Spellbinding Trio The Witches Of Westside

The connection they share is simply magic!

- Ashleigh Mcenaney

Don’t be fooled by their angelic smiles and demure dispositions because the women of Westside are hiding a dark secret – they’re all witches!

While they mightn’t have pointy black hats or bubbling cauldrons, Sophie Hambleton, who counts her co-stars Antonia Prebble and Esther Stephens among her coven, tells Woman’s Day you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her besties.

“I don’t believe there are enough women leading the industry, so I’m building my coven of fierce and talented female friends to take over. I’m sorry, middle-aged white man, but your time is up,” smiles the bubbly blonde who plays Carol, the naive but well-meaning wife of a dodgy bank robber, on Three’s Outrageous Fortune spin-off.

“I think we are in a lucky position in New Zealand because we are small enough that we can affect some change – it’s scary what the coven is capable of after a bottle of wine.”

While the determined theatre and TV star has been training in production roles in her downtime, Sophie – whose famous father Peter played the dwarf Gloin in the Hobbit trilogy – says her first love will always be performing. But after more than a decade in the industry, the harsh realities of a career in acting are beginning to dawn on her.