Cassandra Freedman
Encyclopedia
Cassandra "Sass" Freedman (née Noble) is a fictional character
from the Australian Network Ten
soap opera Neighbours
, played by Tottie Goldsmith
. Cassandra is the mother of Donna
, Tegan and Simon, she first appeared on-screen on 10 February 2009. During her time in the show, Cassandra's storylines included a brief relationship with Paul Robinson
, blackmailing Samantha Fitzgerald
, being stalked by her daughter and forced out of Ramsay Street
.
, Goldsmith revealed that she was the Neighbours producers' only choice for the role of Cassandra. Goldsmith said, "they actually offered me the role – it was not an audition situation". She also added that it was "lovely to be asked and that they think I can nail this character". Goldsmith began filming at the end of September and signed for a six week period. It was later announced that Goldsmith had impressed the Neighbours producers so much that her initial guest role was extended by a further six weeks. Following the end of her guest role, Goldsmith said that she "had the time of her life" filming the show and that she never would have guessed she would have loved it so much.
, who makes a sport out of trying to outshine her eldest daughter, Donna. She has been described as a cougar and a vixen and she is a "real piece of work." Goldsmith further elaborated that Cassandra can be manipulative
and selfish, but she has a vulnerable side. Upon her entrance, the Sunday Mercury
said that Cassandra is "not exactly a woman in need" and that she is Donna's "glamorous mother."
. Cassandra manages to con her way into living at the Salvation Army owned No.24 with the excuse that she was a single mother. It was later revealed that she had sent her youngest children to Erinsborough
on the pretext of visiting Donna, but Tegan had been told to report on the residents of Ramsay Street and she informed her mother that Paul Robinson
was a rich man. Cassandra began alienating Donna and ignored her suspicions about her motives for moving into the Street. Cassandra immediately tried flirting with Paul, deliberately trapping her dress in her car door and stripping down to her underwear in front of him. Paul quickly recognised her game, but still allowed himself to be seduced much to Rebecca Napier's disgust. Despite her best efforts to convince Paul to give her a job at the Erinsborough News, Paul turned Cassandra down. She later got herself a trial position at the hospital as a receptionist. When she read Paul's friend and lodger, Samantha Fitzgerald
's records she discovered that Sam had bi-polar disorder. When Cassandra, who saw Sam as a threat, decided to confront a heavily pregnant Sam with the information, Sam accidentally revealed that she had no idea that her ex-husband Daniel Fitzgerald
was not the father of her baby. Realising that she had given Cassandra a reason for blackmail, Sam later agreed to try and convince Donna to give her mum a second chance. After Donna became upset and angry with her mother and her plans, and with Cassandra having Paul and Sam on her side, Donna was forced to move in with her mother. When Cassandra arranged a date with Paul, Simon glued the doors to Paul's house shut to make sure he missed the date. Cassandra was upset at being stood up and when she saw Sam, Cassandra argued with her. The truth about Sam's baby was overheard by Stephanie Scully
, who told Libby
and Dan. This left Cassandra with nothing to blackmail Sam with, but she decided to concentrate her efforts on winning Paul. Paul eventually asked Cassandra out, but she stood him up to get revenge. Cassandra's next plan was to get an invite to Libby and Dan's wedding, by stealing the wedding outfits and offering to make some new ones. At the wedding reception, Elle Robinson, Paul's daughter, locked Cassandra in a storeroom to give her father some alone time with Rebecca. When Cassandra realised that she was losing Paul, she got in touch with Rebecca's ex, Andrew Simpson, and told him that Rebecca missed him. Her plan worked and Rebecca and Andrew got back together, even getting engaged.
