Maggie's had a few close shaves in her time, but never one quite like this!

Former Prisoner toughie Maggie Kirkpatrick has become Australia's answer to Demi Moore! Just as Demi shaved her head for her latest film, GI Jane, Maggie has lost her locks for her new movie role.
 
"I feel so liberated," says Maggie, best known as Wentworth's Joan "The Freak" Ferguson.
 
Maggie recently completed her daring role in the new Australian black comedy, The Big Red, which also stars Rod Taylor, Paul Mercurio, Barry Humphries and former Home And Away star Dee Smart.
 
"I play a wonderful character called Ginger, who wears the most hysterical blonds Doris Day wig and Gidget-type sun frocks courtesy of St.Vincent de Paul," Maggie explains.
 
For a crucial scene in the movie, Maggie had to lose her hair. She had the choice of shaving her head a la Demi or wearing a bald cap.
 
"It was a big decision, because obviously I'm going to have to live with the end result for months," Maggie says. "But my mind was made up when I was told I'd have to sit in make-up for five hours each day to have the bald cap fitted."
 
Now, she says, she is amazed and delighted with her new look.
 
"I was amazed that I had such a perfect skull. No lumps or bumps - just smooth, sheer bliss, and such soft skin. Suddenly I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, 'For 56, you ain't looking too bad after all!"
 
"And I've discovered it's a very sensual thing to have your head shaved. Now I know why women hunger for that bald look or bald men. It jas really made me feel much younger and very much more alive. I've been awakened in every sense of the word!"

Woman's Day  - 1997
Story by Craig Bennett