Last updated11:41, February 11 2017

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Earth. Mars. The Asteroid Belt. It's time to pick a side in The Expanse.

The producers of sc-fi series The Expanse had dreaded casting the role since production began.

The character: Bobbie Draper, a soldierof Polynesian ancestry, six foot and 100 kilos of pure muscle.

"We dreaded the task of going out into the world and finding this person," The Expanseexecutive producer Hawk Ostly toldIndieWire.

Syfy

Frankie Adams as Martian patriot Bobbie Draper in The Expanse.

Based on books byDaniel Abraham and Ty Franck,The Expanseis set 200 years in the future as the human race expands into space.

READ MORE: *Netflix aquires The Expanse, starring Frankie Adams *Shortland Street's Frankie Adams on Wentworth *Frankie's most embarrassing Shortland Street moments

Bobbie Draper is a marine fromthe colony of Mars who dreams of the red planet having its own government.

YOUTUBE/SCREEN SHOT

Frankie Adams in The Expanse.

The Expanse's producers were reportedly so aware of doing Bobbie right that they structured the plot of the season's first few episodes to ease the actress into the role.

"What we did on a creative level was slowly work [the character] into the season she's in [Episodes] 1, 3 and 6 partially so she could get used to the part and partially so we could get used to writing the character," executive producerNarenShankar said.

Casting directorsRobin Cook (based in Canada),Julie Tucker and her team (working out of New York) and New Zealand-basedLiz Mullane were all involved in the hunt for Bobbie, but Ostby said that at the beginning of the search, he was pretty sure that "New Zealand would be a very interesting place to look."

Frankie Adams (centre) played inmate Tasha on Wentworth.

Adams' New Zealand agent,Imogen Johnson, said they were lucky to have Mullane working out of New Zealand.

"We are very lucky that top New Zealand casting director Liz Mullaneis a huge fan of Frankie's and worked closely with her and us to secure this role.

"The production were doing a world wide search for this character but as soon as they saw Frankie's audition she was short-listed.We then worked in tandem with her US reps and assisted with closing of her the deal and she literally had to leave for Canada a week later. We couldn't be prouder of her!"

Frankie Adams as Ula Levi on Shortland Street.

Adams, born in New Zealand of Samoan heritage, had two television roles under her belt, asUla Levi inShortland StreetandTasha Goodwin inWentworth.

The Expanseproducers were excited not only by her acting experience, but also by her work as an amateur boxer.

According to executive producer Mark Fergus, it was book author Ty Franck who first saw Adams' tape and identified her as the right choice.

"It was ahuge thrill for us that one of the guys who invented her character just saw right into her eyes and knew it was her almost immediately," he said.

Getting the role was a huge thrill for Adams, too. Speaking to IndieWire, she said she "screamed in excitement" when she got the phone call.

She was concerned she wouldn't be muscular enough for the part, so embarked on a training regime of strength and conditioning work, with no cardio.

Shankar said finding Adams was well worth the search.

"It requires you to work harder and to go to places that haven't traditionally been on the radar," he said.

"But when you do, you're always getting rewarded for it."

The Expanse Season Two premieres on SKY's The Zone on February 8, 8.30pm.

-Stuff

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The Expanse and Frankie Adams: Meet the Kiwi who's conquered space travel - Stuff.co.nz