Meanwhile, Cassandra's attempts to be a good mother were failing. She encouraged Donna to play Ringo
and Zeke
off against each other and she shortened Tegan's school uniform to attract the boys. Tegan was unhappy with this and was bullied by Kyle Canning. Tegan finally stood up to her mother and told her she hated dressing like her mum.When Tegan went to Bridget Parker
for fashion advice, she ditched her mother's choice of dresses for t-shirts and jeans. Cassandra stormed over to the Parker house and argued with Bridget, she was then thrown out of the house by Miranda
. Cassandra then decided to get revenge on Rebecca and told Tegan to order her an alcoholic drink at Charlie's bar. Rebecca explained that she would leave the drink at the bar and Cass would have to come and get it, but Tegan picked it up and Cassandra quickly announced that she would be calling the police. Unfortunately for her, very few people believed her story and Cassandra found that everyone was beginning to turn against her. Simon and Tegan moved out and left to stay with their grandmother. Cassandra then began receiving threatening notes, which Paul denied sending, and she began to wonder who was stalking her. After receiving a silent phone call, she started to become scared and even made a public apology in Harold's Store hoping to bring an end to the stalking. Cassandra then vowed to be nicer to her neighbours and even encouraged Donna to audition for a part in the school play. However, Cassandra became jealous of Donna and told her to change things for her second audition, which left Donna a laughing stock. Angry at her mother's betrayal, Donna was revealed as Cassandra's stalker, when Elle caught her making another silent call. Cassandra immediately reported Donna to the police when she discovered who had been stalking her.
Before long everyone in the Street had turned against her and the residents set out to get rid of her. She was fired from the hospital for bad timekeeping, barred from Charlie's and Harold's Store and subjected to very loud music played outside her house. After being reported to the Salvation Army for not needing No.24, Cassandra finally decided that she was defeated. Just before she left the Street, she revealed to Donna that Matt was not her real father and that her father was actually a man named Nick. Cassandra then got into her car and knocked down everyone's bins before leaving for good.
. TV Soap magazine named Cassandra one of Neighbours "greatest bitches". They said she was "The meanest mum and toughest tart ever in Ramsay Street" and nicknamed her "Cyclone Cass." The Daily Record
hoped that Cassandra would be run out of town as way of justice for her bad deeds. They added "We know you need villains to spice the drama up a bit – but she's something else. Cass is manipulative, spiteful and downright nasty. In fact, she gives women a bad name." The Sunday Mercury said Cassandra is "one of the most annoying characters Ramsay Street has ever seen", while the Western Mail said she is the "mother from hell."
Tium Elliott of The Sydney Morning Herald
was positive towards the character. He said that most viewers were trying to avoid suburban reality and wanted melodrama, which "resident bitch" Cassandra provided. He added "When not washing her car in spray-on jeans, Cassandra is delivering bottles of chilled champagne to distressed neighbour Paul. Everyone hates Cassandra, perhaps because she is a single mother (boo!) but also because she is a single mother who is having fun (double boo!). All the other characters - footy jock Ringo, Donna and responsible Rebecca - are way too real and suburban for me." Gordon Farrer of The Age
called Cassandra a "yummy mummy."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Tottie Goldsmith
Tottie Goldsmith
Tottie Goldsmith is an Australian actress and singer.-Biography:Goldsmith is the daughter of Melbourne restaurateur and nightclub owner Brian Goldsmith and British-born actress Rona Newton-John. Her great grandfather was German physicist and Nobel Prize winner Max Born...
. Cassandra is the mother of Donna
Donna Freedman
Donna Jane Brown is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Margot Robbie. She made her first on-screen appearance on 2 June 2008. Donna was initially a guest character, but Robbie was promoted to regular cast member shortly after she made her debut...
, Tegan and Simon, she first appeared on-screen on 10 February 2009. During her time in the show, Cassandra's storylines included a brief relationship with Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (Neighbours)
Paul Stewart Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, a long-running serial drama about social life in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. He is played by Stefan Dennis. Paul debuted in the serial's first episode in 1985 and appeared on a...
, blackmailing Samantha Fitzgerald
Samantha Fitzgerald
Samantha "Sam" Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Buchanan. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 March 2008 and departed the show on 25 June 2008. She returned briefly on 24 November 2008. Sam's main storylines have...
, being stalked by her daughter and forced out of Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre around the residents of the Street, which was named after the...
.
Casting
During an interview with the Herald SunHerald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
, Goldsmith revealed that she was the Neighbours producers' only choice for the role of Cassandra. Goldsmith said, "they actually offered me the role – it was not an audition situation". She also added that it was "lovely to be asked and that they think I can nail this character". Goldsmith began filming at the end of September and signed for a six week period. It was later announced that Goldsmith had impressed the Neighbours producers so much that her initial guest role was extended by a further six weeks. Following the end of her guest role, Goldsmith said that she "had the time of her life" filming the show and that she never would have guessed she would have loved it so much.
