Libby Kennedy
Libby Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the role when she was 15, and upon being cast as Libby, she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. Libby was introduced along with her parents and brothers during a period of low ratings for the show. Valentine departed on 2 October 2003, before returning for six months the following year and a single episode on 27 July 2005. She returned on a permanent basis on 12 November 2007.
Libby's storylines have included being involved in a motorbike accident, the loss of her husband Drew Kirk, giving birth to Ben Kirk, marrying Daniel Fitzgerald and subsequently separating from him. In 2008, Valentine was forced to take sick leave for one month and executive producer, Susan Bower, made the decision to temporarily recast McLeod's Daughters actress Michala Banas in the role for a month. Valentine temporarily left Neighbours in 2010 due to ill health and, after returning to filming briefly, took indefinite leave the following year. Valentine's contract with the series lapsed later in 2011, with Libby having not appeared on-screen since 26 May. Valentine reprised the role for a three-week guest appearance in June 2014, and for the show's then final episode on 28 July 2022.
Creation and casting
In 1994, NeighboursThe role of the Kennedy's daughter went to actress Kym Valentine. She first auditioned for the role of Libby when she was 15 in her home town of Sydney. She recalled: "I'd been in Home and Away, and in a sitcom called My Two Wives, but Neighbours was a much bigger thing. For starters, it is filmed in Melbourne, so getting the part meant that I had to move there. I didn't know anyone at all, so it was pretty terrifying."
Valentine began working on Neighbours when she was 17. She admitted that leaving her family behind in Sydney was the hardest part about joining the show, but she "seized" the role of Libby and was determined to be a success. The Kennedys were described as a believable family, and Valentine thought it down to the actors' close bond off-screen. She said they were "like a surrogate family to me, and still are." Discussing her longevity in 2000, Valentine explained that she stayed with Neighbours as it provided her with work, and she felt she was still learning and being challenged by the role.
Character development
Characterisation
Upon her introduction to Neighbours, Libby was described as an opinionated girl who makes a stand on "any and every issue." She is as a communist and her political views frustrate her father. She initially wants to go into a government job, but she studies journalism at university instead. The teenage Libby was said to be bright, inquisitive and "prim and proper." Her "wise beyond her years" side has followed her into adulthood and Libby is now a "passionate and idealistic" woman. She is hard working, honest, headstong and focused on her career and life goals. Libby has a humorous and quirky side, which Valentine loves acting out. The BBC said "there's no keeping that irrepressible sense of humour down. She loves a good laugh."On Valentine's return to the Neighbours set in January 2011, she decided to cut her long hair off in favour of a short hairstyle. It was also revealed that Libby would return with a new attitude to life. She has spent time at a health retreat, learnt the "art of Zen" and now refuses to judge anyone. Valentine said that Libby wants "to detach from negativity." She added "She looks at her situation – single mum, still living with her parents – and starts to focus on her career at the school."
Departure and return
On 5 June 2003, Valentine filmed her final scenes before taking six months maternity leave from the show. She became the first ever actress to take maternity leave from Neighbours. Valentine stated "I was so clucky a few years ago, and I was sussing it out, just what would happen out of curiosity and how they would deal with it. I couldn't believe it – it's an amazing stroke of luck that for nearly 20 years that the show's been going, and they haven't had any long-term cast member fall pregnant. Trust me to be the first." Valentine also admitted that the producers had difficulty hiding her pregnancy before she left. On-screen, Libby takes a break from Erinsborough.Valentine decided to depart Neighbours in 2004, so she could pursue other acting roles and spend time with her daughter. However, she did make a brief return in 2005 for the show's 20th anniversary episode, "Friends for Twenty Years". In 2007, Neighbours suffered a decline in ratings and plans were made to take storylines "back to basics", so they would be less controversial and focus more on relationships and family dynamics. It was then announced that Valentine would be reprising her role of Libby. Of her comeback Valentine said "I really felt like I was coming home and it was very easy to slip back into the role of Libby, she's like an old friend. Plus she was older and the writers were able to do a lot more with her so it was a great time to return." Valentine initially intended to return to Neighbours for a brief time.
