It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. An welcome back to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors, and casting agents,
plus the talent that we see on our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that you were currently watching and gives you a better insight at our television industry and streaming services today. On the podcast, I have one of the key ingredients to Neighbour's success over the last thirty seven years. It is casting legend Jan Russ. Jen has been at the top of the appreciation list when it comes to many of the actors who have walked the
streets of Ramsey Street. The actors who were cast by Jen loved her enthusiasm for the show and her undeniable love of actors. If you had a meeting with Jan, you never forgot it, as she always found a way to add somew you to the careers and the minds of the hopefuls who stood before her. Responsible for the initial cast and the ongoing series for decades. Her credits include Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce, All Three Hemsworth, Margo Robbie and that's just a handful of names who
found their career origin stories at Neighbors. We will talk casting, the backstory to Neighbors, early trials and tribulations, what Jen would look for in casting, and what she thinks of the soap coming to an end. However, let's get started with this celebration of Neighbors as it does conclude Thursday night, I'd like to welcome Jan Russ to TV Reload.
TV Soapy axed.
It certainly feels like the end of venera.
You'll go so quickly.
Putting that whole cast together, that was really exciting.
Yeah, lots of our faces working there.
It's strange seeing and lovely seeing some of the old cars.
Street is not going to be the same without you. In these days, a lot of people think they can be actors.
We might be leaving the street, but we're always going to be in each other's life always.
That was part of my purpose to make sure that the audience really believed these people were actually living maybe in the television seat.
Hi, Jan, how are you.
I've been I'm really good. Thank you. It's lovely to talk.
To you, so lovely to chat with you. And I guess we should start by asking, is this a strange week for you to be so intrinsically connected to the success of Neighbors. How are you feeling?
Well, it's sort of I don't feel anything, and yet I.
Feel the end of an era really an interesting concept because obviously I haven't been with Neighbors for involved with them for a few a few years now, and so.
It's I don't know, it's a very weird feeling.
It's strange seeing and lovely seeing some of the old cast obviously have come back, and that's wonderful, you know, to have seen photos of them. I would have loved to have been there to meet them all again, because you know, it was such an incredible time that we had back then, back in the eighties, was an extraordinary time here in Australia with the show. It was phenomenal, and so that would have been lovely. I mean, it's sad that something after thirty seven years, which is quite
extraordinary here in Australia, that a show has finished. But as I say to people, every good thing must come to an end.
Life moves on.
And nothing last for ever. You know what is interesting about it is the amount of people that they have been able to secure to come back and do this send off for Neighbors. Are you surprised to have seen Guy pears, Kylie Minogue, you know, Margo, Robbie, Jesse Spencer, all of these amazing names come back and take part in the finale.
Yes, I was, But then again that's where they will start and that's where they've got their big break. So I think it's lovely that they have come back and they do appreciate that that's where it all basically sort of started for them really. I mean they had done other things before, some of them, but Neighbors was their real starting point that lifted them through to the success that they've got now, which is fantastic.
You know, we do like to pay homage, I guess to where we get started. We don't forget our roots. I think that to me that sounds Australian to me. I don't know if it does to you. So I think it's a good thing.
Well, it certainly does, and it certainly has as far as they're all concerned by coming back on the show. But yeah, I don't think it's an all Australian thing. I think sometimes we get that it's all about self in a way.
Sometimes sometimes egos get.
In the way. What an industry an industry full of egos. I think you were involved with the show even before it was called Neighbors. What was your first conversation that you had about the series.
My first conversation I had a call, a telephone call from Reg Watson and he was, you know, the concept. He had the concept of the show obviously, and he rang me and I was casting prisoner at the time for Grundies. And he rang and said, oh, Jane, we're thinking of doing a new show. We'd like to do this new show. And he said, I'll send you a couple of scripts to read. I want you to read them, and he said, start compiling, putting a list of cast together.
So he sent them down, these scripts down to me and which were originally called Living Together. And so I read them and started putting a cast together. And you know, so we had a few conversations backwards and forwards. Then it came through that yes, we're going to do the show. So then a producer, John Holmes was brought on board, and then a director was brought on board, and so that's that's how the whole thing started. And Channel seven were the ones that actually picked it up first.
