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Hotel Babylon
Starts Thursday 19 January at 9.00pm on BBC ONE
Natalie Mendoza
plays Jackie Clunes, Head of Housekeeping
Natalie Mendoza has firmly established herself as a versatile performer, as well as already clocking up an impressive list of acting credits in film, television and theatre, including roles in Moulin Rouge, Code 46, The Great Raid and, most recently, the cult horror film The Descent.
Mendoza is also an accomplished singer, dancer and writer. Born in Hong Kong, Natalie moved to Australia at a young age and began performing and traveling with her siblings, her jazz musician father and actress/dancer mother.
"I've been singing with my sister since forever, but it would have been difficult to ignore a career in music and the arts with both my father and mother being in the business," she explains.
She landed her first professional role at 15 in the hit musical Cats, which toured Australia and Asia. She followed this with parts in Miss Saigon, alongside her sister Rebecca, and Les Miserables.
She and Rebecca soon joined forces and began performing as Jackson Mendoza, recording two singles. She has also performed in concert with former spice girl Mel C.
Natalie is currently starring in The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee, a new play for the Melbourne Theatre Company, but is looking forward to returning to the UK in the spring.
"It was lovely to be back in Australia for Christmas but I am equally excited about getting back to London in February and seeing my friends," she says.
"It was such a luxury to be able to stay in one place for practically the entire shoot of a job and just have to walk across the yard to get to the set."
Natalie found she had a lot in common with her character Jackie in terms of personality.
"I'm not a single mum and I didn't follow my backpacker boyfriend back to the UK, but I do share a passion and determination with my character to get what I want.
"Like me, Jackie goes after what she wants," she admits, "and is fiercely protective of everything she holds dear, including her own domain within the hotel."
When that is threatened by a guest and then in turn by Rebecca in one episode, Jackie quickly jumps to defend the underdog and displays some of that passion that another closer member of the staff gets to know first hand…
"She always feels a need to protect the victim and that probably stems from her own feelings of being abandoned while pregnant by her boyfriend when she first came to the UK," explains Natalie.
"You get the sense that Jackie is an intelligent, strong woman who has only taken this job because she can keep regular hours and look after her son, yet she is loyal and committed to it, like she is to everything in life… I think we have only seen the tip of the iceberg with her," she adds knowingly.
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