SHORTY SWEETHEART ABIGAIL - 'I'LL BE THE BOSS ONE DAY!'

The soap's littlest star wants to be Ferndale's big cheese in the future

- Cloe Willetts

Abigail Wilson was just a toddler when she stood beside a bed on the set of Shortland Street, where her on-screen dad Ali lay lifeless. As soon as the crew yelled “Action!”, the tot clicked into character and appeared sombre, before they called “Cut!” and she began jumping on the bed with actor Tane Williams-Accra.

At that moment, watching in awe, Auckland finance broker Stefanie Wilson knew her daughter was a born performer.

“Abigail is naturally dramatic and very passionate about whatever she does,” says Stefanie, 39, whose little girl was a month old when she scored the role of Lulu, the daughter of late character Lucy, played by actress Grace Palmer. “She loves anything that gets her on stage or in front of the camera.”

First appearing on our screens in Shorty’s 25th-anniversary episode – which saw Lucy give birth in the back of a car during a volcanic eruption – Lulu is now an orphan and has been fostered by her on-screen stepmom Dawn, played by actress Rebekah Randell.

“Rebekah’s really nice and she snuck an entire packet of sweets for me,” enthuses Abigail, six, who is also fond of castmates Carlos Muller, who plays Logan, and Tatum Warren-Ngata, aka Stella. “We like to dance around and sing. I enjoy being on Shortland Street and I never want to leave.”