Maxine Conway (formerly Max) is a recurring character from Wentworth, portrayed by actor Socratis Otto. Maxine is notable for being Bea Smith's (Danielle Cormack) bodyguard and also for being transgender 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.[1]
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 transgender person 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."[2]
Characterisation
Otto said in an interview with What's on TV that Maxine was "a totally innocent bird".[3]
Otto claimed in an interview that Maxine was a "loyal disciple" to top dog Bea.[4]
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."[5]
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."[6]
In an interview with Gay Times, 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."[7]
When interviewed by Herald Sun, 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."[8]
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.[9]
Cancer
In the episode "Screw Lover", Maxine is diagnosed with cancer.[1] Otto said in an interview, "It is an estrogen 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."[8] 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.[10]
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 comments.[11]
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.[12]
In "The Fixer", due to Maxine giving Jess urine for Doreen to use to beat a pregnancy test, Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) cuts the hormone medications to Maxine as punishment. Maxine infiltrates Franky Doyle's (Nicole da Silva) gang.[13]
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.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16] 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 for breakfast when she was helping delivering the pizzas that Bea had got the other prisoners.[17]
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.[18]
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.[19]
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.[20]
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 character.[21]
A reporter for the Metro noted that Maxine was one of the show's most liked characters.[4]
The Daily Telegraph said that Otto was "unrecognisable in his new role playing transgender prisoner Maxine Conway".[22]
Maxine has been noted as "a transgender character, overcame massive boundaries to become one of the strongest and most likable characters." by Metro.[23]
A writer on AfterEllen, compared Maxine to Sophia Burset, the transgender character on Orange Is The New Black played by Laverne Cox. 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."[24]
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.[7]
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 suspects as "Transgendered Maxine Conway certainly raises some eyebrows and suspicion".[25]
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."[26]
Related Research Articles
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera, which broadcast on Network Ten from February 27 (Melbourne) February 26 (Sydney) 1979 to December 1986 (Melbourne), though the series finale would not screen until September 1987 in Sydney, where it aired as a three-hour film that was split into three one-hour episodes at the much-later time-slot of 10:30 p.m., running eight seasons and 692 episodes.
Wentworth is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013, and it concluded on Fox Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed Wentworth from Reg Watson's original concept. The series is set in the modern day and initially focuses on Bea Smith's early days in prison and her subsequent rise to the top of the prison's hierarchy. From the fifth season onward, the series shifted to emphasize more of an ensemble format.
Bea Smith is a fictional character from the Australian television drama Wentworth, portrayed by Danielle Cormack. She was introduced in the first episode of the series "No Place Like Home", broadcast in May 2013. Bea is notable for her storylines of being abused by her husband Harry, avenging the death of her daughter by murdering Brayden Holt and being the top dog in Wentworth Prison. Bea has had rivalries with Franky Doyle, Jacs Holt, Kaz Proctor and Joan Ferguson. Bea was the central character in Wentworth until her exit at the end of Season 4.
Francesca Rose Doyle is a main character, former protagonist and a former prisoner of Wentworth Correctional Centre. She served mainly as the primary antagonist for season 2, before becoming a protagonist for season 3. In season 4, Franky was released from Wentworth after she fought for her innocence, and began her career as a legal aide. She returned for seasons 5 and 6 as the series' main protagonist, until her release and subsequent departure from the series.
Jacqueline Holt is a character in Wentworth and serves as the main antagonist in the first season. Jacs was notable for being the first known top dog in Wentworth and for her rivalries with Franky Doyle and Bea Smith. Jacs was portrayed by Kris McQuade.
Bridget Westfall is a recurring character in Australian television drama Wentworth. Bridget is introduced as the prison's new psychologist to help the inmates. She is portrayed by Libby Tanner. Bridget is notable for her relationship with Franky Doyle, which proved popular with fans of the television series. Other main storylines have involved Bridget's friendship with prison officer/governor Vera Bennett, Bridget's support and assistance to other prisoners, and helping to reveal Ferguson's true colors.
Jessica Warner is a fictional character from the Australian television series Wentworth, portrayed by Georgia Chara. She made her first appearance during the season episode "The Danger Within," broadcast on 10 June 2014. Jess was murdered in the final episode of the third season.