And then Channel seven really only had it for a short period of time before they kind of dusted their hands with it. And then it was Channel ten who brought it back and sort of reimagined it a little bit. But there was also a fire that may have happened at some point.
It's funny, that, isn't it. It's funny how the steps got burnt down. Absolutely, that was very strange. Yes, a few funny things happened when we changed over, but yes, I think, you know, not knocking Channel seven. But at that time they didn't really do a lot to publicize
the show. And then I remember, you know, they asked the show and on front of the Truth, which was a newspaper back then, was big black headlines, TV soapy acted, you know, it was it was an incredible thing, and so fans were standing outside with black arm bands and red carnations because even then we had a following, you know, which was lovely.
And then I remember was all in my.
Office, the producer and the assistant producer and myself and my assistant sitting in my office waiting for that phone call to see if it had been picked up by another network. We were just waiting. Then the Champagne of course, was sitting on the desk, ready to go, ready to be popped. And so the phone call came through and
they said, yes, Channel ten have picked it up. Well that was it, and then Channel ten were absolutely fantastic with their you know Brian Walsh, he's now with Fox, and just the publicity that they did was just extraordinary. And I mean they had you know, Kylie and Jason others flying into State on weekends giving away television sets. I was doing lots of traveling all around Australia with the big shopping centers, with some of the cast doing
auditions and all that sort of thing. So the publicity was fantastic. And then of course we heard that Reg was going to the UK to see if he could sell the show, and then it came back that he'd sold the show to the BBC, so we thought, oh, this is lovely.
You know.
Well then of course, you know, it aired on the BBC and then everything went wow, it really went crazy, and I mean, we had journalists flying in from overseas during that early eighties period, you know, from News of the World and all of that from the UK.
But they were all trying to sort of.
Find negative things about the cast, you know, and it was an extraordinary time because we'd never experienced that here in Australia. They're all trying to find out after you know, we've got to dig the dirt on any of the actors and they were interviewing you know, their family and friends and you know, I mean we were getting having to get you know, they were paying money to people to say anything and we were having to get sort
of declarations. I was sitting in on interviews with these journalists because you know, I was there sort of saying well, no, you can't ask that, or you know, all of that sort of thing. So it was a really amazing time and it was for us it was sort of we'd never experienced that here in Australia before. You know, it was quite quite extraordinary the publicity that came from the UK when it really hit the ground running over there.
Why do you think that the UK became so obsessed with neighbors? I mean, what do you think the connection was that made the UK audiences just resonate with this show being made so far away from where they lived.
Well, I think a lot of it was, you know, the outdoors, the blue skies, the sunshine, the swimming pools and you know, I mean get dark over there at four o'clock or something like that.
You know, where is that?
And I think seeing these wonderful, fresh faced young people and very importantly the older generation as well.
I think that's a really key point that you're making about the successive neighbors, and that was the diversity of the cast. And absolutely, you know when you looked and even still today do we have the correct representation of the invisible older woman. And they were so intrinsic to the story and they were so beautifully written in and it felt very seamless, you.
Know exactly exactly and what it also does, and this is something that was taught to me by a lady called Betty Pounder when I was in musical theater with J. C. Williamson's that you have your older actors there. You must have those for the younger ones and they give support
to the younger ones. So the level of experience and knowledge that the younger ones learned from the older ones help them and the older wonderful experienced actors and they learning from them and they don't do that these days. It frustrates me so much when I watch a lot of Australian television that they don't have that where they have in America, they have it in England.
We don't have it here.
We do not respect our older performers and we've lost so many of them and some of the wonderful, wonderful actors. We still have some of them, and they're not used to their full ability, which is really sad.
Well. Anne Hattie, who played Helen Daniels on the show, everyone knew that she was kind of the mother hen on set and people loved to work with her because she was able to teach them so much. And then Jackie Woodburn also sort of took over that for so
many years. And if I spoke to anyone that was working on Neighbors, whether it was Jesse Spencer or Nalie Bassingthwaite, not to name drop a few, but they always talked about how generous Jackie was, and the older cast always talked about how generous, you know, Anne Hattie was.