Temporary recast
On 4 July 2008, Valentine collapsed on a flight home from New York and was diagnosed with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Valentine was told that she needed to rest for a month and that she could not return to work on Neighbours. news.com.au initially reported that Libby would be written out of scenes for a week. However, as the character was involved in too many storylines, executive producer Susan Bower realised that she could not be suddenly written out of the show and she took the decision to temporarily recast the role of Libby. Bower called McLeod's Daughters actress Michala Banas and asked her to take over the role.Banas only had four days to research Libby's history on the show and learn the scripts before she began filming. Banas told the Herald Sun "It was crazy, a whirlwind. I spent the first week of filming really stressing about it – am I doing this right, is this what Libby would do, am I making the right choices? I felt this real sense of responsibility to Kym and to the character and to the show. I just wanted to do the best job I could for everyone."
Banas explained that Libby is a strong woman with a lot of energy and she tried to keep the essence of the character in her portrayal. However, she said that the only way she could "tackle" the role was to make Libby her own. She added "I came to the realisation that I can't be the same Libby as Kym is – it's impossible." Banas was reunited with Brett Tucker, her co-star from McLeod's Daughters, for Libby's storylines. Of her character being recast, Valentine said "It is like handing over a child to be looked after by somebody else". She later returned to the set on 15 September 2008. In May 2009, a short video was created which made light of the recast. The clip, featuring Valentine, Fletcher and Woodburne, saw Susan and Karl questioning Libby over why she changed her head.
Marriage to Daniel Fitzgerald and surrogacy
Libby's relationship with Darren Stark comes to an abrupt end after he kisses Janae Timmins, but Libby soon finds romance again with Daniel Fitzgerald. Valentine told TV Week that Libby decides that she has had enough of Darren and their relationship is over for good. Then over the next few months there is a hint of romance for Libby and Dan. Tucker said that there is "an immediate attraction" for Dan when it comes to Libby. Dan hides some secrets from Libby and when she discovers them, there is "an emotional upset." Valentine explained "Libby will begin to feel like she's being constantly let down by men. She can't seem to take a trick. Guys just keep disappointing her." Tucker added that it was never planned for Libby and Dan to have a trouble free relationship, although he previously thought otherwise. When she was asked to choose between Dan and Drew, Valentine chose Dan and she explained "I do honestly think that Dan is more her match. I just think Dan and Libby are very similar like with their careers – they've got a lot more in common, they're both teachers and they're both very articulate and educated. I think maybe Libby and Dan can entertain each other a little bit more, in many different ways, than Libby and Drew could." Libby and Dan's relationship does not run smoothly and Dan's ex-wife Samantha causes problems for them. Sam lies to Dan that she is pregnant with his child and when the lie is exposed, Libby sees Dan is upset that he does not have a child. Valentine told Digital Spy; "when Libby sees how upset Dan is about it all, she desperately wants him to have his own child. So for the next few months, we've got this long-term storyline based around Libby wanting to have a baby with Dan which we all know is incredibly risky because she could die if she has another baby."Libby and Dan later marry. During an interview, Susan Bower said that there is nothing interesting in watching an on-screen marriage that is working and she highlighted her plans for the couple; "It's a very, very slow, long burn and there's some wonderful humour and the fact there's the Brady Bunch a bit. We are making stories about what happens in people's lives and there's the good and the bad." Libby and Dan decide to have a child via surrogacy. Libby's mother, Susan offers to become the surrogate after Libby is unable have any more children. Following a fight with the hospital board, Susan becomes pregnant. However, this causes friction between her and Dan. Following a fall, Susan loses the baby. Alan Fletcher said he was pleased at the way the surrogacy scenes were handled and he added "The notion of a mother being a surrogate for their daughter is something you can't pretend is not controversial. The writers embraced that and showed how Susan's decision divided the community, and has potential to divide the family". The show's timeslot presented difficulties for the storyline and the writers were forced to tone the plot down to comply with guidelines. The surrogacy saga puts pressure on Libby and Dan's marriage and it falls apart. Valentine drew on her own experience of going through a divorce to film the scenes. She revealed that she was "really really proud" of how they portrayed the end of Libby and Dan's marriage and she said that she put her "heart and soul" into the storyline. She added "It was the most intimate storyline I've ever done in my life. I got the chance to really exorcise some demons."