Character development
Cassandra is described as being a seductive and troublesome femme fataleFemme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, who makes a sport out of trying to outshine her eldest daughter, Donna. She has been described as a cougar and a vixen and she is a "real piece of work." Goldsmith further elaborated that Cassandra can be manipulative
Psychological manipulation
Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
and selfish, but she has a vulnerable side. Upon her entrance, the Sunday Mercury
Sunday Mercury
Sunday Mercury is a Sunday tabloid published in Birmingham, UK, and owned by Trinity Mirror.The first editor was John Turner Fearon , who left the Dublin-based Freeman's Journal to take up the position...
said that Cassandra is "not exactly a woman in need" and that she is Donna's "glamorous mother."
Storylines
Cassandra was in the middle of a divorce with Matt Freedman, when she decided to move to Ramsay StreetRamsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre around the residents of the Street, which was named after the...
. Cassandra manages to con her way into living at the Salvation Army owned No.24 with the excuse that she was a single mother. It was later revealed that she had sent her youngest children to Erinsborough
Erinsborough
Erinsborough is the fictional suburb in which the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb...
on the pretext of visiting Donna, but Tegan had been told to report on the residents of Ramsay Street and she informed her mother that Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (Neighbours)
Paul Stewart Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, a long-running serial drama about social life in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. He is played by Stefan Dennis. Paul debuted in the serial's first episode in 1985 and appeared on a...
was a rich man. Cassandra began alienating Donna and ignored her suspicions about her motives for moving into the Street. Cassandra immediately tried flirting with Paul, deliberately trapping her dress in her car door and stripping down to her underwear in front of him. Paul quickly recognised her game, but still allowed himself to be seduced much to Rebecca Napier's disgust. Despite her best efforts to convince Paul to give her a job at the Erinsborough News, Paul turned Cassandra down. She later got herself a trial position at the hospital as a receptionist. When she read Paul's friend and lodger, Samantha Fitzgerald
Samantha Fitzgerald
Samantha "Sam" Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Buchanan. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 March 2008 and departed the show on 25 June 2008. She returned briefly on 24 November 2008. Sam's main storylines have...
's records she discovered that Sam had bi-polar disorder. When Cassandra, who saw Sam as a threat, decided to confront a heavily pregnant Sam with the information, Sam accidentally revealed that she had no idea that her ex-husband Daniel Fitzgerald
Daniel Fitzgerald (Neighbours)
Daniel Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Tucker. He made his first on-screen appearance on 1 September 1999. Dan becomes a teacher at Erinsborough High and shares a house with fellow teacher, Tess. He remained as a recurring...
was not the father of her baby. Realising that she had given Cassandra a reason for blackmail, Sam later agreed to try and convince Donna to give her mum a second chance. After Donna became upset and angry with her mother and her plans, and with Cassandra having Paul and Sam on her side, Donna was forced to move in with her mother. When Cassandra arranged a date with Paul, Simon glued the doors to Paul's house shut to make sure he missed the date. Cassandra was upset at being stood up and when she saw Sam, Cassandra argued with her. The truth about Sam's baby was overheard by Stephanie Scully
Stephanie Scully
Stephanie Jo "Steph" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Carla Bonner. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 October 1999. Stephanie is the eldest daughter of Joe and Lyn Scully and the mother to a son, Charlie...
, who told Libby
Libby Kennedy
Elizabeth Grace "Libby" Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 and departed in 2004, before returning on 12 November 2007. Libby is the only daughter of Karl and Susan Kennedy...
and Dan. This left Cassandra with nothing to blackmail Sam with, but she decided to concentrate her efforts on winning Paul. Paul eventually asked Cassandra out, but she stood him up to get revenge. Cassandra's next plan was to get an invite to Libby and Dan's wedding, by stealing the wedding outfits and offering to make some new ones. At the wedding reception, Elle Robinson, Paul's daughter, locked Cassandra in a storeroom to give her father some alone time with Rebecca. When Cassandra realised that she was losing Paul, she got in touch with Rebecca's ex, Andrew Simpson, and told him that Rebecca missed him. Her plan worked and Rebecca and Andrew got back together, even getting engaged.
