Two new bad boys are about to hit Home and Away. Tai Hara and Jackson Gallagher will go head-to-head with the River Boys in the popular Seven drama as brothers Andy and Josh Barrett.
And in a Home and Away first, the duo will be introduced to viewers via a series of webisodes ahead of their first televised appearance.
Hara, 23, from the Gold Coast, had to pinch himself the first time he hit the Palm Beach set to take up his role as Andy.
"I thought how lucky I was. It's just a real privilege to be on a show that is so loved."
Hara, who studied in Brisbane alongside actor Anna McGahan, says the Barrett brothers have some explosive plotlines with the River Boys.
"There is a lot of history behind both the families. I carry the secrets of what our whole relationship is with them," he says.
Gallagher, 23, who has been promoting his latest film, a remake of the cult 1978 horror Patrick at the Melbourne International Film Festival, says his starstruck moment was acting in a scene with Ray Meagher's character, Alf Stewart.
"That was when it hit home," he says.
Despite the fisticuffs with the Braxton boys, hostilities are suspended between takes.
"I did some physical scenes with Steve (Stephen Peacocke, who plays Darryl Braxton) with him being quite aggressive, and in between scenes he was like: 'Are you OK? I didn't hurt you did I man?'," Gallagher says.
The stand-alone webisodes introducing the Barretts and their backstory launch online on Home and Away's website on Wednesday night after the show's televised episode.
Brad Lyons, Seven's director of network production, says the webisodes are a classic example of how Home and Away continues to identify new ways for its fans to experience and connect with the show.
"The show's success today, and its unrivalled popularity since it began, lies in its honest storytelling and ability to evolve," Lyons says.
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