Eve Morey (Sonya Rebecchi)

[Summer8]

Ive never heard the term 'ship' either....... :S

[Perdita]

Can Neighbours' Rebecchi family ever catch a break? Just weeks after Toadie lost the use of his legs in a freak bouncy castle accident, there's another crisis next week when he gets caught up in the deadly fire at Erinsborough High.

It's Toadie's wife Sonya who rushes to his rescue in the blaze, so Digital Spy recently caught up with Eve Morey to hear more about her character's heroics. If you're hoping to stay totally spoiler-free though, be warned that our chat does contain details of the outcome.

How did you feel about being part of another big Neighbours stunt?
"Pretty excited! When I first heard about it, they told me that Toadie was going to be trapped in the fire and that I was going to run in to save him. I feel that Toadie is always the one who's saving Sonya, so it was nice to change that this time."

How does Sonya first get involved in the blaze?
"Sonya arrives at the school after the fire has already started and the scene is just chaotic. There's smoke everywhere, there's ambulances outside and Doctor Karl is running around trying to help people.

"Sonya just rocks up going, 'I can't find Toadie! Has anyone seen a man in a wheelchair?' Nobody knows where he is, so she just runs off screaming."

Sounds dramatic! What happens next?
"Sheila mentions that she thinks someone is still inside, so Sonya bolts straight into the school and tries to look for Toadie by screaming his name. She's terrified but eventually she hears something, finds him and starts dragging him out. It's a close call though, because it does get to a point where it's too much for Sonya due to his weight and the smoke."

Sonya shouts for help
© Channel 5
Sonya shouts for help

Was it a nice change from your regular day at work?
"It was really cool. In the scenes where we could see the special effects for ourselves, it looked like a real fire and it felt like we were on a movie set. It was also nice to be working on a different set, rather than just filming in our kitchen at home or the coffee shop."

Before Sheila saw Sonya, she'd actually abandoned Toadie inside the building. Will that secret cause trouble at some point?
"So far I haven't filmed any scenes where Sonya finds that out. What happens after the fire is that Sheila ends up feeling really guilty and does a whole bunch of really nice stuff for the Rebecchis.

"Sheila looks after Nell, helps out at Sonya's nursery and even helps Toadie to get an appointment to see a specialist about his back. I don't think Sonya ever finds out what Sheila did, but who knows? Maybe it comes up again down the road."

Is there a lot of suspicion over who could have started the fire?
"Everyone suspects Steph because she's randomly there at the school. She ends up helping Sonya to pull Toadie out of the fire, but it does seem weird that she's there."

Steph and Sonya drag Toadie to safety
© Channel 5
Steph and Sonya drag Toadie to safety

Sonya doesn't like Steph very much. Do you think her return is going to cause a strain on Sonya's marriage?
"It's a funny one. It's not that Sonya doesn't like Steph, it's just that she doesn't like that Toadie always seems to do crazy things for Steph. I think all of that history is still very much embedded in Sonya's mind.

"Sonya's ultimate fear is that Toadie will realise he's in love with this woman again and leave her. Steph's return is bound to bring up a bit of unease in the relationship, unfortunately. Isn't it a shame that we're on a soap and we can't just live happily ever after?"

Sonya's other enemy Naomi recently left the Street. Were you sad to see Morgana O'Reilly leave the role?
"I was - she's such a wonderful actor and an adorable person as well. It's just a shame that when we got to work together, Naomi was breaking up my character's marriage, which was uncomfortable to play. Then when she stopped doing that, we didn't really get to work with each other again. It was bittersweet in that sense.

"It was nice to see Naomi's character grow so much as a person and as a woman too. In the end there was no bad blood between Sonya and Naomi. I quite liked that, rather than it just being women fighting and hating each other."

It's been a difficult few months for the Rebecchis. Is there any happiness ahead?
"I think there might be some happiness at the end, but it won't be without its share of drama. It's been a wonderful challenge to play the storyline with Toadie using the wheelchair. Everyone has got used to the logistics of the wheelchair and what we have to do with it on set. That's now become part of our life with Neighbours so we don't really think of it anymore, so it'll be another interesting shift when Toadie starts to recover more."

Sonya's best friend Lucas has popped back a couple of times recently. Are you hoping we'll see him a bit more often now?
"Definitely. It's always wonderful to work with Scott [Major] who plays Lucas. I think our characters just have such a history and understanding between each other. It's also nice to be able to show different aspects of Sonya through Lucas - sometimes it's the uglier sides and the more vulnerable sides too.

"If Scott comes back, it also means Alin [Sumarwata] gets to come back as Vanessa and she's just ridiculously amazing too. I wish Lucas and Vanessa could just move back into the Street."

