Lori Lee
| Lori Lee | |||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Michelle Ang | ||||
| Duration | 2002–03, 2004 | ||||
| First appearance | 20 November 2002 | ||||
| Last appearance | 20 November 2004 | ||||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh (2002) Ric Pellizzeri (2004) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Nanny Student |
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| Home | Lorne | ||||
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| Husband | Cameron (2012–) |
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| Daughters | Madeleine Lee |
Lori Lee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Michelle Ang. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 November 2002. Ang departed in 2003, but returned the following year to reprise her role. She made her last screen appearance as Lori on 20 November 2004.
Neighbours' casting director, Jan Russ, was looking at New Zealand actors, when Ang went for an audition. Ang received a callback a few months later. She was nineteen when she joined the cast of Neighbours as Lori and she had to move to Melbourne for filming. Ang became one of the first Asian actors to receive a prominent role in the show.
Ang quit Neighbours in 2003 to go back to New Zealand to complete a commerce and science university degree. In April 2004, she returned to reprise her role as Lori. Of her return she said, "It felt a bit strange at first, but it is really like stepping into a pair of old shoes. [..] I quickly settled back in and it's easier when you're working with your old castmates because they help you out as well."
Lori becomes good friends with Connor O'Neill (Patrick Harvey) and they later have a one-night stand. Harvey believed that it was a "rebound thing" because there was no attraction between them. Connor was missing his girlfriend, Michelle (Kate Keltie), while Lori was heartbroken over Jack Scully (Jay Bunyan). Lori became Connor's "shoulder to cry on" and it felt right for them both at the time, but the next morning they regret it. Harvey called the situation awkward, stating "Connor thinks that Lori might want a relationship, and Lori thinks the same of him, even though that's not the case." Lori later discovered she was pregnant with Connor's child and initially thought about having an abortion, before deciding to keep the baby and leave Erinsborough. Ang revealed "Back then she didn't tell anyone what she was going to do about her pregnancy except for Jack."
A year later, Connor, who has since reunited with Michelle, runs into Lori and is introduced to his daughter, Madeleine (Madison Lu).TV Week's Jackie Brygel explained that Lori's timing could not be worse, as Connor and Michelle are spending a night at Lassiter's Hotel and Connor has been dared to wear some make-up. Of the situation, Harvey told Bygel "Connor is standing there looking like an idiot. Lori says 'Here's your daughter!' He just can't believe it. Everything feels like it's crashing down around him. It's a massive shock." Ang stated that while Lori was planning on introducing Connor to Maddy, she was caught off guard in the lobby and the situation was not ideal for either of them. Ang stated "Lori didn't even know that Connor and Michelle had got back together. I'm not sure she would have brought Maddy into Connor's life if she'd known this." Ang explained that Lori had been keen to make things right and make sure her daughter knows her father. She wanted to give Connor the chance to be a father. The actress added that working with Madison, the baby who portrayed Maddy, was "quite challenging" and that she had learnt a lot.
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