Neighbours bids farewell to a popular character on UK screens next week as Chris Pappas departs Erinsborough after splitting from his boyfriend Nate Kinski.
Chris heads off to New York after Nate is finally honest with him about his true feelings, admitting that he doesn't want to be part of Chris's parenting arrangement with Lucy Robinson now that she is expecting his baby.
In real life, actor James Mason chose to bow out from his role as Chris last year to pursue other career opportunities. Digital Spy recently caught up with him for his first chat about his exit and future career plans.
How are you feeling now that your time on Neighbours has come to an end?
"It's a lot of mixed emotions! I finished up in December, so I've been away from Neighbours for three months now. I had a five-year journey on the show and it was one that I never foresaw when I first started. It was a really amazing time there.
"Looking back now, I miss the people, the work, the experiences and everything about Neighbours. It was very sad to end that big part of my life after five years, but at the same time, I'm really excited to be out in the world and looking forward towards the next project."
Chris's departure from the show plays out on screen in quite an open-ended way. Is there a chance we could see him back?
"I think there's always a possible chance, as we've just seen with the 30th anniversary which had lots of characters coming back. I like to think that I'm a special part of the show, as is everybody else who has come through Neighbours in its time. Chris is one of the lucky ones that hasn't died in Erinsborough, so he could well and truly come back.
"It is open-ended and I wouldn't rule out ever returning, it just depends on other factors. I've heard there were a couple of people who really wanted to come back for the 30th anniversary but couldn't for contractual reasons and things like that, so it does just depend on timing and what production have in store."
Was there a part of you that was sad to see Chris's relationship with Nate break down?
"Yeah, I think there was! I guess everybody wants to see the happy ending if that's ever possible, but unfortunately it was one of those times when it didn't work out that way. Chris obviously leaves Erinsborough for great reasons because he's essentially leaving to be part of his child's upbringing, so it's a bittersweet departure.
"Unfortunately it didn't work out with Nate and Chris, so I guess it wasn't your typical 'skip off into the sunset' ending. But hopefully Chris is off somewhere having a great time, finding new love and doing everything that he needs to do."
Did you enjoy exploring the baby storyline with Melissa Bell (Lucy) and Meyne Wyatt (Nate)?
"Yeah, it was such an intertwined storyline. Throughout the whole story, Chris was really playing tug-of-war with Nate and Lucy and trying to keep everyone's best interests at heart - including his own. It was really fun to be part of that story because it was filled with so much content and it spanned over a vast period of time as well, which is always nice.
"I really enjoyed working with Melissa. She keeps coming back into the show and I hope she continues to. I would consider her royalty of Neighbours, so it was an honour to work with her. Her character also brought something completely new to Chris's life. It's always great to get something new to play with and Melissa definitely brought that.
"Meyne also brought a lot to the role of Nate that was very different to Bob Morley and Remy Hii as Aidan and Hudson, so again, it's great to have a different dynamic. It was fantastic to work with Meyne for my final few months on the show."
Chris will always have a legacy as the first regular gay character on Neighbours. Are you proud of everything you've achieved with the role and the impact he's made?
"Absolutely. It's made more of an impact than I ever imagined and I really owe that to the people who were working on the show at the time that Chris was introduced. Susan Bower, who was executive producer at that point, really gambled with that. It was unfortunately a big-risk storyline, especially at the time.
"What's interesting is that when I first started on the show, as far as I was aware, I was only going to be there for two weeks! I thought, 'What could they possibly do with this character in two weeks that's going to make a massive change in Australian television?!' Little did I know that five years later I'd be taking my steps out the door!
"When Chris was first introduced, they were very conscious of exploring his story in a truthful and real way, but also a sensitive way. It's one of those things where you have to build it up, look at the audience reaction and see how they're taking to it.
"Another great thing is that some of Chris's stories came personally from the stories of the writers. One in particular, Paul Gartside, pretty much is the soul behind Chris. I'm very grateful to him for what he's been able to give me to work with. I haven't been in this situation myself, so for him and others to bring their realities to the character definitely helped."
Are you glad you had the chance to be part of the 30th anniversary before you left?
"Definitely - it was really great to be part of the milestone. I was lucky enough to come into Neighbours just before the 25th anniversary, which really shows the length of my time there and also the capacity of Neighbours as it's still going strong after all this time.
"For the 30th, it was really fun to meet some of the masterminds behind the original characters and to welcome some back. Obviously there were also some faces that I knew from not so long ago, like Scott Major and Alin Sumarwata, who play Lucas and Vanessa.
"More recently there have been some 30th celebrations among the cast and crew and I was a little bit sad that I wasn't there for that as I'm not in Australia at the moment, but I know that I'll get back to the set at some stage and say hi to everyone.
