'm often asked why I chose to do Neighbours, but actors don’t choose their roles. We audition for everything we're offered and mostly we don’t get the job. So I just auditioned, then when push came to shove and I was offered the role, it was initially for three years and I wasn’t sure I wanted it. So my agent, bless her, had to go back and say, ‘Morgana doesn't want to do three years,’ and they said, ‘How about 18 months?’ I then said I wanted to take my show to the Edinburgh Fringe during my contract, and they said, ‘Okay, we'll give her two months off.’ Then I found out what I'd earn each week and I was in!

Never in my life have I felt more famous than when I was in Edinburgh with my show and onscreen in