Neighbours hunk Aaron Brennan will be taking centre stage on the Aussie soap in the coming weeks as he deals with new relationship and family dramas.
The good news is that Aaron could finally make some progress with his on-off love interest David Tanaka (Takaya Honda), but life back at home is looking a little more rocky as the Brennans' mother pays a long-awaited visit.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Matt Wilson, who plays Aaron, for all the gossip on what's next for his character.
Are you enjoying exploring the romantic dynamic between Aaron and David?
"Yeah, I am. It's been going on for a long time, hasn't it? Sometimes it's like the rollercoaster ride that never ends! But we do have a bit of a resolution coming up soon. It's a very welcome resolution, it's quite triumphant and I'm confident that everyone is going to be glad to see it."
Sounds promising! Do you think they make a good match?
"I think they're perfect because they're not the same person, they're the complete opposite. Aaron is everything David wants to be and David is everything Aaron wants to be. So they kind of look up to each other in a way, which is really cute."
Has there been a lot of feedback from the fans?
"Yeah, there's been a lot of love for David and Aaron. I thought people would get a lot more frustrated with the storyline and how it's been played out for so long. A lot of people have, but there's so much support there too. There's a 'Daaron' Instagram fan page, a 'Daaron' hashtag and you see people tweeting after every episode.
"We've also just started airing in Canada, so you see a lot of new Canadian fans sending messages through about how they love the relationship. There's a bit of drama still to come for them, so I think Aaron and David just need to let each other talk, say what's on their minds and follow their hearts rather than their heads."
What has Takaya been like to work with on the storyline?
"It's been really good to work with him. Takaya is very talented and he's done quite a bit of work. I think he's on three different TV shows currently airing in Australia right now – Play School and The Family Law, as well as Neighbours. So he really knows what he's doing and he's always open to workshopping different scenes for the David and Aaron relationship."
What can you tell us about the Brennans' mum coming into the show soon?
"She's played by an absolutely brilliant actress, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to say who it is yet. There's a lot of chemistry with her and the three Brennan brothers. She fits right in as their mother, but in classic soap style, there's no smooth entry for her.
"All of the Brennan brothers have issues with her, and Aaron in particular behaves very out of character towards his mum. So it's quite confusing at first and there's curveballs in store. It was a really, really fun story to map out and play. We all put in a lot of work on it, and I think it's going to pay off."
Were you glad to have that chance to explore the Brennan family history?
"Yeah, the show turns into 'the Brennan show' for a while! There's so much to explore there. It's also good to play something for your character that's a little bit unpredictable. Aaron is quite a predictable person because he wears his heart on his sleeve, and you usually know how he's going to react to any situation.
"But this one is different for him and it's hard to figure out what's going on at first. I think a lot of people will relate to the issues that Aaron has with his mother. They go through the whole process of resolving that. David also helps Aaron along in pushing him to resolve it, but there's going to be a lot of emotion in the Brennan household."
We've heard previously that Neighbours originally intended to bring back the Brennans' father Russell, but actor Russell Kiefel then tragically died in real life. Did this new storyline takes its place?
"Yeah, they did have to change the story. The writing team came up with an alternative, but they obviously wanted to be very sensitive towards Russell Kiefel's family while playing it out.
"It was very emotional filming everything because everyone was doing it in memory of Russell Kiefel. So this next storyline is very emotionally loaded. Also, it's not just that storyline but what happens afterwards too. We're still filming that at the moment and it goes on for quite some time."
Are you happy to stick with the show for now?
"Yeah, it's so much fun and it's not a monotonous job – it's not like a factory job. Sure we go in at the same time, we hit the marks and we say the words, but it changes every single day. Every time you're given a new storyline, you focus on that and it just reinvents your day every single time.
"Every weekend, we'll look at the scripts for the next week and you can map out how you're going to do it. You'll always do it a different way than you would have done it the week before, because you get inspiration from all of the other actors."
What are your hopes for Aaron's future?
"Oh, I've always said that I want Aaron to save the day! But I think that's just Matt talking, as Aaron would always try to avoid any kind of traumatic situation.
"I also want David and Aaron to get married and go all the way. I think that would be a really powerful storyline to play."
Did you get to meet Adele when she came to Ramsay Street as a tourist earlier this year?
"Nobody did! I was at her concert a few days earlier and she was talking while she was performing. She spoke about how she tries to avoid the media and some of the pictures that she posts up. She said: 'Usually I'll book something and we won't tell anyone, we won't beef up the security, I'll just rock up, I'll wear my plain clothes and I'll take my photo, but I won't post it for a few days so that everyone thinks that I'm there now but I'm not!'
© INSTAGRAM @ADELE
"Then she went and posted a picture of herself on Ramsay Street one morning and everyone lost their minds saying: 'She's just down the road?! Let's go!'
"They got in the car and rushed off but she'd already gone – she'd probably already left the country! (Laughs.) But everyone was excited and we did then try inviting her to the studio, so we tried our best! It's good to know that she loves the show, that was awesome."
There's been lots of speculation about Neighbours' future this year, including recently due to Channel 10 in Australia going into administration. Have the producers reassured the cast?
"It's a lot less of an issue than you think it is! What we've been told is that it's work as usual. You also speak to people like Alan Fletcher who've been on the show for so many years and they say: 'Yeah, every time the contract comes up for renewal, there is speculation and there are press stories but you just go to work, do your thing and enjoy your time'."
Digital Spy
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