Mackenzie Booth
Mackenzie Booth is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Emily Weir. Weir decided to audition for the role after reading the character brief. She was attending a different audition when her agent informed her that she had won the part of Mac. Weir described the moment as overwhelming and revealed that she had been a big fan of the show since she was young. She began filming in December 2018 and her casting was publicly revealed when she was photographed filming scenes at Palm Beach. Weir made her first appearance as Mac during the episode broadcast on 13 June 2019.
The character is portrayed as an independent, smart, strong and confident woman. Weir stated that Mac comes from a privileged background and is financially independent, which she enjoys playing, as there were not many women in soaps that owned their own businesses. Mac's motivation for coming to Summer Bay was initially a mystery, before she was revealed as the new owner of local restaurant Salt. Weir had experience of working in restaurants, so the role felt familiar to her. It soon emerges that Mac is the half-sister of Dean Thompson and has come to the Bay to meet him. Weir said Mac wants Dean to like her before she tells him who she is. As they get to know one another, writers reintroduced their father Rick Booth, with whom Mac has a strained relationship. Away from her family issues, Mac establishes a romantic relationship with Dean's best friend Colby Thorne. Weir thought the pair had great chemistry. Mac ends the relationship when Colby due to his job as a police constable, leading to a feud with his sister Bella Nixon who blames Mac for breaking her brother's heart. The couple briefly reconcile, until Mac grows tired of Colby prioritising work and Bella over her.
Mac was then paired with Ari Parata, who uses Salt as a base to search for a job. Mac finds Ari appealing because he seems drama-free. The pair enter into a casual relationship, which is complicated by her attraction to Ari's brother Tane Parata. Weir thought Tane was the type of man Mac would normally date, but he would being too much drama into her life. Mac and Ari eventually commit to one another, but writers broke the couple up in early 2021, following the arrival of Ari's former partner Mia Anderson and their subsequent reconciliation. Mac then learns she is pregnant, and she considers having an abortion. However, the decision is taken away from her when she has a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy. Weir carried out her own research on the topic and worked closely with the show's on set nurse and doctor for the storyline. Mac experiences a downward spiral as a result of her pain and grief. She pushes her friends and family away, begins binge drinking, and has a series of one-night stands. Producers next paired the character with Logan Bennett, who Weir thought was a good match for Mac. The story arc was cut short when Bonner made a sudden departure from the show.
Casting
Weir joined the cast in December 2018. Her involvement in the serial was confirmed the following year when she was photographed filming scenes at Palm Beach, the show's outdoor location. A writer for the June 2019 issue of Soap World reported that her character was named Mackenzie Booth and they speculated that she might be related to established character Dean Thompson, after they were seen filming together. Weir heard about the role of Mackenzie from a close friend who had received the casting. After reading the character brief, she felt that Mackenzie was her role and auditioned. Actress Jacqui Purvis also auditioned for the role, before she was cast as Felicity Newman in 2021. Weir was attending an audition for another show when her agent called to inform her that she had won the part of Mackenzie. Of her reaction, she said "I just screamed and started running around like a mad woman. It was such an overwhelming feeling; a dream come true." She later explained to Kerry Harvey of Stuff that she was a big fan of Home and Away and had grown up watching it with her family. She admitted that she had even written to the producers when she was 10 years old to ask for a role. After learning she had been cast as Mackenzie, she flew to Brisbane that same week to surprise her family with the news. Weir told Harvey that she was overwhelmed when she met her new co-stars and began filming her first scenes with them. She said, "I just couldn't keep it together. I was OK in front of them but then I went away. I had such a happy cry of joy because they are absolutely, wonderfully lovely and talented human beings. It was a real treat to meet them." Weir made her first appearance as Mackenzie on 13 June 2019.Development
Characterisation and introduction
Ahead of her first scenes airing, Weir called Mackenzie, or "Mac", "a very fierce and independent, smart woman." Jackie Brygel of New Idea dubbed the character "mysterious" and "fiery". Weir later described Mac as "strong, confident, witty and loving human being." She found Mac fun to play because of her background, explaining: "She comes from quite a bit of privilege, which is definitely different from me. So she sort of rocks in from out of town with a Porsche and some high heels and a bit of attitude." Weir said it was her dream to play such a character and called Mac "super-fabulous!" She also liked that Mac was financially independent, noting that there were not many women in soap operas that owned their own businesses, adding "she's a boss and she doesn't apologise for that." Weir also branded Mac "a straight-shooting boss", although she said that Mac can sometimes be "terrible and abusive, mostly she's good. Mac is either riding high, or really low..." Speaking to Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap, Weir told her that she would be friends with Mac if she were real. She did not think they would move in the same social circle, but she would be able to "appreciate her humour". Mac is a keen surfer in the show, but Weir admitted that she cannot surf in real life and body doubles were used whenever her character goes surfing.Weir said the audience is initially unaware of her character's motivation for coming to Summer Bay, saying "there is quite an element of mystery there." Mac is then introduced as the new owner of the restaurant Salt. Weir had previously worked in restaurants prior to her acting career, and she found it was "really great" to be playing an owner of one, as it was "a familiar space" to her. Brygel noted that buying the restaurant does not seem like Mac's only reason for moving to the Bay. Weir later said that Mac buys Salt as she feels that it is a good investment, but her real motivation is to track down her long-lost half-brother, Dean Thompson. Mac initially approaches Dean to ask about surfing lessons. She later asks him several personal questions and he realises that he is being "grilled" by her. When Dean learns that Mac has befriended Colby Thorne, he attempts to tell her that Colby is not ready to date, but she counters that she is not interested in Colby, but rather him. Mac then reveals that she is Dean's half-sister, and that her mother was their father, Rick Booth's first wife. Dean is shocked and angered by the revelation. Weir stated that Mac wanted Dean to like her before she told him the news, as she was unsure how he would react.
