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Streetwise in Erinsborough

Ryan Moloney is about to chalk up 15 years on Neighbours, and tells TV Tonight he has taken heed of ex-castmates who wish they'd never left.

RyanMoloneyAs his fifteenth anniversary on Neighbours approaches next month, Ryan Moloney couldn’t be more content.

It’s a job he hopes to be doing for many more years to come, as he explained to TV Tonight.

“It’s a fantastic job. I turn up to work and I muck around. The people here are a fantastic team to work with. Nowhere else is going to pay me to do jokes, because apparently I’m not that funny…” he says dryly.

Having endured as Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi on a soap where characters are written out or leave of their own accord, it no simple feat. Moloney has been on Ramsay Street long enough to have seen numerous names roll off the credit list: Anne Haddy, Jesse Spencer, Anne Charleston, Daniel McPherson, Ian Smith, Madeleine West, Holly Valance, Stephanie McIntosh and many more. He’s watched on as others including Stefan Dennis, Kym Valentine and Janet Andrewartha have returned. And he’s heard the wisdom from many ex-cast members.

“I’ve listened to countless others who have all moved on and said ‘Geez I wish I was back there.’ I take their advice and think ‘Ok cool,” he says.

“There’s not a lot of work in Australia unless you’re in a ‘stable.’ Channel Nine has a stable of actors who they will put into other shows, but Channel TEN is not like that. That’s just the nature of the beast really.

“Sure if you want to go off and do theatre there’s plenty around. But in terms of television there’s not a lot.”

As part of the Neighbours cast, he works 47 weeks a year, producing 2.5 hours of television a week, with a role that is utilised in 4 episodes a week. Newcomers are usually relegated to 2 eps.

“I’ve been here long enough to negotiate that!

“I think Ray Meagher’s on five so I’ve got a long way to go,” he laughs, referring to Home and Away‘s record-breaking actor in the role of Alf Stewart.

“Basically I see my role on Neighbours to be the light throughout the shade. So 4 episodes can be easily filled just sticking my aura into other people’s shade.”

Across the years the role of ‘Toadie,’ as it has affectionately become known, has graduated from tearaway teen to house-sharing uni student to qualified lawyer, husband and father. Blending comedy storylines with dramatic arcs, he is known amongst the production team as an actor who juggles both light and dark storylines, frequently drawn upon as a supportive friend to characters in need.

He is happy to shift such tones as the writers deem fit.

“A moment that had the biggest impact on me was watching Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar where he’s going on a rant. It’s all very funny and completely over the top and then he just understands that he’s a bad father and he gets it. At that moment you can se the change in him. The impact is so great that you can see how shattered he is by that. So the reason it made such a big impact with me is because it’s so out there at the top and then bang, he hits them with something that’s really soulful,” he says.

“So that’s the way I like to do it.”

He has also watched younger actors pick up the Neighbours baton. As he has moved into roles as an adult, a parade of younger actors are now wading through similar teenage angst he cut his teeth on 15 years ago. He admires their skill in turning through so much material required of episodic television.

“They’re all very skilled in what they do. I actually think the writers write a bit young for our kids. I think they could be a bit older and handle a bit more,” he says.

Neighbours is definitely pushing the clean living and innocence of children. But I think that’s a great thing. These days kids are getting older a lot quicker so it’s nice to have something that’s trying to not do that.”

Moloney is also defensive of the show against its routine criticisms, and concedes that he doesn’t pay much attention to some press.

“But if people have an opinion, they have an opinion for a reason. In terms of Neighbours being more multicultural, yes absolutely we could definitely go further with that. It would be fantastic to do that,” he admits.

“Having said that, you’ve got to remember that Neighbours is a beast that deals in generalisations. We do it in broad, brushstrokes. So if Australia is more white then there’s going to be a more-white representation amongst the cast. Now being that Australia is far more multicultural, absolutely… make the show more multicultural.”

For now he looks forward to a continuing future on the show, grateful to loyal fans and respectful colleagues. The tearaway teenager of Jarrod Rebecchi has grown into a settled family man on screen, played by an even more settled actor off screen.

“At this stage of my life I’m really happy doing my job, going home and living with my family, and having my downtime be downtime.

“I play with my kids, go for a run, go out on a boat, whatever. Just be a dad, going down to the park throwing the ball to the dog,” he says.

“It’s a good job, I’m very lucky.”

Neighbours airs 6:30pm weeknights on TEN.

17 Responses

  1. David, I believe they’ve used this interview in the Confidential page in todays Herald-Sun without crediting it to you. It’s seems to be a trend that much of what is reported on here is featured on their pages the next day. It may be a case of same sources being used for stories or maybe you are the source for them!! Whether it is flattery or lazy journalism I’m not sure??

    1. Michael: Yes I saw the article. They are different quotes so, no it’s not from me. Digital Spy ran sections in the UK, with a credit to the site.

      And you are right there have been numerous occasions when stories from here appear in some press the next day without any attribution (note the Underbelly one in today’s Herald Sun including the formatting of DirecTV and the same error of calling it a cable rather than satellite network). In many ways we are all fighting over the same carcasses, and whilst I may aggregate stories from News Ltd they are always acknowledged and linked as a source.

  2. Great article on a smart young actor, who’s clearly enjoying his work and his life while 99% of his contemporaries have left on the road to Hollywood and have never been heard from again.

  3. When Toadie took on the Ramsay Street book from Harold, it was a passing of the torch and Toadie is probably the main character that everyone looks for help.

    Whether it be as a father figure, a lawyer, a best man, a roomie or a mate: Toadie is the centre of the street.

    Interesting to see though, that while other families have grown and stayed on, Toadie’s family disappeared rather quickly. Let’s hope the Rebecchis and Timmins can return to the street sometime.

    It is a tribute to Ryan Maloney as an actor who can work with such a versatile character to make him one of the favourites on the street.

  4. Great interview David, thanks! I’m glad to hear Ryan’s so happy to be there – I hope he sticks around for many more years. Toadie is pretty much at the heart of the show now, he’s taken the reigns from Harold.

  5. Wow 15 years I knew he’d been around for awhile but that’s pretty good.

    Toadie is a great character and I hope he does stay around for many years to come.

  6. Toadie rocks!!! Good to see Ryan Moloney speak about his 15 years on Neighbours.

    I think that in the near future, he may become the longest serving member on the show, beating veteran ‘characters’ (like Harold Bishop, Paul Robinson and Helen Daniels)

  7. Well he sounds like he has his head screwed on right, good on you Ryan for being so honest. He’s a smart guy that realises a job is a job in this industry. Good article David.

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