Absolutely, and well, you had Anne Hattie, you had Anne.
Charleston, you had Mara de Grout, and you had all of them back then, you know, you had a big group of the older ones, which gave strength to everyone and really helped the younger ones. And I mean, I think I remember a night of the Logis that Jason won Best New Talent and Mara at that time had been in hospital because she had cancer, and so she was allowed to out of hospital that night in a wheelchair.
So she arrived at the Logis in the wheelchair and she was there for a while and then she had to leave, but she missed out on Jason getting his LOGI and he dedicated it to her, which was the most beautiful thing. You know, he dedicated his BLOGI to Mara because you know, she had given them so much.
And I think that was you know, that was very very special.
When people in the industry thought of neighbors, they thought of you, Jan Russ, it was the first thing they thought of. And I've been around the industry for so long and your name is still so heralded with the success, you know, of the casting of such amazing legends. Is that an amazing thing to know that you've sort of in the zeichgeist of Australian television forever for such an achievement.
Yes, it is because it was. It was not anything that any of us expected. But you know, I've always felt I had an eye for that, having been a performer myself, you know, and I think that has made a big difference in my knowledge of actors and knowing what they can they're capable of doing.
And because I've been an actor.
And done a lot of you know, I've done theater, film, television, stage, I've done it all, so I sort of really understood actors and I think that helped me. And it is it is quite humbling actually to know that.
What do you think, really, I mean, apart from having your background of acting, what made you so successful in the role of casting? What does casting mean to you when it comes to finding the right person for the role.
My love of actors, having been there myself, I've understood all of that, as I said before, but to me, it was important that I actually worked with the actor and auditioned them and then I would I needed to see if they could take direction and see if if they would listen to me.
What I was saying and that they could change.
And I could, you know, I could see if they had that talent and ability to extend into something else. They weren't just a pretty face that could spout words and not fall over the furniture. And I think that comes from and I think it's probably an maybe it's an inner instinct as well that I had that I have, I still have. I can still pick them, you know. You know, casting was I loved doing my job. I loved it, and I loved being able to give back.
Does that opportunity to fly, to take that opportunity to fly? And if they did that, good on them. Some of them did, some of them didn't. Some of them went into other things and they flew, you know. But that to me was the most exciting part.
Of it all.
And because I loved actors, I think that was that was my biggest thing.
What happened in the way in which you, as an actor decide to cross the floor in a way, so to speak, and decide to work on casting? I mean, was there something that made you make that career decision?
Well, in another I've had a few lives. In another life, I did a bit of I did do some directing and of plays. So I had that idea. But I was in a show called Godspell and we do in New Zealand, and we were playing in Melbourne and there was another friend of mine in the show called Chrishiel, who has passed away, but he became a television director
on the ABC. And we used to sit between shows and eat our dinner before the next show, and we'd sort of say what we'd like to do, and he wanted to to be a TV director and I said, well, you know, I think i'd like to sort of, you know, get into casting.
I feel that I have that right instinct.
And so when that, you know, I mean, after that all happened a while later, obviously, and I knew there was a vacancy coming up at Crawford Productions because someone I knew had just left. So I applied to that and got the job, and that was working with Bunny Brook and so I was at Crawford's and then and then I had a phone call from in Smith and he rang me and said, oh, you know, do you want to go for lunch? And I thought, oh, hello,
free lunch, Yeah, I'll go. So I went to this lunch and it was actually with the producer of Prisoner, who at that time was a guy called Lex van Oz, who I had known when I'd worked in New Zealand because I worked in New Zealand in television, film and all that over there as well. And he said to me, we'd like you to come in and cast Prisoner and I said, oh, oh my god, no.
I don't know if I can do it.
I've been working with Bunny, but you know, and he said, no, no, we believe you. And so I went to Crawfords and said, look, I've been off of this job. And I went to Bunny and said, you know, I've been off of this job. And she said, you have stolen my brain?
