'Underbelly' rival stars reveal "incredibly close" friendship

Danielle Cormack and Chelsie Preston Crayford from Underbelly have opened up about their friendship.

The two actresses from New Zealand, who play arch enemies Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh in the fourth series of the Australian crime drama, actually auditioned together for the roles because they already knew each other well from co-starring in The Cult.

Crayford told National Features: "It's been really fun and interesting to portray a relationship like [Kate and Tilly's]. It's actually like a heightened version of a common female dynamic - that competitiveness and addiction to one another. They can't live with each other, but they can't live without each other.

"[Danielle and I] actually auditioned together for this. I was, before this project and even more so after it, incredibly close to Danielle. It's been fantastic to have her support. I adore her."

Earlier this week, Crayford explained that she channelled Amy Winehouse during her Underbelly audition, saying: "I imagined Tilly had a really low voice and I don't, sadly. So I watched a whole lot of Amy Winehouse interviews and based my audition on that. I felt like Amy really embraced this brash, doesn't-give-a-toss-what-people-think, ballsy attitude."

Underbelly: Razor premieres on Sunday at 8.30pm on Channel Nine.

Watch the trailer for the latest Underbelly series below (contains shocking images):