Nate Kinski (Meyne Wyatt)

[Perdita]

Meyne Wuatt has joined the cast of Neighbours.

Wyatt will become the first indigenous actor to join the main cast of the Australian soap opera in a substantial role since the show began broadcasting in 1985.

Meyne Wyatt
© fickr/BelvoirSt
Meyne Wyatt

The actor will star as Nate Kinski, a non-indigenous recurring character who has loose ties to Susan and Karl Kennedy. Susan was once married to Nate's uncle.

The soap's first indigenous character was played by Tony Briggs, who starred briefly alongside Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce on the show in 1987 and 1988.

The news of Wyatt's appointment comes shortly after Fairfax Media published a report declaring Australian theatre and television industries "whitebread", deploring a lack of diversity.

The show's series producer Jason Herbison said that the casting of Wyatt was not a reaction to the report.

He said in a statement: "While cultural diversity is definitely important, in cases where we don't need a specific ethnic background, our brief to agents is to put forward their best people and that was the case for this character.

"Meyne is an exceptional young award-winning actor and very much on the radar of casting directors. We feel very privileged to have him join our regular cast. From his first audition, we knew we had found the best actor for the role."

Wyatt has begun filming for the show in Melbourne.

Neighbours' Sonya Rebecchi will lose her temper and slap Naomi Canning later this month after discovering that she tried to kiss her husband Toadie.

[Bouncer's Ghost]

Tenuous connection or what???!? Ugh, I hope this Kinski isn't as annoying as the others!

[Perdita]

Neighbours welcomes new recruit Meyne Wyatt to the regular cast on UK screens next week as he takes on the role of Nate Kinski.

Nate is the nephew of the late Alex Kinski, who was once married to Susan Kennedy. He comes to stay with Susan and Karl for a brief visit but ends up sticking around for longer than planned.

In his early days in Erinsborough, Nate is reserved and secretive around the locals but soon starts to open up about his troubled past. Viewers can also expect him to find romance with existing regular Chris Pappas, played by James Mason.

Digital Spy recently chatted to Meyne for an insight into Nate and the character's early storylines.

How have you found your time on the show so far?
"It's been a great experience. I've really been thankful for the opportunity to be part of a show that's been around for almost 30 years. Neighbours is a bit of an institution in itself, so I've really embraced the opportunity. Everyone on the show is lovely and it's been a really fun time so far."

What was the audition process like?
"I put down a self-tape and sent it through to the casting agent at Neighbours. After that initial audition, I was asked to do another self-tape so they could see my range. My first audition had been quite dramatic, so for this second one they wanted to see a lighter side.

"Afterwards they flew me down from Sydney to Melbourne to do a call-back. I was working with James Mason in that audition and we went through a scene together. I got a call a week later to say that I had the job, so everything went from there."

What can we expect from Nate?
"Nate is a bit of a mystery man! Once he comes to Erinsborough, he becomes the unpredictable element in the cast. He could be misunderstood, but once some secrets are revealed about his background, you can gain an understanding of why he does the things he does. But before that, he's definitely a man of mystery."

Why does he come to Ramsay Street?
"You'll find out that he's attending a friend's funeral, so that's why he's come to Erinsborough."

Nate is very reserved around Susan and Karl at first. Will he build up a strong bond with them in time?
"Yeah, Nate's background is eventually revealed to Karl and Susan and they'll gain an understanding into his behaviour. He especially confides in Susan, who becomes a mother figure to Nate. They build up a really good friendship and it's a really tight bond between those two. Susan becomes an unofficial counsellor for Nate, so there'll be a nice relationship between the two of them."

What are Alan Fletcher (Karl) and Jackie Woodburne (Susan) like to work with?
"They're the utmost professionals and such lovely people as well. I'm pretty sure Alan Fletcher is Doctor Karl - I can't tell where one ends and the other begins! He's a pretty funny guy and he's a bit of a joker on set who wants to sing a lot! Jackie is really great as well. She's a really good acting partner and a really generous actor to work with."

What can we expect from the Nate and Chris storyline?
"From the get-go, there's an instant connection and attraction between Nate and Chris. They start to build up a friendship and then a relationship starts to flourish from there.

"As they go along, they go through ups and downs. That's because Chris has his cards all out on the table, while Nate likes to hold his cards close to his chest. He doesn't really reveal much about his personal feelings, but there's definitely a bond which you can see lasting for a while on the show."

How will Nate feel about Chris considering having a baby with Lucy?
"It's definitely something that Nate and Chris are going to have to discuss and it's going to be interesting. From what I've seen so far, Nate has been quite open to Chris about how he feels about it, because he is a bit hesitant. Despite that, Nate lets Chris deal with it because it's his own decision - but it'll be interesting to find out how that affects their relationship down the track."

What is James like to work with?
"James is really great. He's another professional and quite a funny guy as well. He likes to crack jokes and mess around on set, but he still takes the work seriously. James is a young, hungry actor who really wants to do well. He does his homework, makes sure he knows his lines and he comes on set looking to work."