How dare you? How dare you?
They should have offered me the job. I took the job and so I cast, you know, I cast a prisoner for the last couple of years. And then that's during that time was when Neighbors.
Popped up as well. So yes, that's how it all came about.
Was there a person that you placed in a role at the beginning where you thought to yourself, Wow, I'm really good at this.
Yeah, I don't I don't know.
I just loved at the beginning putting that whole cast together, that was really exciting because you're putting families together and trying to make them believable as families, but still getting good performance. And what I had in my mind was I wanted to find good actors who really weren't terribly well known. That makes it all believable for the viewer, you know, otherwise that you were seeing, oh there's so and so playing a role, Well, that's not making it believable.
That was always in my head for neighbors as well. And so that to me was is the exciting part. And yeah, there were times that I sort of thought, oh my god. I mean Kylie was one. I mean, it's all the ones that have been successful. I mean it's Kylie and Margo Robbie and Chris Hemsworth and you know, Liam Hemsworth, and I mean all of those guys you know, to me had that extra power, they had that X something and it's I mean, but I used to I'm not like today they sit around and wait for the
phone to ring. I mean I was out all the time, looking, searching, traveling for talent, looking for it, you know, And that to me is what you have to do. I mean, you can't sit on your bum and wait for the phone to ring or wait for someone to come into your office. You've just got to get out there and look for and know every actor that you possibly can.
That's what it's all about.
I love those stories about you because I heard that for years that you were just so passionate about what it is that you were doing, that you were tapping into so many different resources and continuously meeting people and sort of shifting around your vision board. I think that, to me is the ultimate passion of television, you know, and so you really tried to do very different things to make that show always sing.
Yeah, it is important because that's that, to me, is what a casting person is all about. You need to be out there, you know. I'd go to local shows, not just professional. I'd go to local shows. I'd go to local schools. I'd go to drama classes, I'd go to anything possible.
And that's why I love.
Sort of traveling around, you know, because you're going to different states. I even went to New Zealand and brought three actors back from there from New Zealand. At one stage, you know, therefore, that wasn't good I suppose taking work away from Australians, but you had to You've got to expand you can't live in that little bubble because what I see a lot now is you see same faces. A lot of the same faces are popping up all the time, and you gok, God, there's so much talent
out there, and I see so much talent. I still try and get out as much as I can. I don't see it being wasted.
There's a delightful story on TV tonight regarding the casting of Kylie Mino. You mentioned how shy she was, you know, but was right for the role that you thought she was right. What does that say about actors? Do you think?
That's an interesting questions? It's something that to me, they've got that inequality. For a start, there's something that's in there, well, they have the passion, a true act that has the passion, and that's an inequality. And it's also what happens between the actor and the camera. Where is that graordinary something that happens. You know, people have called it all sorts of things, and I've had so many people say to me, what's the answer, you know, and you go, well, there's no real answer.
I mean, it's just something that.
You see that you go, oh my god, there is something extra there that is you don't see anywhere else. And not every actor has it. Not every actor has it. There's only some actors that have that real special something. It's that inequality that's there. Some people have called it animal quality or you know, there's been all sorts of names bandied around. I just think it's it's a passion. It's something that's there, you know. And these days a
lot of people think they can be actors. I mean, I mean I had years ago, I had one guy ring up and say, I really want to come in and see you because I really feel I could be an actor. I know inside me I'm an actor, and I'm oh, okay. And that time I was doing a lot of go sees. So we came in to see me and came in.
Sat down.
I said, well, you know, why do you do you feel you want to be an act said, I just know inside me I can be an actor. And he said I can, you know, he said, I can work it. He said, because I can, I can come from work and go to the studio and do the show and be home in time for dinner. I know you thought that half aus or on screen was all you had
to do. So we had no idea. And you know, I've done a lot of teaching as well at TV acting and it's interesting too because a lot of people think just because you can learn a few words, that's.
All there is to it. And some of them have said, oh, but this is this is really hard.