It was also nice to see Morgan Baker make a cameo as Sonya's son Callum recently. Is he another one you'd like to see back more regularly?
"Absolutely - I love him so much. We felt really ripped off because Callum's scene was on Skype, so Morgan came back and shot that separately. I didn't even get to see him because I wasn't in that day.

"We're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll see Morgan again. He's doing his final exams at the moment in Year 12, so I'm hopeful that he'll come back at least as a guest afterwards. I'll just keep hounding him until he does!"

Away from the soap world, you welcomed your first child last year. How are you finding life as a mum?
"It's so awesome. Our little girl Ivy is just wonderful and we've been so lucky. It's like having this beautiful little friend around who's always smiling. It's been good for me in other ways too. I don't cook at all, so I've had to get my act together at home and start to be an adult by making meals and doing all that sort of stuff. It's nice to be able to grow up a little bit myself as well."


digitalspy

[gillyH1981]

Eve Morey & Jonathon Dutton get married in Halloween themed wedding. Eve & Jonathon have been dating since 2011.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/...-ceremony.html

[tiger81]

Eve Morey spills the beans on how Sonya saves Toadie - but her actions have devastating consequences...

Toadie and Sonya have been through an awful lot recently...
They have! I think they’re coping well but while they’re doing their best, some cracks are definitely starting to show. They’ve got a lot coming up, which is a culmination of the trauma they’ve been living through over the last few months.

Does Sonya mind Toadie and Steph’s relationship?
I think she doesn’t want to mind but secretly she does! When Sonya joined the show, it took her a long time to let Toadie into her life and then when she finally did let him in, he broke up with her because at that time she believed he was in love with Steph and was going to marry her. She later found out that was all a lie but it made her realise how much he was willing to sacrifice for her and it made Sonya very uneasy.

Have Sonya’s fears returned since Steph came back to town?
Yes. When Steph’s away, Sonya can put her feelings to one side and get on with things but now they’re resurfacing again. She doesn’t think Steph and Toadie are going to run off and get married but it’s more to do with how far Toadie’s willing to go to protect his friend. That’s what Sonya doesn’t like.

What does Sonya make of Belinda’s threats to Toadie?
Sonya finds the fact that Steph and Belinda had a relationship while Steph was in hospital really inappropriate. Now Belinda is accusing Toadie of manipulating her romance with Steph and Sonya’s has enough. Even on the morning of Toadie’s surgery on his spine, Belinda threatens him. Sonya just thinks she’s crazy!

Then Sonya realises that Belinda is going to be part of the team doing Toadie’s surgery...
She completely panics and goes to the nurse and implores her to do something but the nurse just doesn’t take Sonya seriously. Sonya’s forced to take matters into her own hands and she finds the operating theatre that Toadie has been taken to and bursts right in. It’s quite absurd but it’s soap and you can get away with it!

What on earth is going through her mind as she runs in?
She just wants Belinda out of that room. She believes this woman is capable of anything and quite rightly so as she’s unhinged!

Then there are some quite serious consequences to her interupting the surgery, right?
Yes, we know there are some complications but we don’t know what they are at first... Sonya thinks she’s going to stop Toadie from walking again but in the end it becomes something much more complicated: he’s actually infertile! Apparently there’s a really rare thing where the surgeon nips something and even though it’s surgery on Toadie’s spine, there’s this condition that can come from something like that. Although they weren’t planning on having any more kids any time soon, to have that taken away from them is really tough. It’s especially hard because it’s something Sonya’s caused.

How does Toadie feel about the whole thing when he finds out?
He initially wants to keep if from Sonya because he doesn’t want her to feel bad. She was like Superwoman to him when she came to rescue him in theatre and he would have absolutely done the same thing for her. The problem is, he confides in Steph about it first and Sonya keeps catching these stolen moments between them and starts misreading it. When Sonya finally finds out, there’s tension between them. It isn’t because he blames Sonya for what happened but because of how she then handles the situation with Steph and Belinda afterwards. Let’s just say it isn’t one of her finest moments.

Belinda claims that Steph’s in love with Toadie, doesn’t she?
Yes and then Sonya does something that I think is pretty out of character for her. She comes up with a plan to get Belinda and Steph back together so that she can get Steph out of her lives. As an actor, I had to really justify why she would do this and remember that this is a woman who has got issues with Steph and Toadie’s past together. Also, there’s the fact that Naomi once desperately tried to break up their marriage. This is another crescendo in what has been a huge year for them and she’s just emotionally exhaused, so it seems like a good idea!

