View Full Version : Sam Clark to leave Neighbours
Neighbours star Sam Clark has announced that he is leaving the soap to concentrate on his music career.
The actor will film his final scenes later this month after three years in the role of Ramsay Street's Ringo Brown.
Speaking of his forthcoming departure, Clark told the Herald Sun: "I love acting and I'm definitely going to strive for further success in that part of my life, however music has always been a passion and I want to give it my all right now."
The 22-year-old has already released two singles in Australia - 'Broken' and 'Send Me A Sign' - while his third, titled 'Devastated', will follow later this year.
News of Clark's upcoming exit comes just a few months after he admitted that his musical ambitions had left his future with Neighbours uncertain.
Reports suggest that the star will fly out to the UK to promote his new career soon after he films his last scenes.
samandkai
23-07-2010, 17:25
i thought he was getting married to donna?
Already posted http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?93366-Neighbours-General-News-Thread&p=723291#post723291
Ruffed_lemur
23-07-2010, 17:50
Shouldn't it be here really though, as it's a spoiler isn't it?
Ruffed_lemur
23-07-2010, 17:51
i thought he was getting married to donna?
He's supposed to be. Seems a shame unless she's going too, and I don't think she is.
Shouldn't it be here really though, as it's a spoiler isn't it?
Well actually rumours that he was leavin have already appeared in the general thread http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?93366-Neighbours-General-News-Thread&p=673344#post673344
Ruffed_lemur
23-07-2010, 18:00
Well actually rumours that he was leavin have already appeared in the general thread http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?93366-Neighbours-General-News-Thread&p=673344#post673344
Yeah but this isn't a rumour. Don't know the rules of spoilers really though!
tammyy2j
10-08-2010, 13:59
I think Donna leaves with him
If they leave happily together then maybe Im ok wth it :p
Sam Clark has described his decision to leave Neighbours as "one of the hardest" he has ever made. S
The actor has played Ringo Brown since 2007, but has quit to pursue his dreams of a music career.
He said: " It was one of the hardest decisions in my life. Neighbours is my first acting job. It's very hard as an actor to find full-time work. To give up that opportunity and say goodbye to my first acting job and all the friends I've made was very difficult."
He went on: "But at the same time I've been working on music for a very long time now and it was getting too hard to fit the two together and do them to the level I wanted.
"I feel as though the decision is right but that doesn't make it any easier."
Although he remained tight-lipped about the details of Ringo's exit, he hinted: "What I can say is that I was given a decent send-off from the show. Hopefully he will be a character who is remembered for years to come. That would be really nice."
Sam has begun a three-month tour of schools around the UK.
Recently interviewed Neighbours actor Sam Clark - aka Ringo Brown - to hear all about his new single 'Devastated', which he releases in the UK next week.
While on the phone with the star, there was also time for a quick chat about the milestone week of Neighbours airing on Five from Monday.
With Ringo's wedding, exit storyline and episode 6,000 all ahead, there was plenty to talk about...
What can you tell us about Ringo and Donna's wedding?
"Well, like anything on Neighbours, there's always a little bit of drama involved! The lead-up to the wedding definitely doesn't run as smoothly as they'd like it to. But I think Ringo and Donna have really made the decision that they're with each other for life, and they're going to be solid from now on. The wedding is beautiful - there's a very picturesque setting for it, and it's a nice bit of light among the darkness that is the 25th anniversary of Neighbours."
Did you feel honoured to play such a big part in the week of the 6,000th episode?
"Absolutely! To just be involved in a show that has been running for 25 years is a massive honour, and then to be given the responsibility to play a large role in the celebrations was just great. I feel privileged because I came into the show having never acted before, and they've given me a chance to grow, given me responsibility and given me challenges. It's really nice to have that respect from a crew who have been working on a show for that long."
You've now left the show - why did you make that decision?
"I spent some time last year travelling around Australia, and didn't have as much time as I have here in the UK. I was travelling around and playing music - and I released 'Broken', which made it to the number one physical sales spot on the ARIA charts. I then had to go straight back to work, and Neighbours is so full-time that it was difficult to fit anything in outside of it, especially a music career. I suppose the choice had to come: did I want to follow my dream of releasing an album, give it my all and do it properly - or did I want to stay at Neighbours?"
Was it a difficult decision to make?
"It was a very hard decision to make, as I loved working out there and I miss everyone dearly. But I think it was definitely the right decision to make at this stage of my life, and I've been touring schools in Australia and just telling kids for weeks to follow their dreams. It'd be a little bit hypocritical if I didn't do that myself! It was a tough decision to make, but I hope that my fans will continue to follow the journey and follow me throughout my career."