Well absolutely, you know it's not just learning a few lines and walking around. You know, there's a lot more to it. And they go, oh, oh, well it's too hard. It's too hard.
I you know, I just want to I just want to learn line. No. No.
So yeah, it's a couple of things. It's a couple of driving forces to making someone pop on television. I mean, yes, they have to be believable, but there has to be like a genuine element that we as an audience also can relate to. There has to be that transparence.
Yeah, it's that extra something that comes through the screen to the audience too. And I always say to the actors you must listen. Listen is the most important thing. And you don't just listen with your hearing, you listen physically as well. You know, you totally listen and it's like, you know, I say, like Morgan Freeman calls himself a listening actor, you know, I mean, he's quite extraordinary. And so what I said before is that extra quality is
what that comes through the screen. The warmth, you know, the warmth comes through the screen. That's what the audience love, and that's what they will believe because if people have that, if they're a bit nervous or scared or unsure of themselves, or they're insecure and all that sort of thing that shows up instantly on screen.
What did you look for when casting? Did you have a few touch points or a few key elements that you know, later on, when we look back, we go that is an actor that was cast by jan because they have these particular attributes.
I think so, because look at the ones that I've cast, Yeah, what.
Can I say? I mean, that's it, you know.
And as I said, even some of them that didn't go on to international sex like you knows, not an international zears, you know, like all the others, but some of them went onto success in other areas, which some of them became directors, you know, and some of them you know, became writers and you know, all other other areas, so that to me is fantastic as well. Some of them become producers of films and they've gone into the area of filmmaking and.
All of that. So I guess I did have a bit of a generous touch.
My favorite question to ask you is this one. What's the strangest way that people would try to get in front of you? Because everyone in Melbourne throughout the eighties and nineties wanted to sit down with jan They wanted to sit down with you. And yes, there was many means you could get an agent, you could do whatever. But you know what, some of the strangest ways that people tried to get in front of you.
I have a few of those stories.
Actually, I heard one fairly recently from Matt Norman and he said to me, he said, I wanted to get in to see you, he said, and uncle, he said, So I dressed up as a courier and went into reception and pretended that I had something for you, and I had to give it to you personally. So that was one story. An actor came in dressed up as God in the full God outfit and did one of those singing telegrams to me. People sent me a box of popcorn with their demo tape.
People sent me.
They used to send me a lot of presents, and you know, back then, I used to get champagne and flowers and all sorts of things, and a little box with legs sticking out saying I want to be on television. And then someone would send me a tin of mustard saying I'm as keen as mustard. And then there was a guy and a girl. They actually came in to see me one day and sitting in my office, and they started sort of arguing with each other, and I I thought, what's going on here?
And she's saying, have you got the keys? Got the keys?
But you have know I haven't got the keys. So this went on, this little band went on, and what's going on? Then suddenly he stood up. He took his jacket off, took his shirt off, took his pants off, standing there in red jocks, and I'm going people are walking past my office, going what is going on in there?
And he walked over to me. I think, I thought, oh God, what's going to happen now?
There was a little bit of paper sticking out of his job, which is indicated to me to take out, and so I took it out and it was an invitation to a play.
Oh my god.
He got dressed and I said, could you do that again because I missed it the first time.
That was quite funny. Yes, so yes, And I mean, you know, people used to write me the.
Most incredible letters, and I mean, yes, it was. It was amazing that it was someone who used to send me a present every week. It didn't matter what it was. They just would send me presents, you know.
And none of those people we have a cast, well some of.
Them were, some of them were, yes, yes, yes.
Was there anyone that you saw multiple times over the years before you found them a character?
Probably different ones?
I mean why not I any I auditioned Danny Jones at the same time as I did Kylie for that role, and when the character of Jane came up, I remembered auditioning Annie and I went, oh, I think she could be right for that role. So that happened there. Another one was I suppose it was some Daniel McPherson who his agent. I was in Sydney auditioning and his agent Ring said I've got this young guy. You know, I'd like you to see him, and I said, look, I
haven't got time. He said, oh, you know, you see him. I said, all right, I'll make time. Because I thought I would always think, you never know if you're missing out on something if you say no, so I'd always say yes, I will see them, even if I had a tiny area to fit them in.
