Maxine Conway (formerly Max) is a recurring character from ''
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to:
People
* Wentworth (surname)
* Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder
* S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator
* Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
'', portrayed by actor
Socratis Otto
Socratis Otto is an Australian film, theatre and television actor. He is best known for his roles in television series '' Young Lions'' as Justin Carmody, '' Home and Away'' as Robert Robertson, and ''Wentworth'' as Maxine Conway.
Early life
...
. Maxine is notable for being
Bea Smith's (
Danielle Cormack
Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera '' Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in th ...
) bodyguard and also for being
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
within the series. She was dating Gary until she stabbed him.
During the fourth episode of the fourth season, Maxine is diagnosed with
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
.
Episode 2 of Season 5 saw Maxine's departure to a facility that is specially equipped to treat her cancer.
Background
The backstory given by ''Wentworth's'' website states "Maxine is a male-to-female transsexual who, despite having undergone gender reassignment surgery and wearing a wig and make-up, looks unambiguously male. Devastated after being rejected by her boyfriend following her surgery, Maxine responded by stabbing him resulting in her doing time in Wentworth."
Characterisation
Otto said in an interview with ''
What's on TV
''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC.
Overview
''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and compe ...
'' that Maxine was "a totally innocent bird".
Otto claimed in an interview that Maxine was a "loyal disciple" to top dog Bea.
Speaking to the interviewer for Female First, Otto stated, "For me Daniel it was trying to not necessarily educate but just to present a character, a transgender that would make audiences question their own approach and their own stereotypes about transsexuals."
Otto has been able to compare Maxine to Boomer he said, "Booms has no filter. Although the huge similarity she shares with Maxine is that they've both grown up feeling and being told they don't belong, mocked, outsiders. They're both essentially abandoned children simply pining for love."
In an interview with ''
Gay Times
''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''Gay Times Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand established in 1975. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company now includes content for the LGBTQ+ commu ...
'', Otto said, "When I signed up I had an inkling because I knew it was reliant on intense characters and drama. By season three, once Maxine gets completely accepted, she aligns herself with Bea and we see a whole new side of her personality. She becomes sassy, confident and strong, and later you see a lot of the comedy coming out between Maxine and Boomer. I think Maxine recognised herself in Boomer; the little lost person who just wants to be loved and is not part of the norm."
When interviewed by ''
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'', Otto said, "The beautiful irony is that Maxine is much more of a woman than many of the female characters on Wentworth because of what she represents in terms of what we perceive a woman to be. She is a nurturer, she is sensitive, a mother, loyal, independent, virtuous, she is a survivor."
Look and Design
Otto stated in an interview that he disliked the nails he had for the role. Asked how the show's creators gave him a woman's body, Otto said, "It's crazy from the neck down. I have special trans-gender underwear, which accentuates the physique so I've got butt implants and hips, not to mention my chicken fillets. Everyone at work is very jealous because I've had different looks throughout the season. But the make-up does take longer than the others." Otto said that he had negative preconceptions about the trans community until he did research for the role.
Cancer
In the episode "Screw Lover", Maxine is diagnosed with cancer.
Otto said in an interview, "It is an
estrogen
Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...
sensitive cancer that any woman can get and men can get breast cancer as well and there is not enough information out there. For me, the story is about who am I in the face of a life or death situation and what do my family and friends reveal to me and we are much more than our gender at the end of the day."
Otto thought it was an "incredibly brave" subject matter, and "it was very beautiful and emotional". He said that the writers had given Maxine the biggest confrontation to deal with in that season.
Storylines
Maxine is one of the new prisoners transferred to Wentworth. She is seen with Jess Warner and a woman who was planning on killing Bea. In the showers, Maxine saves Bea by punching the woman carrying out a hit ordered by the Holts. On her entry to the prison, Maxine was crowded by
transphobic
Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...
comments.
In "Metamorphosis", Maxine makes an escape attempt but does not get past the gates because she is apprehended by Will Jackson and Vera Bennett. Maxine no longer has her wig after this episode because Vera refuses to give it back to her.
