Neighbours: James Mason on Chris's family woes, future romance
Neighbours mechanic Chris Pappas has been brought back to the forefront of the soap this week with a new family-centric storyline for the character.
Chris's neighbour Sonya Rebecchi is currently trying to help his mum Patricia (Katerina Kotsonis) after learning that she has a secret gambling addiction. However, Sonya's efforts have brought her into conflict with Chris, who doesn't know the full story and believes that she is trying to expose his own secret over Hudson.
As the storyline continues over the next few weeks, viewers will also see George Pappas (Lliam Amor) return to screens as he must deal with the big secrets that his wife and son have been keeping from him.
James Mason, who plays Chris, recently caught up with Digital Spy to discuss the new storyline and share some gossip on where things are heading for his character in the longer-term.
How did you feel about Chris's family being brought back into Neighbours?
"I was really happy. Chris is actually the only character on the Street at the moment who isn't related to anybody else, except of course for Mark Brennan who has recently come back with us. I really enjoy working with Lliam who plays Chris's dad George and Kat who plays his mum Patricia. There's a great bond and relationship that I have with both of the actors because they're such great people to work with.
"When somebody joins the show who your character is related to, you know that there has to be a certain chemistry which is different to any friendship. For me that's something that has been scarce over my time on the show, so I'm always happy to work on a storyline that's a little bit different. It's not up to me, but I'd love to have Chris's parents on board full-time if we could."
We'll see Chris discover his mum's secret next week. Before that, does he have any inkling that Patricia has been hiding something?
"Chris has no idea that this has been an issue for Patricia. She's been hiding her gambling addiction not just from Chris but also from George for the past 20 years. That's all of Chris's life and the majority of Patricia's marriage with George. It's something that's really big and something that nobody has expected at all.
"For Chris there was no reason to ever think that this was a possibility, but it all starts to unravel once Sonya starts to meddle in his business…"
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Chris tells Sonya to butt out of his life.
© Channel 5
Chris's recent row with Sonya
We'll see Chris continue to get quite angry with Sonya, won't we?
"Yes. Because Chris is so oblivious to any issues with his mum, the only thing that he can see is that Sonya is meddling with his relationship with his parents. From Chris's perspective, Sonya is threatening to tell his parents about Hudson being in jail.
"Chris just doesn't see it coming that Patricia has a gambling addiction and that this is the reason for Sonya's behaviour, because he's so caught up in his own dramas. Also from Patricia's perspective, she doesn't see it coming that Hudson is in jail, because she's caught up with her problems. Chris and Patricia are both doing the exact same thing - there's two storylines going on at the same time where they're both lying to each other."
Would you say Chris is being unfair with his attitude towards Sonya, or is she overstepping the mark?
"Well, I've got to be biased and say that I think Sonya is definitely overstepping it! From my perspective as an actor, I obviously understand where Sonya is coming from and that makes perfect sense. But from Chris's perspective, he doesn't understand because he doesn't know that there's another side to the story.
"Chris just sees that Sonya is meddling in his business and he's really quite shocked at why she's suddenly so interested in his life. She's only known Patricia for five minutes, but all of a sudden she's trying to contact her all the time. Chris constantly tells her that it's not her business, but by her going against that, he feels a bit betrayed. He loses a lot of trust in Sonya because of that."
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Patricia confesses her secret to Chris
© Channel 5
Patricia confesses her secret next week
Eve Morey (Sonya) is one of the best actresses on Neighbours, but you hadn't worked with her much before this. Were you glad to finally get a storyline with her?
"Yeah, definitely. Eve is fantastic and I definitely agree - she's one of my favourite actresses in Australian television. She delivers such an energy to a scene and she brings these little nuances that make her stand out. Getting to work with that first-hand is special, because I think that it brings something out in me as well.
"Eve's had a lot of experience, so to pick up a bit of how she works is really essential for me in a job like this. I think if younger actors can come into Neighbours and take something away from the more experienced cast members, that's such a great way to learn - you're learning from the best there is out there."
When George is back on screen, how will he react to Patricia's secret?
"About as well as when Chris told his parents that he's gay! That's what both Chris and Patricia are fearful of - George's reaction. Chris has just got to a point now where he's started to craft a really nice relationship with his dad. I think that's part of the reason why Chris has not told his parents sooner about Hudson being in jail.
"Now on top of that there's a problem with Patricia, so it's like a double whammy for George, really. Chris and Patricia are both scared that George won't react very well to their secrets and that it could destroy the peace in the family."
Further on down the line, Neighbours have promised that we'll see Remy Hii back on screen as Hudson. What can we expect from those scenes?
"Hudson is still in jail, so there are some more scenes coming up at the prison. There will be some resolution between Chris, his parents and Hudson. Obviously Chris and Hudson are still dating and they haven't finished their relationship, so there's no end at this point and it leaves it open.
"I think the producers love Remy so much, so they don't want to create an end at this point. But I guess the thing about Neighbours is that there's always the chance to bring back characters no matter what happens, so in the future I think they'd love to bring Remy back for even more scenes. It just depends on what his plans are and what his availability is."
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Chris visits Hudson in prison.
© Channel 5
Chris and Hudson
Neighbours' new producer Jason Herbison has said that one of his priorities for this year is to find a more permanent love interest for Chris. Are you pleased with that?
"Definitely. I've spoken to Jason myself and I think it's really great. At the end of the day, Chris's relationships need to be put against anyone else's on the Street. At this stage, Chris has only ever had relationships that last for about three months - about the length of a guest actor's contract! (Laughs.)
"I think it's really important that Chris now finds a stable relationship - not only for the character, but also to show that gay people can have long relationships.
"Another thing for me as an actor is that having someone come in for three months can be limiting. You get to do some great work, but the next challenge for me would be to work with someone for a lot longer and create a prolonged relationship. I think it'll be great for the character and I hope the audience respond positively to that."
A picture was recently released online as a bit of a teaser, showing Chris in a hospital gown! Can you give us any hints on what's wrong?
"There's a big event coming up shortly and it involves Chris quite heavily. Chris gets closely involved in the story for good reasons - and this is where his courage really comes out, which is really nice.
"Chris really stands up and delivers, but unfortunately during the event he winds up in hospital… There's mixed emotions throughout the story - there's a lot of hurt and guilt. But it does lead to some happiness - it just takes a while!"
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© Instagram / @neighbourstv
Chris in hospital
Chris's housemate Sheila Canning will be reunited with her daughter Naomi soon. Are there many Chris and Naomi scenes coming up?
"We've only had a couple so far, but I've been speaking to the writers and the producers and they really want to create a relationship between Naomi and Chris. I guess it's quite reminiscent of Tash and Chris, so it'll be a light and fun friendship. I really hope that's the way it goes.
"Morgana [O'Reilly] who plays Naomi is such a great actress who brings a great energy and a lot of fun to the show. She's so funny, and Chris and Naomi are the perfect pairing. Naomi is this wild, crazy woman and I suppose you would say Chris is the handbag! When she first comes in, there's a lot of stuff with Naomi and Sheila and also Naomi and Kyle. Once she's settled in, hopefully we'll have some more stuff together."
Neighbours will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. Would you still like to be part of the show for that?
"Definitely. It's such a special time for this show. Every five years marks a real milestone for Neighbours. I remember being at the 25th anniversary and it was just such a hype. I'm so proud of the show for lasting this long, and to be part of something like that is so special. You don't want to miss out on something like that, so I'd definitely love to be a part of that celebration."
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