And and so I.
Said, yes, okay, I'll see him. So Daniel came came out and I walked out into reception and then I thought, oh, this could be an interesting young man, and so I auditioned him. I came back to Melbourne and said, look, I've found this young guy. I think he's really something. I think we've got to do something with him. We've got to write him in somehow. So they said, yes, okay, we will. You will write him in. So they wrote him in. I think it was a few months later.
I actually rang him and said, okay, Daniel, you know you've.
Got the role. So that took you know, that took a while. So there are there are There are a couple of those.
And another one was Carla Bonna and I had actually cast another girl in the role, and we sort of went and she had a few personal problems and so we thought, we've just got to find someone else very quickly. So I thought of carl and I rang her agent and I said, you know, I need to see Carla now. He said, well, actually she's sitting right in front of me. I said, okay, bring her in. He said, she's got a kids with her. I said, I don't care, get her in to see me now. So that was that
was another another one. And then who's got Michaelson who was in the show. He introduced me to Holly Vera Lance and Nikola Charles.
That's yeah.
So it's it's interesting how that all happens. I mean with the Hemsworth boys, they the three boys actually Auditionton came.
You know, I've had the three boys in.
The show, and and sometimes their mum would come in with them, and she was lovely. She'd done a bit of acting too, and so she was always there, very supportive with her boys. And I remember with Liam, he was in the show, and he was in for a period of time, and then I had a call from his agent saying that Sylvester Stallone was maybe looking at Liam for a movie, and would I write a letter to Sylvester Stallone telling him about Liam, which I did,
so I wrote this letter to the Vesta Stlone. And although I don't believe Liam did get that movie, he did get another one later on. So there's lots of lots of those sort of interesting little stories that you know, suddenly pop into my head and I remember them.
Yeah, I also think, you know, the magic of casting for you was getting people to be quite genuine. As I mentioned before, more often than not, try and cast people on a soap like Neighbors where they're actually more well, quite close to who the characters are to a certain extent.
Yes, I always find that it's important. That's why I love personal auditions, not these self tapes, because you get to know the person. And that's important because you have to think, well, are they going to fit in with everybody else with their personality, because if that personality doesn't fit in with anybody else, there's going to be problems, and those problems show up on screen. So all that is, you know, it's it's it's much WHI than looking at someone with.
A pretty face and all of that. You've got to look beyond all of those.
There's so many things to look at, you know, And so I think all those things are important.
I started watching Neighbors with my mum when I was six years old, So in nineteen eighty six we watched it. And I'll tell you a funny story. Was the actress who played Daphne, what.
Was her name, oh, Elaine Smith.
Elaine Smith, and she was pregnant on the show and her character was and my mom said to me, you know, what do you think about this? And you know, do I know anything about pregnancy or anything? Anyway, my lines were blurred between reality and the show so very you know, I couldn't quite see it. So my mum banned me from watching Neighbors for twelve months. But the thing that stayed with me from this story was, you know, Neighbors
felt so authentic. It felt like you were literally spying on, well not spying on, but you're a fly on the wall on the street next door. And I think that came down to the accessibility of these characters and how much they felt real.
I mean, that's one of the things that I wanted to make sure that was imparted, because the audience needed to feel that they were a fly on the wall. And that's where it comes.
As I mentioned before, if you use well known people, well known faces, the audience can't really relate as that, you know, they've seen that personality, you're not totally believing. And back then, when you're talking about was when I was doing it all.
That was part of my purpose to make sure that the.
Audience really believed these people were actually living maybe in the television set, you know, or in their lounge room five nights a week. It wasn't some personality that they were looking at playing a role. And I think that's what you're talking about that made it all so real and believable, and that's what drew our audiences in and because they could associate so much of their lives in a way with what was happening on screen.
Casting towards the end of Neighbors has seen a lot of boxes being ticked, you know, with queer, indigenous, transgender disabilities. What were the conversations like back in the day when it came to you know, maybe these types of characters.