How are you expecting the viewers to respond to Nate?
"I think at first they're going to see Nate as a bit of a closed-off, short-tempered character. They're going to see a real darkness there, but as he goes along, you find out more about him and understand where he comes from. After that, you'll also see the lighter side to him as well.

"Nate is quite a complex character. He's a guy who's been through some really tough things, so I hope that people will be able to see a full person rather than just a black and white character."

Is acting what you've always wanted to do?
"When I was in primary school and high school, I always acted and did drama. I knew that I was alright at it and wasn't too bad, so I wanted to see how it went. But as I was leaving school, I was actually going into broadcasting and sports journalism because I wanted to be a sports commentator.

"In the end, a one-year theatre course came up. From there, I auditioned for an acting school and I got in. After I finished acting school, it opened up opportunities for me to work in the industry. Things have gone from there and I've been fortunate enough to be a consistent working actor."

We've heard that you've recently finished filming a movie called Strangerland with Nicole Kidman. Was that a career highlight?
"Yeah, I think it's probably the biggest credit on my CV. I was working with three heavyweights in that film - Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes. These guys' careers speak for themselves, so it was a really good opportunity. I got to work with each of them one-on-one and discover each of their particular processes while acting.

"They were all lovely people, so it was a great opportunity and a great experience. I also had an interesting character and they were all really generous and really supportive."

We've spotted that you're on Twitter (@meynewyatt) but haven't said anything yet! When can we expect your first tweet?
"Yes, I am on Twitter but I haven't made the first move yet! Once I've got something interesting to say I'll start getting onto it. I opened it up to see what the buzz around Twitter was. When I've got something to say, maybe you'll see something from me!"

[lizann]

a nice romance for chris, he needs one that will last

[Perdita]

Neighbours newcomer Meyne Wyatt has spoken to Digital Spy about the secret that his character Nate Kinski has been keeping.

Nate makes his first appearance on UK screens next week and soon leaves the Ramsay Street locals intrigued with some unusual behaviour.

However, this week's episodes airing in Australia have already explored more of Nate's background with the revelation that he is an ex-soldier who served in Afghanistan.

Nate's storyline will explore how the traumatic experiences from his past have had a long-term impact on him and how this could affect his chances of settling down in Erinsborough.

Speaking to Digital Spy about the story, Wyatt explained: "This was the challenge when I first went up to audition for the character of Nate. It was one of the things that I was really interested in exploring.

"For an actor, these are the kinds of things that can be exciting to delve into. You really want to be truthful and make sure you're doing the issue justice, because there are people who experience these disorders in real life.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder is quite serious, so I made sure I did my research. I wanted to explore this character and I really wanted to take this opportunity."

Nate has been introduced as a new love interest for Chris Pappas, but their relationship will also be affected by the newcomer's past.

One upcoming episode sees Nate cross the line by angrily shoving Chris against a wall when he starts asking questions about Afghanistan, leaving Chris questioning their future together.

Discussing the reasons for Nate's short fuse, Wyatt continued: "I think it's a number of things. Some of the experiences that he's been through in Afghanistan and some of the emotions that he's burying are starting to come to the surface.

"Issues from Nate's past are starting to affect his new life. He's trying to hold back, but it's coming out and he doesn't know how to rectify it."

[Perdita]

Neighbours newcomer Nate Kinski will be ordered to leave the Kennedy family home after he loses his temper with Susan.

Nate, played by Meyne Wyatt, will leave Susan shaken by turning nasty with her after a difficult day.

The problems arise when Nate meets Patricia Pappas - mother of his boyfriend Chris - for the first time and she doesn't warm to him.

Patricia's doubts about Nate soon rub off on Chris, who also begins to question how committed the former soldier really is to their relationship.

With Nate feeling hurt by Chris's lack of faith in him, he takes his frustrations out on an obnoxious driver, before later losing it with Susan (Jackie Woodburne) when she tries to calm him down.

When Karl (Alan Fletcher) discovers what happened, he insists that Nate has to leave Number 28 as he won't tolerate Susan feeling threatened.

Susan also reluctantly agrees that it would be best for Nate to go, but she feels terrible when he opens up further about his traumatic experiences in Afghanistan and how they have led to his post-traumatic stress disorder.

A Neighbours insider told Digital Spy: "Nate reveals one tragic incident in particular which continues to haunt him, but will his honesty be enough to win him back his place with the Kennedys?"

Neighbours airs these scenes next week on Eleven in Australia and later this month on Channel 5 in the UK.

[eni294]

Neighbours stars Harley Bonner and Meyne Wyatt make the shortlist for the prestigious Heath Ledger Scholarship

Read more: http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neig...r-scholarship/

[Ruffed_lemur]

Neighbours stars Harley Bonner and Meyne Wyatt make the shortlist for the prestigious Heath Ledger Scholarship

Read more: http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neig...r-scholarship/

Does this mean Nate is leaving too?!

[eni294]

Does this mean Nate is leaving too?!

There are rumours about his departure.

[gmay12]

Nate leaves on 2nd June when he re-joins the army.