Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson, 'Neighbours')
Paul Robinson has had something of a rollercoaster year after losing his memory, his shares in Lassiters and girlfriend Rebecca. Still, landing the role as editor of Erinsborough News should keep him occupied for at least two weeks... With filming winding down for the Christmas break and Stefan Dennis preparing his beach bag to spend the festive season by the sea, we gave the actor a ring to see how life is for the ever-popular Paul Robinson.
The year's big storyline for Paul was his memory loss. Is he a changed man?
"Yes he is, he's changed back to where he was 18 odd years ago. What he has become is the same Paul he was back then when he was a very ambitious young entrepreneur with Lassiters and Robinson Corporation. But the difference now is that he is older and wiser and therefore a lot more shrewd and a lot more careful. Post brain tumour, he is no longer evil, more ruthless than evil. Ruthless with a conscience and emotion."
There are occasional hints that he may return to his old ways. Is that fair to say?
"Oh yeah! I like to keep that boiling under the surface so that the audience will always think 'what is he up to next?'. You never quite know if he will burst out into Mr. Evil or stay as the character he is at the moment. Alan Fletcher (Karl) keeps it alive as well, by always looking out the corner of his eye and thinking 'I just don't trust you!'"
He's not been left with many allies on the street. Who would stand by him?
"Elle would definitely be the one to stand by him. Not Rebecca at the moment as they are not together. But definitely Elle. As much as all the terrible things they have done to each other, they are blood, so she is the one who cares most in the world about him. Otherwise, someone left of centre, like Toadie or Harold if he was still there, just because of the history."
Even after trying to strangle him?
"That was a moment of insanity on Harold's side - Paul was indirectly responsible for killing his family. If Harold had strangled Paul and killed him, he would have gotten off a murder rap because he could plead insanity."
What are the chances of Paul and Rebecca getting back together?
"Right at the moment, as we speak, absolutely zilcho! None at all, b*gger all! But that doesn't mean that next week they wont be together. I'm not allowed to divulge too much, but I have been in constant contact with the writers recently about the storyline. Its an ongoing thing and its going to take a lot of little windy turns along the road."
How might their relationship develop?
"I want to see Paul and Rebecca be like Ange and Dirty Den. I think Rebecca is capable of that. She plays a fiery character and is a very strong. Paul needs somebody who is absolutely there for him and adores him, but will take no s**t from him and stand up and fight as hard as she does."
Paul has had quite a history with the women, hasn't he?
"When he was Mr. Evil, the women were just toys. The Lynne story was quite sincere, but he had the good sense on the day of the wedding to tell her that he was no good. So he obviously cared about Lynne, but then she came back and haunted him."
Which relationship was the most fiery?
"The Paul and Izzy relationship was fantastic, it was very popular. Izzy was an interesting character because she was very emotional and insecure. That's what drove her evil ways. She had a bit of a soulmate in Paul, but it couldn't work in the end because they would just destroy each other."
Do you get the same sort of attention from the ladies as Paul in real life?
"Yes and no, as I've got older it has died down a bit. It was manic 15 years ago - a lot of female adulation happening there. These days its a bit more gentle, probably as I attract the 30-somethings now who are a little cooler and more sedate. Saying that, I am doing music gigs again and I was at a show the other night and the place was filled with 18 to 25-year-olds screaming. I thought that's not so bad. If I was single, man oh man!!"
There are rumours going round you may be leaving. How true are these?
"I don't have any plans to leave in the foreseeable future. I'm very happy working on the show and I know it sounds clichéd, but Paul really is a multi-dimensional character to play and I have so much fun with him. I enjoy the fact I have a full-time job but would like to try other things alongside Neighbours. I'd love to be able to a film or another show every year to satisfy my thirst as an actor."
Neighbours airs weekdays on Five at 5.30pm and is repeated on Fiver at 7pm
Neighbours: Stefan Dennis on Paul stories, Rebecca return and more
Neighbours' last remaining original cast member Stefan Dennis has interesting times ahead on screen this year as show bosses continue to delve into Ramsay Street's past.
The actor's character Paul Robinson will come face-to-face with his ex-partner Rebecca (Jane Hall) in a few weeks' time as she returns for a guest stint, while his nephew Daniel - son of Scott and Charlene - will be joining Erinsborough as a new regular.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Stefan for a chat about what's in store for Paul in Neighbours' 29th year.
Paul is showing his bad side at the moment in his election campaign against Karl. What has the story been like to play?
"It's always interesting to play Paul's bad side. I'm an actor so I'll play whatever's thrown at me, but I think any actor will tell you that it's more fun to play the villain or the baddie. There's a lot more scope and a lot more light and shade that can be explored. Obviously I'm very familiar with Paul and his dreadful ways, so I get to have a lot of fun playing around with it!"
A lot of fans like Paul's bad side but others prefer his softer moments. How easy is it to strike the right balance?
"I think Paul these days isn't a villain as such. People brand him as a villain, but I think he's just a bit of a cad who steps over people to get his own way. He's also very controlling these days. The older Paul gets, the more controlling he becomes - especially with his family.
"In Paul's mind he's not controlling anyone, as he thinks that he's protecting the people around him. That's what is at the back of Paul's mind all the time, but the rest of the world doesn't see it that way! That means he gets on the wrong side of just about everybody.
