Matt Wilson
“I don’t think this kind of thing has been done in a soap before!”
David attends his first-ever Mardi Gras parade in Sydney this week – and going by these pictures, it looks as though the doctor is having the time of his life!
The event takes place in the Australian city every year, bringing together thousands of people from around the country to celebrate the LGBTQ community. So when David and his husband Aaron decide to make the trip from Erinsbrough to attend the world-famous event, they’re in for one hell of a party…
“David’s been feeling a bit unmotivated lately, so his dad Paul wants to find a way to cheer him up,” explains Matt
Wilson, who plays David’s husband, Aaron. “He comes up with a new marketing campaign for the hotel, which involves them sponsoring a float for the parade. Their slogan is, ‘Everybody’s welcome at Lassiters’, which fits in well with Mardi Gras.”
While the residents of Erinsborough gather at the Waterhole to watch the event live on TV, David and Aaron are there in person, taking pride of place on the hotel-sponsored float. And it’s not just being part of the parade that’s a big deal for the couple – they also bump into some famous faces while there! Aussie drag queen Courtney Act and Scissor Sisters frontman – and recent
Masked Singer contestant – Jake Shears both make a cameo in the scenes, and Matt loved working with them.
“We only found out the night before filming that Jake was locked in,” he recalls. “Jake’s a superstar, but such a downto-earth, nice guy. And he had so much enthusiasm!
“Courtney was a total pro as well, she made us look like newcomers!” continues Matt. “The amount of fans she had was insane! We couldn’t finish a scene without a huge crowd pulling up around us.”
The episode coincides with the real-life Sydney Mardi Gras 2020 taking place – but the scenes you’ll see on screen were actually filmed at last year’s event. The whole cast attended as Neighbours had its own float in the parade for the first time ever, and Matt tells us that everyone had the time of their lives taking part.
“It was incredible for us – we were all so elated when we got off the float,” recalls the actor. “I was just lost for words – there was so much going on, it was overwhelming. But I love how Neighbours has its finger on the pulse of society – I don’t think that this kind of thing has been done in a soap before!”