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Bree Hamilton (née Marsden) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, portrayed by Rachel Blampied since December 2011.

Creation and casting
Rachel Blampied had auditioned 5 times for Shortland Street, with her last being for the role of Zlata Waldheim. However Blampied was turned down everytime as she looked too similar to core character, Brooke Freeman. After she auditioned for the role of Zlata, producers decided to utilize their similarities and create the role of Bree specifically for her. Blampied received a call in mid 2011 asking if she was eager to accept the role. She was extremely pleased with the call, saying; "It's the best phone call an actor can wish for - that they're writing a part for you on a show you really want to be on. It was a complete surprise and totally out of the blue." In November 2011, TVNZ announced that a new addition would be arriving to Brooke's dysfunctional family, with Bree arriving on 9 December. Blampied enjoyed working alongside her screen sister, Beth Allen and Brooke's boyfriend, Pua Magasiva, saying; "I've had some great scenes with Beth and Pua, which have been enormous fun as they're such generous actors and are heaps of fun to hang out with!"

Backstory
Bree was the result of an affair between Brooke Freeman's (Beth Allen) mother, Annette (Louise Wallace) and her husband Grant's (Alan Lovell) best friend. Kicked out by Alan, Annette was forced to adopt Bree out to keep her family together. Bree's biological father later died in a boat accident.

2011—
Bree tracked Brooke down and revealed they were sisters to a frosty reception. With help from Brooke's boyfriend, Vinnie Kruse (Pua Magasiva), Bree landed a job at the hospital alongside Brooke. However after several icey interactions with Brooke, Bree ended up dating Vinnie but started to suffer from her lack of self confidence at work.

Characterisation
Upon arrival, Bree was shown as a polite and sensitive, well trained doctor, sharply contrasting her sister Brooke. However as the character developed, it was revealed she too had a nasty side and was alot more similar to Brooke than originally thought. Blampied enjoyed playing the personality change, labelling it as; "making a great descent" and stating; "It's a massive change from how the character arrived and through her relationship with Brooke and Vinnie, it goes haywire. I'm looking forward to the challenge of how to justify those decisions she makes."

Brooke Freeman
Bree first appears on the show when Vinnie Kruse mistakes her for his girlfriend - Brooke Freeman. Although Bree tries to get on with Brooke, the feelings are not mutual and Brooke struggles to accept her sister. Whilst the two characters were getting to know each other, so too were their actresses; Blampied and Beth Allen and the two shared a dressing room. After Vinnie leaves Brooke for her behaviour towards Bree, he and Bree start an affair, creating a love triangle between the sisters.