Jennifer Elizabeth "Jenny" Reynolds (also Gross) is a fictional character from the Australian drama series Winners & Losers, played by Melissa Bergland. She made her debut screen appearance in the pilot episode "Covert Aggression in Netball", which was broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. Bergland successfully auditioned for the role of Jenny after her agent submitted her details to the producers. Bergland's signature red hair and glasses were kept by the producers for her character. Bergland made her television acting debut as Jenny. The series revolves around four "losers" who are reunited at their school reunion and then win the Oz Lotto.
Jenny is portrayed as being bright, opinionated, funny, loyal and daggy. Bergland said that she had some things in common with Jenny, like sticking up for her opinions and her fashion sense. Jenny comes from a large family, who love her unconditionally. They often helped when she was bullied at school, where she received the nickname "Gross-out". Jenny also had a loyal best friend in Bec Gilbert (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith). The show's creator Bevan Lee explained that Jenny's story arc would be about her growing up and maturing.
During the first season, Jenny embarked on a relationship with Rhys Mitchell (Nick Simpson-Deeks), which ended when he revealed he was gay. Bergland named the storyline as one of her favourites. Jenny has also been engaged to Callum Gilbert (Mike Smith), been part of a love triangle and dated an older man. In the third and fourth seasons, she began dating Gabe Reynolds (Nick Russell) and learned that she carried the BRCA1 gene. The character has received a mixed reception from critics. For her portrayal of Jenny, Bergland received the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent and a nomination for Most Outstanding New Talent in 2012.
Creation and casting Bevan Lee had wanted to create a television drama focusing on a group of women for a number of years before he came up with the idea for Winners & Losers. Lee's also created Packed to the Rafters, which focused on family relationships, while Winners and Losers centred on friendships and was aimed at a younger demographic. Lee commented that the show focuses on the "fun and drama of how we all carry the inner loser inside us, no matter how much life makes a winner of us." Winners and Losers revolves around the lives of four women: Jenny Gross, Bec Gilbert (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith), Frances James (Virginia Gay) and Sophie Wong (Melanie Vallejo). The girls were "the losers" in high school, but ten years later, they realise that they are really winners once they renew their friendship at their school reunion and afterwards, win the Oz Lotto.
When the casting brief was sent out to the talent agencies, Melissa Bergland's agent thought she would be "a good fit" for one of the characters and submitted her details. Bergland was in the final stages of auditions for a production of Hairspray when she was asked to audition for the role of Jenny in Winners & Losers. The brief she received asked her to dress "daggy", so she attended the audition wearing "what looked like an oversized tent and track pants covered in cat hair." Bergland also wore her own glasses and sported her "signature" red hair, which the producers loved and decided to keep for the character. Bergland was contacted a couple of days after the audition and told that she had won the role. Of learning she had the part, the actress commented "It's daunting and overwhelming but fabulously fun at the same time." Bergland made her television acting debut as Jenny.
Development
Characterisation Jenny comes from a large family, who love her unconditionally. Her parents, Trish (Denise Scott) and Brian (Francis Greenslade), "would walk over hot coals for her", while her siblings – Deidre (Madeleine West), Bridget (Sarah Grace) and Patrick (Jack Pearson) – are very protective of her. The family's closeness and supportive nature meant that Jenny often lacked "the worldliness of her peers." In addition to her family, Jenny has a loyal best friend in Bec Gilbert. Prior to the reunion, Jenny had never been popular at school and was nicknamed "Gross-out" by the other students. Frequently bullied, Jenny often spent her days hiding in the school library or the toilets. Jenny later used her knowledge of IT to gain a job as a technical support worker after leaving school. Alexa Coetsee from The Sunday Times thought Jenny was "socially awkward" and noted that she had not moved away from the area she had grown up in.
Jenny is portrayed as being "bright, bubbly and lots of fun but deep down a bit of a dag." She has a thick skin and always bounces back from rejection. Describing her character, Bergland stated "She is loud and opinionated. She's really brash and bold, funny and fiercely loyal." She later called Jenny a "fun and effervescent and quite easygoing" character. Speaking to a reporter from The Advertiser, Bergland revealed that she had some similarities with Jenny. She sticks up for her opinions, but unlike Jenny, she knows when to stop and keep things to herself. Bergland also shares a similar style to Jenny and owns several of the dresses she wears during the show. The actress explained that Jenny wears a lot of Route 66 and Hellbunny dresses which are flattering on girls with a fuller figure.