"I actually had a Twitter message the other day from someone who said they wanted to see Paul turn good again, but my answer was, 'You're in the minority unfortunately!'"
Should the local residents be worried about what Paul could have in store for them?
"You will have seen recently Paul really turning the tables on Terese and making her look like the bad guy when she'd done nothing wrong, so there's an example of how corrupt Paul's going to be and how he'll use his power if he does become mayor. He would use the power to his benefit. I'm sure he cares about the community too, but his main aim will be to use the power to his advantage."
There's been lots of speculation about Paul and Terese's rows. Do you think there could be romantic potential between them?
"We're in a soap here, so never say never! At the moment though, and certainly for the foreseeable future, the answer is definitely not. They do have a little bit of a love/hate relationship and I think deep down Paul very much respects Terese for her business acumen and ability to manage. He also respects her ability to stand up to him. Paul likes a fighter - he doesn't like weak people.
"There's a lot of tension between them, but there's also been moments when they've come together quite well. There's also been people here in Australia asking me whether Terese and Paul are going to get together. I suppose that's another family that Paul could break up - he's good at that! (Laughs.)"
Would you like Paul to have another love interest?
"It's interesting, because I actually spoke to the producers when Paul's relationship with Rebecca fell through, and I asked whether he'd have a relationship with anybody else in the near future. They said no and I told them that was good to hear, because I didn't think that Paul should be involved in any long-term serious relationship for quite some time. If he had done, it would have looked like Paul's love for Rebecca wasn't all that genuine.
"What they've got across really well is that Paul was very deeply in love with Rebecca. She was the second true love of his life - the first one being Gail. Paul was absolutely devastated when Rebecca walked out on his life. I'd say that he's going to be an unhappy bachelor for a little while yet."
Jane Hall and Stefan Dennis and Rebecca and Paul Robinson
© Channel 5
Rebecca and Paul Robinson
What can we expect from Rebecca's return this year?
"Fireworks definitely! It will allude very much towards what I've just been saying about Paul and his love for Rebecca. Without giving too much away, let's just say that Paul - in his very shrewd and scheming way - actually orchestrates a whole scenario to bring Rebecca back. You'll actually be quite surprised when you find out what he's done and why he's done it…"
Melissa Bell has also returned for stints as Lucy recently. Would you like to see her back permanently?
"Oh yeah, definitely! It's always great when you get close to a cast member on the show and they come back. It was the same when Jane Hall came back as Rebecca - it was absolutely fantastic working with her again, and the same goes for Melissa.
"When Melissa first came back, she'd been away for such a long time, so I think she felt a little bit like a fish out of water for the first couple of weeks. I did my damndest to make her feel at home, as did other cast members who knew her, but you've got to remember that she really only knew myself and Tom Oliver.
"Once Melissa came back second time round, she was a lot more comfortable. My understanding is that they are going to keep bringing her back. Whether they'll bring her back for longer periods I don't know, but in theory she's Paul's boss now. It's quite funny to have Paul's little sister as his boss!"
How involved have you been in the casting process for Scott and Charlene's son Daniel?
"Very much involved! I was involved in two castings towards the end of last year - one was for the character of Daniel, and the other was for a female character who's also not on screen yet. They wanted the chemistry to be right with those characters, so I think it was very sensible for the producer and the casting director to call myself and a couple of the other cast members in to be involved in that process."
We know that Ashleigh Brewer (Kate) finished filming recently. Were you sad to see her go?
"Definitely - we became very close. Kate became like a surrogate daughter to Paul even though she was his niece. Ashleigh is such a sweet girl, and I know actors always say this about other actors, but she was fantastic to work with. Ashleigh leaves a big hole in the green room, but we're still in contact and I was talking to her on Skype just the other day!"
Late last year it was announced that Jason Herbison is the new producer of Neighbours, so how does it feel to have a new boss?
"Jason is fantastic and he's been involved with the show for a very long time. He was head storyliner for a few years, so in a way you couldn't get a better producer because he knows the show inside and out and has a great passion for it.
"Richard Jasek, who was the previous executive producer, was also really, really brilliant for the show. He had Neighbours at heart and liaised closely with Greg Barnett, who's the commissioning editor overseeing Neighbours at Channel 5. They'd contact each other across the world in the middle of the night to make sure that everything was working well. It's big shoes for Jason to fill, but he's doing it really well.
"We've also got Laurence Wilson working as associate producer now. He's basically taken over the producer's role and Jason has taken over the executive producer's role, even though different titles are being used now."
Are you sticking with Neighbours for the long haul?
"I have to say that I still love the job. The actor in me is always screaming out to do something else, but I'm very fortunate as I am still able to do other things. I get to do a bit of stage here and there and also some short films with mates. It's very difficult for me to get out of the show for any length of time, but I've got a 'time out' clause in my contract and the producers understand that.
"The good thing about Neighbours' production company Fremantle now is that they're becoming so big in the drama side of things. It's got to the stage now where they're starting to use people from Neighbours in their other shows, which is great for us as actors.
"In the past, you'd have to leave the show to do something else, but now it's possible to go off and do something else while still remaining in the show. But to answer your question, at the moment I've got three children and a nice existence that I need to finance, so I'm quite happy staying where I am for the moment!"