Are you pleased with the way that Ringo's storyline comes to an end?
"Yeah, I am. It was quite a shock when I found out how he's going to be leaving the show - it was different to how I expected! But to be given a proper send-off from the show is really nice at the same time. I obviously can't give too much away about what happens, but it was nice to be given a proper farewell."
When you look back at your time in Neighbours, are there any particular highlights or favourite storylines?
"I don't know if there's any particular moment in time that I could pick out! The whole journey for me was such a rush and such a learning experience, and I learned so much while being out there. For me, the highlight was growing up, I suppose! I'd only just left school when I started working at the show, and I had a lot to learn. I still am learning constantly, but the show gave me time to grow and I made some friends for life out there. It's more the people that I'll remember, rather than one particular moment."
Who are you hoping to stay in touch with from Neighbours?
"I'll obviously be keeping in touch with Margot, who plays Donna, as we worked so closely for so long, and she's going to be a big success. I look forward to hearing all about her success in the future. Also, Scott Major, who plays Lucas on the show, is a wonderful guy and really motivates me to do what I want in life and to do better all the time. I'll definitely stay in touch with him. I'll be keeping in touch with everyone there; it's just a matter of trying to be in the same country these days!"
Neighbours star Sam Clark has admitted that he is still in the dark over the show's 'Who pushed P.R.?' mystery.
Speaking to Holy Soap, the actor explained that details of the plot's climax were still unknown on set when he filmed his final scenes as Ringo Brown earlier this year.
Fans in the UK are still waiting to discover the identity of the person who attacked Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) on the mezzanine level of Lassiters in the show's 6,000th episode. The shock incident occurred as tempers reached boiling point on Ramsay Street due to Paul's lies and deceit.
Discussing the storyline, Clark revealed: "To be perfectly honest with you, I still don't know who pushed Paul Robinson. The day that they filmed the episodes of 'Who pushed Paul Robinson?', the person who did push Paul found out - on the day - which is pretty bizarre.
"It never normally happens that way, especially if it's such a big storyline. And then I think there was talk about it even changing after that! So I personally do not actually know who pushed Paul Robinson. I'm going to have to watch and find out myself!"
Asked to share his theories, Clark replied: "I don't think it was Andrew. I think it would be pretty close between Declan and Rebecca, but between those two, I think it'd be quite hard to pick."
Clark is now focusing on his music career and released his UK debut single 'Devastated' last month.
Sam Clark has revealed that he was thrilled with his dramatic Neighbours departure storyline.
In an episode which transmitted in the UK yesterday, the actor's character Ringo Brown died in hospital after being knocked down by Steph Scully's (Carla Bonner) motorbike in a tragic accident.
Ringo's shock death came just a few weeks after his fairytale wedding to girlfriend Donna Freedman (Margot Robbie). In real life, meanwhile, Clark chose to quit the soap in order to concentrate on his music career.
Speaking at a recent photo shoot for Gay Times's Naked Issue, Clark said of his exit plot: "To be perfectly honest, it was a lot of fun!
"I got to do completely different stuff than what I had been doing in my time at Neighbours, and to spend four years somewhere and then to be doing something new right up until the day that you leave is a pretty awesome way to leave a job.
"I got to do my own stunt and narrowly, in real life, just missed a motorbike coming at me! It's an exciting way to leave a show."
The 23-year-old added that - as filming on Neighbours takes place out of sequence - the last scene he shot for the programme was a humorous one.
He said: "I was lucky that I had quite a funny scene to finish on, so that made life a lot easier in terms of the emotional side of leaving the show. [I] left on a high - a lot of characters leave and they have to do teary scenes and farewells and stuff like that."
Neighbours star Alan Fletcher has teased that viewers will be seeing "a little bit more of Karl" than they are used to in an upcoming plot.
The actor, who plays Doctor Karl Kennedy, said the funny story provides light relief in the wake of dramatic tales, such as Ringo Brown's death at the hands of Steph Scully.
He said: "The nice thing about Neighbours is, even though we pay great respect to the passing of characters, it's fair to say within a reasonably short time you'll see Karl get up to some very silly business trying to help out one of his neighbours.
"There's a dramatic storyline on its way that adds fuel to the sadness of Ringo's death. And out of that story comes a bit of light-hearted comedy for Karl. Let's just say you'll be seeing a little bit more of Karl than you're used to."
Ringo (Sam Clark) died after Steph (Carla Bonner) ploughed into him on her motorbike.
The character of Steph is also set to bow out of the show.
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