The show's creator Bevan Lee explained that Jenny would initially be quite an immature character. Her bad experiences during high school caused her to "retreat in to life" with her family and Bec because that is where she felt safe. Jenny's character arc throughout the first season was about her growing up and maturing. The money and her friends allowed newer sides to Jenny's personality come through. During the second season, Jenny began to grow up. Bergland revealed "Jenny is falling in love and getting everything she ever wanted… and then ruining her life! She's doing everything in two years that everyone else has done over 10. She's 28 next season, and she's catching up." Jenny realised that she had been "too generous" with her money and should have been saving instead of spending. She also embarked on a career change and went back to university to study teaching. Bergland told a reporter for The Daily Telegraph that she did not relate to Jenny's need to settle down and have a family, as she had "itchy feet" and wanted to travel.
Friendships
The first episode of Winners & Losers saw the four protagonists or "losers" – Jenny, Bec, Francis and Sophie – attend their high school reunion. The girls were "thrown together" in school as they each tried to avoid the attention of the school bitch Tiffany Turner (Michala Banas). Attending the reunion to try and prove that they are no longer losers, the girls rediscovered their friendship and realised that Tiffany had not changed. Series producer MaryAnne Carroll stated "The heart of the show is the idea of friendship and the relationship you have with friends that you've known for a really long time. There is a different comfort level there than there is with friends you've made more recently in your life. There's the idea that you can be yourself with those people because they truly know you."
Carroll told Michael Idato from The Sydney Morning Herald that once the audition process began, they realised that they had to get four girls with the right chemistry together. The producer thought there was "something really magical" about Bergland, Gay, Tuckwell-Smith and Vallejo, which no other combination of actresses had. Carroll added "It feels like they've known each other since high school." The main storyline for the first season revolved around the girls winning the Oz Lotto, which was bought during the reunion night. Lee explained that introducing the "unexpected windfall" not only helped cement the girl's friendships, but also threw them into several conflicts. Lee added "Winning the money binds the girls and sets them on a new path. It also makes them confront the lies they tell themselves."
During the second season, Jenny returned to university to study teaching. The experience forced her to recall the feelings of isolation that she went through in high school. Even though she had attended university before, Jenny did not really talk to anyone and thought she would go through the same thing the second time around. Bergland commented "She figures that now Bec's married and going to have a baby, she needs to start expanding her horizons rather than clinging on to her few friends." Erin Miller from TV Week wrote that it is Sophie, who gives Jenny the courage to face the other students. Sophie is going through a similar situation as she is back at medical school. Sophie made Jenny realise that she does not need to be scared and the advice worked when Jenny met a "cool new group of people."
Relationships
Rhys Mitchell During the first season, Jenny embarked on a relationship with Rhys Mitchell (Nick Simpson-Deeks). As the relationship advanced, Jenny lost her virginity to Rhys and he introduced her to his parents. Bergland told TV Week'''s Clare Rigden that after having lunch with Rhys's parents, who seemed to really like her, Jenny believed everything was great. So, when Rhys abruptly ended the relationship, stating that his parents did not approve of her upbringing, Jenny was shocked and felt like everything she ever felt about herself had been confirmed by Rhys's parents not liking her. Rhys later told Jenny that he had lied and admitted that he ended the relationship because he was gay. During a live web chat with the show's fans, Bergland stated that the Jenny/Rhys relationship was one of her favourite storylines from the first season.
Callum Gilbert Towards the end of season one, Jenny developed feelings for Bec's older brother Callum (Mike Smith) and they eventually began dating in the second season. Bergland thought that Jenny and Callum had secretly loved each other all along. She commented "Her getting together with Callum is all a part of Jenny growing up. She thinks she's maybe ready to explore something with someone she hasn't considered before. He's not gay, and he's not a user – so thumbs up!" Jenny became involved in a love triangle when she met Lachie Clarke (Luke Arnold) at university. Jenny became the manager of Lachie's band and helped get them a meeting with a record label. Jenny's grandmother, Dot (Anne Phelan), told her that Lachie liked her, but Jenny assured Dot that they were just friends. However. Lachie later admitted he had feelings for Jenny and they kissed. Of the moment, the actress explained "When the kiss happens, Jenny's surprised and shocked and doesn't know how to react. She's in a very loving relationship and [cheating] isn't where her head's at." Bergland believed that Jenny was attracted to Lachie's reckless side, which she found "intoxicating". Jenny felt guilty about the kiss when Callum told her he loved her.
Jenny found herself in a difficult situation following the kiss with Lachie. She began developing feelings for him, while Callum told her he loved her for the first time. Jenny went to a psychic to get some advice and she was told that she was not with the person she was meant to be with. Bergland said that this made Jenny think that maybe she should be with Lachie. After attending one of Lachie's gigs, Jenny delayed returning home to Callum and she had sex with Lachie. Jenny later admitted her infidelity to Callum and he ended their relationship, before leaving town. Following his return, Callum proposed to Jenny for a second time and she accepted. Bergland said that Jenny was really happy with the engagement being back on, as it meant she could plan a wedding and move out of her parents' house. The actress added "She's really excited because it took her a long time to find what she wanted. She wants everything that Bec has – she's going to get married and have babies."