Christopher Milligan (Kyle Canning, 'Neighbours' Interview on DS
When did you hear that Kyle would become a regular character on Neighbours and what was your reaction?
"It was in October last year and I was ecstatic. Kyle had been a guest character for nearly three years so it's great to be full-time now and to be able to evolve the character."
When you were in talks about a more permanent role on the show, did the producers tell you much about upcoming storylines?
"I just had to wait and see, but I know they have a lot in store for Kyle so I'm happy to be guided by the producer and writers."
This week, we see a lot of tension between Brennan and Kyle as they clash over Kate. What are Kyle's feelings for Kate at this point?
"Kyle has always liked Kate because she is a nice girl and not like the other girls he's had relationships with. But after seeing her get hurt by Brennan, he is very protective. And while he has always liked Kate, he has never wanted to push her into liking him."
As Brennan is quite intelligent and has a successful career, does Kyle worry that he wouldn't be able to compete with him in a fight for Kate's affections?
"Yes, he knows that Brennan has it over him in terms of intelligence and he knows that Kate is also very smart so he certainly isn't confident about himself on that level!"
We end up seeing Kyle and Brennan team up together when Kyle has some trouble with a dodgy police officer. What can you tell us about the storyline?
"This is where a corrupt cop tries to extort money from Kyle when he is working in the car yard. Kyle is very scared because this guy means business and is very intimidating, and Kyle doesn't know what to do so he goes to Brennan. At first it isn't easy for them to work together because it's hard for Kyle to seek help off someone he's already had problems with, and he knows how Brennan feels about him - plus it's another cop, so he isn't convinced that Brennan will believe him."
After teaming up, is this a turning point for Kyle and Brennan, or will they be back at each other's throats before too long?
"I think it is a turning point, and while they won't be worst enemies, they won't be best buddies, somewhere in the middle - particularly when there is a girl involved!"
Moving forward, would you like to see Kyle have a future with Kate or do you think he's better suited to someone else?
"They would certainly be the nice couple, but I think it would be good for Kyle to be with someone he clashes with."
We know that Scott McGregor, who played Brennan, recently finished filming at Neighbours. Were you sad to see him go?
"Absolutely, Scott was a really funny guy and got along with everyone, and I was lucky to have the last scene with him on set."
We've heard that Kyle will soon be moving into Number 26, which will become a new share house. Are you excited about this?
"It's very exciting and the storylines coming up will involve characters that get along with Kyle, but also clash with him so it will be very interesting as well. You'll see different sides of Kyle including a lot of funny stuff."
Now that Kyle is sticking around as a Ramsay Street regular, where can we expect his character to go this year?
"Well, he needs to get a proper job! He'll start his own business which will bring him into contact with all the residents on the street. And while he is a pretty laid-back guy, you'll find he'll be the unexpected friend to a lot of the characters."
Do you think the writers could ever explore Kyle's background and maybe introduce some of his family?
"Because Kyle is such an 'out there' character, I think it would be fun to see some of his family and friends. I haven't heard if this is in the pipeline but I'd love it."
Kyle was a bit more of a bad boy when he first joined the show, hanging around with school bully Justin and causing trouble. Have you appreciated the chance to show that there's other sides to the character?
"It actually all fits together. He started out as the school bully because at that time of life he was immature and trying to stamp his position in the school. Then there was the rafting accident, then he finished school and couldn't find a job, he wanted to change. He didn't want to be that person anymore."
Your co-star and real-life housemate Jordan Smith recently told us that he'd like to work with you more on set. Is that something you'd like as well?
"Definitely, and while it might be hard to believe, because we do live together we do go through our scenes together and really work on them at home. It would be great to have more scenes together because I know we would be prepared - despite what everyone thinks!"
What are your interests outside of Neighbours?
"With winter coming on here I'm starting to play indoor soccer and I play tennis once a week with Jordan, Val [Novakovic] and Gemma [Pranita]. I came to Melbourne four years ago to work on The Pacific so I've made a lot of new friends and I always try to catch up with them on the weekends, just the usual stuff."