"Neighbours was a big part of my life and it will always be very special to me. I owe the show a lot, as they've essentially given me a career and something to work with here. I definitely would be in a very different place right now if those guys hadn't come into my life, so I'm very grateful for what they've given to me."
We know that you've been out in LA since leaving, so have you enjoyed that experience?
"Definitely. I do have to go back home in about four weeks from now due to my visa requirements, but it's been fantastic in all aspects. From an industry perspective, it's been my first time out here auditioning and looking for work. It's been a great learning experience and there's been some great things coming my way. It's also been a good chance to see how Los Angeles works as a town and get a cultural point of view as well.
"There are also lots of Australians out here too, and they really make you feel that there's a little bit of home here! It's been an amazing experience from all angles, really."
Are you expecting to keep in touch with many of your colleagues?
"Oh yeah, of course - most of the cast and crew I think! Unfortunately we're in an industry where everyone is moving around and you're not always going to be in the same town as everybody, but here in Los Angeles there are former cast members and you see them around. It's really great and a novelty to see somebody in a completely different town and be able to appreciate your work history together.
"I'll definitely keep in touch with a lot of people, and you do see people on other jobs too. The industry can be pretty small in some ways, so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing some familiar faces around."
Will you think carefully about the next role or just go where the work is?
"I think it's a bit of both! I'm approaching it from a very careful angle, as I'm very conscious of what kind of roles I want to pick up. I'd love to take on projects that are going to benefit me as an actor for my career and also attract my general interest. There are going to be things out there I'm really interested in, some things I'm maybe not so interested in, but I'm also conscious that I can't be too fussy at this stage with turning down roles!
"Another point of view is that I want to be doing things that benefit the audience as well. I have a strong belief in using media as a strong platform for education and getting through certain messages, so I'm very conscious of that as well. It's a case of taking it step by step and when something comes at me, I'll weigh up the options of whether it's worth a go or not."
After five years playing a nice guy, would you like to play a nasty character at some point?
"Yeah, maybe I'll come back as the new Paul Robinson one day! (Laughs.) For sure - I'd like to see the different hats I could put on by trying things that challenge me. At the end of the day, for both myself and others, I don't want to be seen as the guy who can only play one character.
"I'm very adamant that I'm going to give different things a shot, so maybe the next thing will be completely different to Chris in terms of style and character. I have played Chris for the last five years so it'd be lovely to get out there and see where I land."
The Neighbours producers didn't announce your exit beforehand, so it may have surprised some fans when it aired in Australia last week. What kind of reaction have you seen?
"I think it's a very unorthodox exit! For the weeks prior to me leaving, I was counting down the weeks until I read my last scene. I have a little folder where I keep all my scripts, so when I did get to the last page I thought, 'Wow that's it, there's going to be no more coming'. It was really emotional, but it wasn't a big huge storyline or a cliffhanger - it's a really standard exit. I read it and said, 'Wow, that's it, that's Chris and he's gone'.
"The funny thing is that it's very open - much more open than most other characters' exits. When I started thinking about it, I realised that's life, isn't it? Sometimes you go away and you leave and it's not always a big thing - sometimes life is just open-ended. I like that it's very different and very lifelike. It's an ease-out and we'll see what happens - Chris could come back and we don't know.
"Chris's exit is obviously going to get a different reaction from the audience compared to Kate's death, for example, where that was final and everybody knew that she wasn't coming back - well, apart from a few who still have hope! (Laughs.) I guess at first there's going to be a few people wondering if Chris will return. There's been a few nice messages from fans, and as more people realise that I have left the show, they'll realise that Chris won't be coming back anytime soon.
"There hasn't been much publicity surrounding Chris's exit, but that was kind of the point from the Neighbours perspective - they always try to hold off until the end to stop the storylines from being ruined."
Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans who have supported you for the last five years?
"I can't thank people enough for the support that they've shown me and my character, but also the show as a whole. It was so interesting starting out playing this character, because I had no idea where we were going or how the audience were going to respond. The feedback has just been great and every time someone approaches me in the street or sends me a tweet, it reinforces the fact that I made the right decision in taking this on.
"I say it all the time, but it's the fans who keep us in work and without the fans there would be no show. The way I see it is that I owe everything to Neighbours and especially Chris Pappas, because if the character didn't get a warm welcome in the beginning, I probably wouldn't have walked out of there last year - I would have been gone long ago!
"I also thank everybody for their true emotions, as people often speak to me and say that these storylines have affected them personally because of them going through similar things. For me that's the most important thing - being able to relate to these characters as if they're really human, which is as it should be. That's something really special."
Neighbours airs Chris's exit on Friday, April 10 at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5.
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Originally Posted by Perdita
