Natasha Williams | |||||||||||||||||
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Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Valentina Novakovic | ||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2010–2013 | ||||||||||||||||
First appearance | 5 May 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | 29 March 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Susan Bower | ||||||||||||||||
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Natasha "Tash" Williams is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Valentina Novakovic. The role of Natasha was Novakovic's first acting job and she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne for filming. Natasha was introduced to Neighbours along with her father, Michael Williams (Sandy Winton) and she made her debut screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 May 2010. In November 2012, Novakovic confirmed that she would be leaving Neighbours and she filmed her final scenes in December. Natasha departed on 29 March 2013.
Natasha has been described as spirited, rebellious and having a burning desire to rule the school. She likes to have all the attention on her and often chooses to rebel so people will notice her. She can also be quite manipulative. Executive producer, Susan Bower said Natasha loves to gossip and wants to be a famous model. She often clashes with Summer Hoyland (Jordy Lucas), who is a feminist and quite the opposite to her. Novakovic stated that Natasha and Summer are "frenemies." The actress also explained that she finds playing Natasha challenging, as her persona is quite different from her own. Novakovic has said that she would like to see Natasha grow up, become nicer and turn over a new leaf. She expressed her desire to portray Natasha's softer and funnier side during an interview with Digital Spy.
Natasha's storylines have mainly focused on her relationship with Andrew Robinson (Jordan Patrick Smith). Novakovic named this storyline as one of her favourites and said that Natasha and Andrew belong together as they bring out the worst in each other. Their relationship led to a complex love triangle involving Summer and later saw Natasha faking a pregnancy to keep Andrew. Natasha casually dates Ivan DeMarco (Ben Knight) and in a bid to appear more mature, she sends him naked photos of herself. They are leaked, causing a scandal amongst Natasha's school friends. Other storylines have seen Natasha trying to achieve her dream of becoming a model, making sure she remains popular at school, coping with her father's relationships and discovering the truth about her mother's death.