| Willow Harris | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home and Away character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Sarah Roberts | ||||||||
| Duration | 2017–2021 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 14 November 2017 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 14 April 2021 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||
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Willow Harris (also Ranger) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Sarah Roberts. The character made her first screen appearance on 14 November 2017. Roberts had auditioned for the roles of both Kat Chapman and Scarlett Snow prior to playing Willow. She auditioned successfully and attended screen testing with James Stewart who play's Willow's love interest Justin Morgan. Willow was originally going to be named Amber. She is characterised as a tough female who was raised in a broken home and has subsequently learned to look after herself. Roberts has said that she admires the character's strong personality. Willow is introduced into the show wearing leather, chains and riding a motorbike. This added to her image as a powerful female character.
Writers quickly paired her with Justin and their relationship is marred by a feud with gang member Boyd Easton (Steve Le Marquand). His family kidnap Justin's daughter Ava Gilbert (Grace Thomas), which ends the relationship. Producers introduced Willow's ex-boyfriend Dean Thompson (Patrick O'Connor) and the characters resume their relationship. A gambling addiction story was written for Willow and she ends up stealing, loaning money, scamming people and squatting. Roberts found the gambling story challenging and carried out extensive research to accurately portray the issue. The character has been well received by critics of the genre who analysed her strong personality and dramatic introduction into the series. In March 2021, Roberts confirmed that she had left Home and Away and her final appearance aired on 14 April 2021.