'Neighbours' Christopher Milligan: 'Kyle will fight for Georgia'
Kyle Canning has a tough fight on his hands in upcoming Neighbours episodes as his one-night stand with Kate Ramsay is finally revealed.
The Erinsborough handyman is left distraught when his girlfriend Georgia Brooks (Saskia Hampele) immediately ends their relationship, shocked that her partner and best friend have both betrayed her.
Digital Spy this week caught up with Christopher Milligan, who plays Kyle, to hear about his character's chances of winning Georgia back.
What has this Kyle and Kate storyline been like for you to film?
"I love working with Ash [Brewer, who plays Kate]. We both used to do classes back home in Brisbane, so we've come from the same flock, really. We did a lot of work together in those classes, so it was fantastic to come onto set at Neighbours and already know someone - and then even better to get to work with her. It creates a great working environment as we get along really well, and I think that shows in the work."
With the truth about Kyle and Kate coming out soon, did you enjoy filming the big revelation episode?
"Yeah, it's always nice to know that you can stop feeling guilty about something as it's finally going to come out! (Laughs.) But Erinsborough is one of those suburbs where one feeling goes and you end up feeling bad about something else! It's going to be a real rollercoaster in the scenes coming up."
Will the big reveal moment be worth the wait?
"I think so! It's Gem who's responsible for the truth coming out, so when you throw her into the mix, there are always going to be fireworks. It was never going to be an easy moment when this came out, so there'll be a lot of trouble as you can imagine…"
Will Kyle fight for his relationship once the truth comes out?
"Kyle will definitely fight and he hopes that he can win Georgia back. Georgia is the love of Kyle's life and everything that he wants. He's stuffed up, so he's going to show how sorry he is and try to fix things."
Does Kyle defend himself by pointing out that he wasn't with Georgia when he slept with Kate?
"Oh, he'll try to use that but I don't know if it will stick! I've thought about that too. I was going through these scenes with Saskia and we'd throw out little arguments between Kyle and Georgia. I'd say, 'We'd broken up, it's not like we were together so it's technically not cheating!' But it's more the lying than the cheating that Georgia has a problem with, so Kyle doesn't have a leg to stand on."
Would you be sad if Kyle and Georgia stayed apart and you ended up working with Saskia less?
"Well, the best part about Neighbours is that you work with so many different people. If you have an on-screen chemistry with someone, it's always great to work closely with them. Me and Colette [Mann, who plays Sheila] work really close together and she's amazing. When Georgia came in, me and Saskia got along really well and we still do. So it could go either way - but whatever happens, you know that there'll always be other characters that you can be close to."
Kyle and Kate always seem to be drawn back together. How would you describe Kyle's feelings for her?
"Kate Ramsay is the girl from high school. At some point, most people have that person from high school who they've always fantasised about or wanted to be with. I think that's always going to be there for Kyle, but he doesn't know whether those are true feelings or not."
How will you feel about saying goodbye to Ashleigh when she leaves the show?
"It's one of those jobs where it happens quite often - I've already said goodbye to a lot of close friends since I've been here. You do get used to it and it's nice to see them going on to do other things. Ashleigh films her final scenes in December and I think she's organising a get-together for it. We have a Christmas wrap party anyway so that'll probably be where we have our last hoorah!"
You've been on the show for quite a while now. Are you hoping to stick around for now?
"At the moment I'm still loving it, so I don't see a reason to change anything. I'm always one of those people who just sees what happens. Next week I might change my mind and want to leave work, and then change my mind back again! But I really love being here on Neighbours and I always have done."
Do you have ambitions to work overseas like many of your former colleagues?
"Definitely. I'll be going over there and giving it a shot at some point - why not? I think you should do as much as you can while you're young and see what you can get out of it."
Where would you like Kyle to go next?
"I'd like to go back to his bad side. I think that's always fun - everyone always says that it's fun to play the bad guy. It'd be good to see Kyle go through something that sees him go back to being bad..."