William Jackson is a character in Wentworth Prison. Will is portrayed by Robbie Magasiva. Will is notable for his friendships with Matthew Fletcher and Bea Smith. Will has also been involved in a one-sided rivalry with Joan Ferguson.
Joan Ferguson is a fictional character in the Australian television series Wentworth, who serves as the main antagonist from season two to season five. Joan is portrayed by actress Pamela Rabe. Her storylines centre on rivalries with Will Jackson, Bea Smith and most staff and inmates. She is introduced in Season 2 as the new Governor of Wentworth Prison following Erica Davidson being fired but becomes a prisoner in Season 4 and remained until the end of the fifth season. The character was presumed dead between the sixth and seventh season, when she was revealed to be alive in the latter. She returned in the eight and final season.
"No Place Like Home" is the first episode of the Australian TV series Wentworth. This episode introduces the major characters and focuses on protagonist Bea Smith being introduced to and trying to fit into prison life, while flashbacks reveal her domestic abuse at the hands of her husband and the circumstances that result in her coming to Wentworth.
Karen "Kaz" Proctor is a main character in the television series Wentworth. Kaz is introduced as one of Bea's supporters and is in a vigilante group called The Red Right Hand. Kaz is portrayed by Tammy MacIntosh. Kaz's main storylines have centred on her idolizing of Bea Smith and being a vigilante against men who abuse women.
"Fear Her" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the Australian television drama Wentworth, and the twenty-second episode overall. The plot of the episode sees Bea Smith take her revenge against Brayden Holt after escaping from the hospital during the previous episode. Other storylines focus on Franky Doyle's downfall as top dog, Doreen Anderson telling Nash Taylor about their baby, and Liz Birdsworth being re-arrested after being found in possession of a murder weapon.
"First Blood" is the thirty-fifth episode of the Australian drama series Wentworth. It is also the first episode of the show's fourth season, and was broadcast on 10 May 2016. The episode's story begins four months after the events of the previous episode, "Blood and Fire". "First Blood" saw the introduction of Kate Jenkinson's character Allie Novak, former prison Governor Joan returning as an inmate and the beginning of a rivalry between central character Bea Smith and Kaz Proctor. The episode also includes scenes set outside the prison, which follow Franky Doyle, a former inmate who is released on parole. It was the first episode of the show to be filmed at a new rebuilt set. It has received generally positive reviews from television critics. Reviews regarding scenes in which Joan is incarcerated in a glass-walled cell were less favourable.
Allie Novak is a fictional character from the Australian drama series Wentworth, played by Kate Jenkinson. She made her first appearance during the fourth season episode titled, "First Blood", broadcast on 10 May 2016. The character was introduced as a new prison inmate and friend of Kaz Proctor, participating in their vigilante group, which has a vested interest in protecting women. One story writers developed for Allie was a romance with then-central character Bea Smith, a pairing that television critic Elaine Atwell has praised.
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.
The fifth season of the television drama series Wentworth premiered on Showcase in Australia on 4 April 2017, having previously aired on SoHo, and concluded on 20 June 2017. It was executive produced by FremantleMedia's Director of Drama, Jo Porter. The season comprised 12 episodes. The fifth season picks up just days after the death of Bea Smith and is therefore noted as the first season not to feature Danielle Cormack.
Butterfly is a three-part British television drama series that premiered on 14 October 2018. Made for ITV by Red Production Company, the series focuses on the family of 11-year-old Maxine, who begins to realise that she is a transgender girl. Anna Friel and Emmett J. Scanlan play her parents, Vicky and Stephen, who reluctantly begin to accept Maxine's need to transition. The programme was also broadcast in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, and made available on the American subscription service Hulu.
The seventh season of television drama series Wentworth premiered on Fox Showcase in Australia on 28 May 2019. It is executive produced by FremantleMedia's director of drama, Jo Porter. The seventh season picks up a few months after the events of last season's finale, the presumed closure of the case of Joan Ferguson and the subsequent arrest of former acting Governor, Derek Channing.
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