Meanwhile, Cassandra's attempts to be a good mother were failing. She encouraged Donna to play Ringo
Ringo Brown
Ringo Brown is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Sam Clark. Clark was given the role after he entered and won a Dolly magazine competition. He made his first on-screen appearance on 24 January 2007...
and Zeke
Zeke Kinski
Ezekiel "Zeke" Kinski is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Matthew Werkmeister. He made his first on-screen appearance on 22 August 2005. Zeke is the son of Alex Kinski and the younger brother of Katya and Rachel...
off against each other and she shortened Tegan's school uniform to attract the boys. Tegan was unhappy with this and was bullied by Kyle Canning. Tegan finally stood up to her mother and told her she hated dressing like her mum.When Tegan went to Bridget Parker
Bridget Parker
Bridget Louise "Didge" Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Eloise Mignon. In 2007 the show was revamped to boost falling ratings in Australia. As part of this, the show's focus returned to family dynamics and the character of Bridget and her family...
for fashion advice, she ditched her mother's choice of dresses for t-shirts and jeans. Cassandra stormed over to the Parker house and argued with Bridget, she was then thrown out of the house by Miranda
Miranda Parker
Miranda Parker is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Nikki Coghill. In 2007, the show's focus returned to focus more on family dynamics and the characters of Miranda and her family were created and introduced to help boost falling ratings in...
. Cassandra then decided to get revenge on Rebecca and told Tegan to order her an alcoholic drink at Charlie's bar. Rebecca explained that she would leave the drink at the bar and Cass would have to come and get it, but Tegan picked it up and Cassandra quickly announced that she would be calling the police. Unfortunately for her, very few people believed her story and Cassandra found that everyone was beginning to turn against her. Simon and Tegan moved out and left to stay with their grandmother. Cassandra then began receiving threatening notes, which Paul denied sending, and she began to wonder who was stalking her. After receiving a silent phone call, she started to become scared and even made a public apology in Harold's Store hoping to bring an end to the stalking. Cassandra then vowed to be nicer to her neighbours and even encouraged Donna to audition for a part in the school play. However, Cassandra became jealous of Donna and told her to change things for her second audition, which left Donna a laughing stock. Angry at her mother's betrayal, Donna was revealed as Cassandra's stalker, when Elle caught her making another silent call. Cassandra immediately reported Donna to the police when she discovered who had been stalking her.
Before long everyone in the Street had turned against her and the residents set out to get rid of her. She was fired from the hospital for bad timekeeping, barred from Charlie's and Harold's Store and subjected to very loud music played outside her house. After being reported to the Salvation Army for not needing No.24, Cassandra finally decided that she was defeated. Just before she left the Street, she revealed to Donna that Matt was not her real father and that her father was actually a man named Nick. Cassandra then got into her car and knocked down everyone's bins before leaving for good.
Reception
For her portrayal of Cassandra, Goldsmith was nominated for "Best Bitch" at the 2009 Inside Soap AwardsInside Soap Awards
The Inside Soap Awards is a yearly award ceremony run by Inside Soap magazine since 1996. The awards celebrate the British and Australian soap operas and their actors. Until 2007, EastEnders had won the award for "Best Soap" on every occasion...
. TV Soap magazine named Cassandra one of Neighbours "greatest bitches". They said she was "The meanest mum and toughest tart ever in Ramsay Street" and nicknamed her "Cyclone Cass." The Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
hoped that Cassandra would be run out of town as way of justice for her bad deeds. They added "We know you need villains to spice the drama up a bit – but she's something else. Cass is manipulative, spiteful and downright nasty. In fact, she gives women a bad name." The Sunday Mercury said Cassandra is "one of the most annoying characters Ramsay Street has ever seen", while the Western Mail said she is the "mother from hell."
Tium Elliott of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
was positive towards the character. He said that most viewers were trying to avoid suburban reality and wanted melodrama, which "resident bitch" Cassandra provided. He added "When not washing her car in spray-on jeans, Cassandra is delivering bottles of chilled champagne to distressed neighbour Paul. Everyone hates Cassandra, perhaps because she is a single mother (boo!) but also because she is a single mother who is having fun (double boo!). All the other characters - footy jock Ringo, Donna and responsible Rebecca - are way too real and suburban for me." Gordon Farrer of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
called Cassandra a "yummy mummy."