Mac is later shown rejecting a phone call from her father, hinting at a bad relationship between them. Weir told Ellis that Mac and Rick's relationship is "very strained, to say the least! There's a lot of distance between them, and the relationship is filled with pain. But she is absolutely genuine about getting to know Dean better and building a relationship with him." Weir admitted that she personally connected with Mac's "tested relationship" with her father. Writers soon reintroduced Rick, as he comes to the Bay to confront Mac and Dean. Ahead of this, Mac is left "fuming" after learning about her father's new political career in the press. Dean attempts to calm her down by asking her about her revenge plan for Rick. Mac assures him that she is leaving him out of it, but viewers then learn Mac is blackmailing her father for $100,000 to keep quiet about Dean. This threat brings Rick to the Bay, where he meets with Dean. O'Conner commented "Dean doesn't want to be involved in this, but fans will see different shades of him as the storyline plays out." An angered Dean "blasts" Mac for involving him in her blackmail plan, before Rick turns up to do the same. Weir later called for the introduction of Mac's other siblings and her mother. She wanted the chance to explore her character's relationship with her parents, as Mac often mentions that she is close to her mother.
Relationship with Colby Thorne
The character was immediately paired with Dean's best friend Colby. The pair initially clash, leading Weir to explain "There's been a war of wit and words between Mackenzie and Colby from the moment they met. On the surface, it seems that they really don't like each other, but yet they're clearly intrigued and there's an intellectual battle going on between them." Weir later said that Mac fancies Colby and they initially share "a great dynamic", but it would become "a difficult endeavour" for them. Of their connection, Weir commented "It's a battle of wits, it's fun, and there's great chemistry between them." The pair share a kiss after bonding over their complicated families, but Mac pulls away and explains that she cannot get involved with him while he is still wearing his wedding ring. Weir explained that for her character it was "a strict moral thing" that she will not excuse. Even though she knows he is separated from his wife, Weir said Mac needs the ring to be gone so that she sees Colby as a single man. After Colby removes his ring, Mack invites him over to her place for a date. They are soon interrupted by Dean calling Colby for some advice. Mac encourages Colby to lie and tell Dean that he is busy at work. Franklin commented that the situation was "very complicated", but Colby wants to establish a connection with Mac before getting Dean involved. However, Dean then shows up at Mac's house and walks in on Mac and Colby together.Mac later ends the relationship due to Colby's occupation. As Colby becomes preoccupied with investigating a dangerous gang and is constantly called out to various situations, Mac realises how much his job is affecting her. She tells Dean that she is having doubts about the relationship, and when she sees Colby in a "confronting" situation, she breaks up with him. This leads to a feud between Mac and Colby's sister Bella Nixon, who is "livid" at seeing her brother "heartbroken" by the break up. Bella makes an attempt at confronting Mac, before Dean and Willow Harris stop her from starting a fire at Salt. Miller explained that Bella feels like Mac has broken her trust and hurt her brother, like his former wife did. She continued: "Bella sees Mackenzie as a threat and will go to any extreme to get revenge." Colby and Mac resume their romance, after arranging "a secret rendezvous" and Bella later sees them kissing. Later scenes see the couple plan a getaway to improve their relationship, but Colby is forced to cancel when Bella claims she is ill. Mac is "naturally upset" and accuses Bella of putting on an act, however, Bella soon collapses and is hospitalised with tetanus. This causes visible tension between Mac and Colby, as he pushes her away to care for Bella.
The storyline comes to a head during the final episodes of 2019. After Colby learns Bella has been using her illness to manipulate him, she takes an overdose. Mac finds her in "a bad way" and takes her to the hospital, where they join several other characters caught up in a siege by armed gunman. The pair initially hide in a small side room, where Bella admits that she has taken a lot of pills. Mac then risks her own life to try and get help for Bella. Weir explained "She springs to action and risks her life. If she does nothing, Bella could die." Both women are found by the gunmen and forced to join the other hostages. Bella is refused medical help and she deteriorates rapidly, but is eventually treated. Following the siege, Mac's relationship with Colby comes to an end, as Mac grows frustrated with him. Weir told Tamara Cullen and Gabrielle Tozer of TV Week: "Mac felt Colby didn't prioritise her in his life. He didn't have time for her. Granted, he had a lot going on with Bella and with his police work, but she's tired of coming second." Colby makes an attempt to win Mac back, but she starts to move on as she feels their romance is over. Weir said the characters have "a strong connection", but Mac realises an on/off relationship is bad for her self-esteem and she decides to put herself first.