0/5

Ryan Moloney: 20 years of ‘Toadie’

TV Tonight recalls Ryan Moloney explaining why he has stayed on Ramsay St all these years.

Ryan Moloney (plays Jarrod Toadfish Rebecchi)

This month marks 20 years since Ryan Moloney joined the cast of Neighbours.

He first stepped onto Ramsay Street in 1994 as a featured extra in just one scene, followed by later guest appearances. By August 1995, producers realised offered him the regular role of Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi’ featuring his famed mullet.

This makes him one of the longest-running actors currently in Australian drama alongside such names as Ray Meagher, Tom Oliver, Jacki Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Stefan Dennis, Emily Symons, Lynne McGranger and Ada Nicodemou.

Alan Fletcher said: “To put it simply, Ryan is a funny guy and that makes working with him a joy. He is always the first to find a quirky, amusing angle in each scene and that keeps the work fresh and engaging. This quality alone has made him a household favourite the world over.”

In 2009, TV Tonight spoke to Ryan Moloney on the occasion of his 15th year and asked
what had kept him with the show when so many others had departed:

“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 said.

“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…

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

“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 said.

“So that’s the way I like to do it.”

To celebrate his 20th anniversary Lesley Baker and Andrew Engleman will return to Neighbours to reprise their roles as Toadie’s irrepressible mother, Angie Rebecchi, and his larrikin brother, Stonefish.

2015-08-26_0054

Toadie’s Top 20 Moments On Neighbours Over 20 Years.
1. Toadie attempts to blackmail Lucy Robinson with nude photos he found of her in a British porn
magazine – 1998.
2. Toadie becomes best mates with Billy Kennedy and eventually moves into the Kennedy’s house –
1998.
3. Toadie’s mother Angie discovers Toadie has an IQ of 135 – 1998.
4. Lou cuts off Toadie’s mullet – 1999.
5. Toadie bares all in a Full Monty-esque strip tease – 1999.
6. Toadie is strapped naked to a pole on his wedding day – 2003.
7. After just marrying Dee, Toadie’s car goes over a cliff and his wife is never seen again – 2003.
8. While watching footy on TV, Toadie recognises his cousin Stingray Timmins streaking across the
field and turns up at the ground as his lawyer – 2004.
9. Toadie and Conner’s dreams come true when Toadie inherits a bikini shop as payment from a
dodgy client – 2005.
10. Toadie becomes a part-time wrestler called The Lawman, with a costume sewn by Lyn Scully –
2005.
11. Toadie gets shot in the back by Guy Sykes – 2006.
12. Toadie is left at the altar by Steph Scully – 2008.
13. Toadie says goodbye to his beloved dog Bob – 2009.
14. Toadie discovers that the woman he is dating, Sonya, is also the biological mother of his adopted
son Callum – 2012.
16. Toadie fails to get Steph off a manslaughter charge and she goes to jail – 2011. (She later returned
to seek revenge in 2013.)
15. After discovering there is a minuscule chance of Sonya falling pregnant because of Toadie’s low
sperm count, Sonya unexpectedly falls pregnant and Nell arrives – 2012.
17. There is an explosion at Toadie and Sonya’s wedding reception and two guests are killed – 2013.
18. In order to nab a high-paying client, Toadie attends a nudist lunch with them – 2014.
19. Naomi Canning decides Toadie is her kind of man and sets about ambushing his marriage – 2014.
20. Toadie is paralysed when trying to stop an out-of-control jumping castle blowing away – 2015.

5 Responses

        1. Also, Lucy wasn’t in the show in 1998, so no.1 couldn’t have happened then. She was in it in 1995, which was Toadies first year, it may have been then as that was Lucys last appearance in the 90s.

Leave a Reply