In "The Fixer", due to Maxine giving Jess urine for Doreen to use to beat a pregnancy test,
Ferguson (
Pamela Rabe
Pamela may refer to:
*''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740
*Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname
*Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela"
* MSC ''Pamela'', ...
) cuts the hormone medications to Maxine as punishment. Maxine infiltrates
Franky Doyle's (
Nicole da Silva
Nicole da Silva (born 18 September 1981) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles as Stella Dagostino in the series '' Rush'' (2008–2011), and as Franky Doyle in the show ''Wentworth'' (2013–2018, 2019). She has made appearance ...
) gang.
In "Into The Night", Maxine helps Bea get a knife but it is then discovered by Franky. Maxine watches the fight between Franky and Bea.
In "Fear Her", Maxine is briefly seen being quizzed by Ferguson about Bea's whereabouts due to an escape. Other brief scenes are when she discusses Bea's escape with Jess, watching the news of Bea's capture and Brayden's death with other prisoners and is also seen when Franky tells the prison that Bea is top dog.
In "The Governor's Pleasure", Maxine follows Bea's orders to create a riot and make a fire in the yard. Maxine leads the prisoners against the officers until Bea arrives. Throughout the third season, Maxine helps Bea loyally in the fight against Ferguson.
In Failing Upwards, Maxine holds Boomer's hands down when Bea burns her. Maxine also makes a comment that she has never had
pizza
Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
for breakfast when she was helping delivering the pizzas that Bea had got the other prisoners.
In "Righteous Acts", Maxine is angry when Bea gets knifed, Maxine attacks Jodie Speteri to find out why she did it. Maxine and Bea then learned that Ferguson has been manipulating her.
In "Freak Show", when Bea is questioning giving up her role of top dog, Maxine reminds Bea that she promised to take down Ferguson at whatever cost.
In "Blood and Fire", Maxine watches in shock and fear when Bea and
Franky run into the burning prison to rescue Doreen's baby Josh.
Reception
Otto noted in an interview that he did not think ''Wentworth'' would have gained that much global attention. Otto said that he enjoyed playing a
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
character.
A reporter for the ''
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' noted that Maxine was one of the show's most liked characters.
The
Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
said that Otto was "unrecognisable in his new role playing transgender prisoner Maxine Conway".
Maxine has been noted as "a transgender character, overcame massive boundaries to become one of the strongest and most likable characters." by Metro.
A writer on
AfterEllen
AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...
, compared Maxine to Sophia Burset, the transgender character on
Orange Is The New Black
''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wo ...
played by
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pr ...
. The writer said "The wig thing makes sense, I guess, if she has been off her hormones for a while, but that issue is never addressed. Every single scene with Maxine is about her difference, her otherness. And I’m actually fine with the rest of the characters saying shitty things to her that reduce her to her anatomy–they’re not the most enlightened people ever—but the camera seems to treat her with the same crassness as the inmates."
Gay Times said about Maxine "She’s one of the reasons our eyes are so fixated to the dramatic happenings of season three and we love it." when talking about the character before interviewing Socratis Otto about his time in Wentworth Prison.
During the story where the Holt's had a hit out on Bea for the attack of
Brayden, Metro described Maxine who was one of the
hitmen
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
suspects as "Transgendered Maxine Conway certainly raises some eyebrows and suspicion".
Elaine Atwell stated about Maxine's cancer storyline, "It turns out that the ONE DAY she was forced to act as Top Dog was the day her cancer decided to metastasize. Now it’s in both her breasts and her lymph nodes, and she’s facing a double mastectomy. Which: that is ridiculous and not how disease works, but we’re just going to have to prop up our disbelief on stilts if it won’t suspend itself."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Maxine
Fictional Australian people
Fictional henchmen
Fictional transgender women
Television characters introduced in 2014
Fictional prison escapees
Fictional characters with cancer
Wentworth (TV series) characters
Fictional LGBT characters in television