Well, you know, we did have people like that back then, and we did have a gay character as well back then, you know, but it was it was probably played a different.
Way, but you know, we did have that. So with people saying we didn't have it. You know, I just think it seems to be a lot of it all at once. That's happening, you know what I mean at the moment, and I think you've got to sort of spread these things out. But yeah, I mean we had a gay character back years ago and during the Jason and Guy, I mean, Tony Briggs was in it, you know who went on with the Sapphires and all that
sort of thing. He had great success with that because he wrote that, and we had a lot of different different nationalities, different ethnicities and different you know, it was probably not as diverse as what suddenly Neighbors has become, but it was there and it was all it was all just played nicely without any big deal about it.
And I think that was the thing that people just accepted it and didn't notice it, whereas now it's it's I think it's sort of been pushed a lot more and you go, no, you've always got to It's like an actor, you say, underplay, Darling, underplay, And I think if you push too hard as an actor, it doesn't work. And you pushed you hard with stories like that, it doesn't work either. As well as what it should. You know, as an actor, if you underplay, you get a much better performance.
Have you watched the last episodes of Neighbors?
Well, look, I haven't because I've had my family here from South Korea and I haven't seen them for nearly three years. And my grandsons are five and six, so they're into pokemon and cartoons and I can't drag them away. So it's really a bit it's tricky to try and watch the show. But I'll try and watch it this week, try and get away into another room and have it and watch it this week because I want to see some of the you know, let's see how it finishes up.
What are you going to do on Thursday night? You're going to pour a glass of champagne? Are you are going to invite Kylie minoguer around to watch the show with you? What's the plan?
No, I'd probably just sit quietly and say farewell and remember all the good times.
You know, while there's no denying Neighbors that's coming to an end. Could it ever be rebooted? And do you think you know, when you think about it being rebooted, you know, could it just start all over again in a different street sometime in the future.
I don't think you can ever try. And you know, I mean you look at the success of Kyline. Look how many tried to be another Kylie. There's one Kylie, and there's one show you cannot repeat. It just doesn't work. It's got to be another show totally different. It could be another show sitting in the street, you know, but not like two Neighbors. It will never be that same Neighbors again.
Well, Jen, My last question that I want to ask you is something I ask everyone who joins the podcast, no matter what show it is. What is something from behind the scenes that we're as an audience did not see that we will never see. That's kind of a behind the scenes secret from your time working on Neighbors.
Oh, I don't know, that's interesting. I did say that one thing about waiting for the moment of when the change over from seven to ten. I used to love going into the green room back then because you'd have a guy I'd be there, maybe strumming on a guitar, and you know, I remember Jason had been on his skateboard up and down the passageways and the and the studio, and everybody would be sort of there having to chat and sitting around and back then there was a good
camaraderie with the with the actors. Everybody got on so well, you know, and we had some we had some great parties. We did have some great parties. Some of the things I can't talk about.
That's all we want to know, that's what we want to know.
I'd get sued. Hey, hey, read the book.
Yeah, everybody.
I've had so many people say to me, you know, you should write the book.
You should.
So, you know, people have been on me again recently, you know, because you know, maybe my time on EF I don't know how long, and and.
So get it all out, you know, and then nobody will be able to sue me.
Yeah, get it all lockdown. I'm sure you've heard. You know, there's TV lovers that would love for you to write that book. And you know, there's so many people in your audience.
I've got a lot of notes from over the years.
I just want to say to you. I just want to say to you, thank you so much for your contribution with Neighbors. Neighbors is such a huge part of the fabric of Australian television and you were so iconic and your passion and your belief was evident in every series that you ever worked on, and I just feel so honored to be able to sit here and have this conversation. And also you should also hear the iconic jam laugh, which i'd heard about, so this is being quite quite the moment.
I've never heard that one before.
I always heard that. You know, I've got friends that have worked on the show over the years that you'd cast, and people often talked about your laugh and your infectious laughs. So yeah, it's a signature movie that you didn't even know you had exactly exactly.
Oh that's lovely to know. Thank you, Darling. It's been an absolute joy and pleasure.