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Rafters star: “I don’t want to become The Fonz or Nudge.”

He may be the boy next door, but George Houvardas is now firmly entrenched as an extended member of the Rafters family. But he has his sights set on much more yet.

If Packed to the Rafters is about an extended family, then the third ‘son’ for Julie and Dave Rafter is surely the neighbourly Nick “Carbo” Karandonis, played effortlessly by actor George Houvardas.

Landing the role fresh out of a Screenwise acting course, the boy next door is as much a part of Australia’s favourite television family as the sons played by Hugh Sheridan and Angus McLaren.

While he started the Seven series providing considerable comic relief, Houvardas has enjoyed a boost in more dramatic storylines. Now as the fourth season resumes mid-season, Carbo’s engagement to Retta (Hannah Marshall) will bring more drama.

“It’s a complex relationship with his mother, Retta and then his dad comes into it and there’s all sorts of dramas,” Houvardas explains.

“When the series started it was about the kids. But we’re now in the fourth series it’s about the Rafters and the Rafters world around them.

“Everyone has equal share whether its Rafters, Carbo, Retta, and you’ve got the grandfather (John Howard) coming in now. Everyone has their own storyline.”

Houvardas has been on a production break since July and resumes filming in October. But there’s been no time for a holiday, doing his share of work in a family restaurant of which he is part-owner.

“For me to just kick back and not come and work here is just silly. It’s always good to have this backing because obviously I’m not going to be in Packed to the Rafters for 10 years, so you never know when you’re going to have that period when you’re not going to be employed,” he says.

“So I don’t have that fear of ‘Shit, what am I going to do now?’ I’ll just sit back and aim for something bigger and better.”

Does he see himself exiting Rafters anytime soon?

“Not in the near future, of course not. But I don’t want to become The Fonz or Nudge…” he insists.

The show returns tonight after several months absence, but Houvardas is ever-tactful about Seven’s decision to bring Winners and Losers forward. For a newcomer of only four years, he sounds well-versed in toeing the network line.

“When I bumped into people on the street they asked ‘What’s happening? Where have you gone?’ But Programming decisions aren’t up to the actors as you well know. You never know what the networks are thinking but at the same time Winners and Losers is a great show, a new Aussie drama and big success. It’s just more work for Aussie actors, really,” he says.

“So in the long run it worked out well. I’m pretty confident the Rafters fan will jump back upon the bandwagon.”

For his first on-going job, the ‘Carbo’ role catapulted Houvardas into the spotlight. But there are also network demands that come with a profile show, and in addition to media engagements and Telethon appearances, he had a successful stint on Dancing with the Stars. He is agreeable to it all.

“It was pretty much my first audition after graduation. There was an audition the week before for The Pacific but Rafters was the gig I got. The Pacific I think I had the role, but it got cut, as a lot of roles did,” he explains.

“Everyday is a massive learning process for me, and every day I go in I learn something different. I always like to be thrown in the deep end and work out how to swim. I’ve always been like that. I enjoy the whole behind the scenes stuff about the network and how they run. I enjoy it just as much as acting at the moment. I just love the whole television industry and the creative process.

“I think it’s a testament to my family and the way I’ve been brought up. I am a workaholic, I admit to that.

“Don’t ask me to do Dancing on Ice. That’s probably where I’d say no because I would probably break a leg and be no good at it. But Dancing with the Stars I actually chased for a year. Me and Rob Palmer were at the Melbourne Cup and we said ‘We want to be on Dancing with the Stars’ and we ended up being on the series.”

In a move away from his Rafters role, he also had a role in SBS’s acclaimed crime drama.

“I did the second series of East West 101 and people said ‘I didn’t realise that was you, George. He looks like Carbo, but it’s not Carbo.’ It’s important to challenge yourself.”

But what of suggestions that Carbo is reinforcing ethnic stereotypes? Houvardas concedes early episodes may have been guilty of this, but that the character has graduated.

“It could have been a lot worse, but Carbo’s definitely a step in a great direction. From where he started off to where he is now is a huge difference. From Carbo’s point of view he’s had a growing curve,” he insists.

“But at the same time you’ve got movies like The Wogboy which keeps that typecast out there in the public psyche.”

He now discusses ideas with writers, including any moments that are reinforcing a stereotype.

“There are moments when I do voice up to it.”

In tonight’s mid-season return, Jessica Marais makes her final appearance as Rachel Rafter. Following on from Zoe Ventoura’s interest in work Stateside, Houvardas too says he is keen for other opportunities including Live TV, film, presenting and overseas ventures.

“Deep down I want to work in movies and tell stories. Not just acting in them, but making them, writing them. I love the whole process and that’s always been my goal. But at the same time if the right project comes along, live television, I’d definitely give that a shot. I love presenting and I’ve done a bit of radio this year too,” he says.

“I do have a trip to the States in September. Every actor needs to have a foot in the door there so I’m heading over there for 10 days to suss that out.

“But I can’t wait to get back into the fifth season because where we ended up in the fourth was a really good spot.”

Packed to the Rafters airs 8:30pm Tuesday on Seven.

19 Responses

  1. everything about Carbo is stereotypical (including his likes and interests, family and house), and especially the way he talks and his expressions – its as if the producers asked him to “greek up” before every scene.

  2. @JB, I agree, the Carbo and Retta characters are dreadful and add little, if anything, to the show. I’m only a semi-regular viewer of PTTR but whenever Carbo and his gal come on, they suck the air out of the scene for me. Awful, stereotyped characterisation and even worse acting. George’s acting is Neighbours standard whereas a lot of the others on PTTR act rings around him.

  3. Yeah have to agree with others. I like George, but the Carbo character is terrible and the show would be better off if he left sooner rather than later. He just adds nothing but slapstick moments that ruins the tone of the show and something it could do without. Same as Retta, terrible character. Just annoying.

  4. Allie, I think you missd the point. I don’t think Mr Houvardas was insisting that he didn’t want to become ‘The Fonz’ because ‘The Fonz’ was cool, I think was referring to the fact that the actors who played characters like ‘The Fonz’ and ‘Nudge’ became so associated with those roles that it in some ways it damaged their careers.

    It is the fear many actors have, that playing iconic and somewhat sterotypical characters (the dumb guy, the gay guy, the too-cool guy) will become all they are known for. It is a risk all performers face when they find themselves in a show that becomes a big hit. (‘Kramer’ anybody?)

  5. Um, with all due respect to George, the Carbo character is nothing like The Fonz, as Carbo is hardly cool. He is not even remotely in the ballpark of cool. He is more the Potsie Webber or Ralph Malph of the show, definitely not The Fonz.

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