Deep down, does Sonya really think that Steph might have romantic feelings for Toadie?
Both Toadie and Steph are very comfortable in their friendship and that’s why they find it so hard to understand that Sonya sees Steph as a threat. It might not be a romance between them but what Sonya doesn’t get is how their bond is so strong it makes Toadie act out of character in an attempt to protect Steph. Also, given Sonya’s past and all the issues she worked through, the thought of Toadie being taken away is just too much to bear.

There’s a storyline comiong up that could bring Sonya and Steph closer together, isn’t there?
Yes, once she manages to move past the whole Steph-and-Toadie thing, she starts to realise that actually she and Steph have got a fair bit in common - especially because at some point they have both been estranged from their son. Steph’s got a fight on her hands when it comes to her son Charile and Sonya can totally sympathise with her. They aren’t best buddies yet but they have both done things in their pasts that they’re not proud of and they’re both working hard to put that behind them. They’re more similar than they realise.


Together forever!
Toadie and Sonya are perfect for each other - and no one loves them more than Eve! “They’re a great couple and the pair of them will move on from this and things will get better,” she gushes. “Toadie will recover from his injuries and going into next year we see Sonya establishing herself as a bigger part of the community. Ryan (Moloney, who plays Toadie) and I are very protective of Toadie and Sonya and we love that they’re a couple in soap who work through stuff. We couldn’t be more proud!”

Source: All About Soap UK magazine

[lizann]

sonya is another who could be killed off with paige for me so god damn annoying

[Dazzle]

sonya is another who could be killed off with paige for me so god damn annoying

I usually like Sonya but she's certainly annoying at the moment believing what wacko Belinda says about Steph and Toadie.

[LauBuch]

sonya is another who could be killed off with paige for me so god damn annoying

It's really annoying me the way they are ruining her character! I really like Sonya, but this lack of trust in Toadie and Steph and believing Belinda (who made threats on her husband) and then trying to push Steph and Belinda back together, I wanna smack my head against a wall!
I'm REALLY looking forward to Toadie giving her a few home truths!

[Perdita]

Toadie and Sonya put their marriage woes to one side when Steph has to fight for her right to be a mother.
Plagued by insecurities, Sonya has not only caused an unnecessary delay in Toadie’s surgery by bursting into the operating theatre but tried to push Steph and Belinda back together to quash any feelings Steph might have for her husband. Both incidents have consequences for Sonya (Eve Morey), although the most devastation is the side effect of her interruption to Toadie’s (Ryan Moloney) spinal operation - he’s infertile.
In an attempt to get their relationship back on track, Sonya suggests counselling and Toadie agrees. However, he is distracted when, out of the blue, Steph (Carla Bonner) gets a phone call from Max’s new wife, Phillippa, telling her she’s thinking about adopting Charlie (Xander McGuire). Steph needs Toadie’s support but he is supposed to be at couples’ therapy with Sonya. Though Steph begs him to stay, he leaves to be with his wife.
The counselling session goes well but Toadie and Sonya return to find Steph upset after hearing about Phillippa’s adoption.
Discovering Toadie left Steph when she needed him most, Sonya feels bad. She believes Toadie should have stayed, as Steph is like family.
The Rebecchis add a picture of Charlie to their family photo collection on the mantlepiece and Toadie and Sonya tell Steph they will fight with her for her right to be Charlie’s mother.


TV Soap

[Perdita]

Sonya gets more active in local issues but also discovers the pain involved.
Never one to shy away from a cause Sonya (Eve Morey) is given a new sense of purpose in upcoming episodes of Neighbours. Both a passionate environmentalist and always keen to help a friend in need, Sonya may be about to stumble on her true callling.
She is first spurred into action when she and Aaron (Matt Wilson) find out the community centre is under threat of being demolished. They urge new council member Tim Collins (Ben Anderson) to fight their cause at the next meeting. He agrees to speak to council but shocks the pair by not only letting the demolition plans go through but becoming the new mayor.
Her next battle is to stop the love locks on the bridge from being removed. It was her son Callum’s (Morgan Baker) idea to have couples put padlocks on the bridge as a symbol of their love for one another and Sonya is determined to save them. She chains herself to the bridge until the council backs down but instead they close the bridge to public access. At a loss as to what to do next Karl encourges her to run for mayor.
While waiting for Paige (Olympia Valance) and Mark’s (Scott McGregor) wedding to get underway, Karl and Susan help Sonya film a campaign video. They put it online and get plenty of positive feedback but the reactions of online haters and campaign rival Tim cause Sonya to question her decision.

TV Soap

[Dazzle]

I like the thought of Tim Collins becoming the new mayor. Hopefully we'll see more of him.