THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
In a recent Neighbours storyline, husbands Aaron and David navigated the foster care system – luckily, Deborra-lee Furness was on hand to help! Matt Myers reports.
Neighbours husbands Aaron and David navigate the foster care system.
In the past few years, serial drama Neighbours has developed a reputation for addressing equality, with LGBTIQ stories that are topical, relatable and, most of all, real. To that end, Ramsay Street, the fictional location of the show, has become an address for diverse and likable characters, while leading Australian television into the 21st Century.
When gay characters Aaron (Matt Wilson) and David (Takaya Honda) tied the knot back in 2018, it was a milestone moment marking Australian television’s first gay wedding. Since then, more LGBTIQ persons have arrived in Erinsborough including the introduction of transgender character Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone).
In a recent story arc, Aaron and David became foster parents to Emmett, a troubled 13-year-old, played by Ezra Justin. Originally oping to foster an infant, the boys’ situation changed when Emmett’s case became an urgent priority.
Welcoming Emmett into their home, all seemed well at first but, in true soap opera style, Ramsay Street threw some unexpected curveballs. From the meddlesome Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) to a rooftop accident and the introduction of Emmett’s estranged older brother and manipulative mother, it all made for great viewing. It delighted fans and critics and boosted ratings, but there was a far greater significance at the story’s heart.
Deborra-lee pushed us into territories we wouldn’t normally have gone!
Neighbours producer Jason Herbison, along with his male partner, adopted a child, so the fostering story was one of great personal importance to him.
“We always planned a long story arc with Aaron and David,” says Herbison. “That included falling in love, marrying, then starting a family. With all the challenges same-sex couples face in starting a family, fostering is very topical. There are thousands of children of all ages needing stable homes in Australia and we wanted to explore that. We’re not saying our storyline reflects every single foster family experience, but the twists and turns were inspired by real life. The best stories make you laugh and cry, and this has moments of both.”
In the role of Emmett, newcomer Ezra Justin plays a convincingly troubled teenager who is taken to heart by the Ramsay Street residents.
“Ezra is an incredible young actor and we couldn’t be more impressed with him,” says Herbison. “We were only one week into filming the story when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, turning everything upside down for us, but Ezra coasted through it all. Takaya and Matt have been amazing, too, and were very invested, right from the beginning.”
For Matt Wilson, playing the role of a surrogate father involved some detailed preparation, including research into the foster care system.
“We were lucky enough to have plenty of resources at hand,” says Wilson. “Some of the Neighbours team members had either worked with the foster care system directly or had close contacts that did. It was great that we could learn from their experiences. A lot of the plots were moments based on true stories from
around us, and it really opened our eyes.
“In my opinion the true heroes are the writers, producers, editors and crew who put it all together,” says Wilson. “They do such an amazing job and are passionate about paving the way for future on-screen LGBTIQ representation in Australia. It never occurred to me how complex the fostering process is. There is so much red tape involved – and rightfully so – that I can see it, potentially, turning people away. Everyone we spoke to said the foster care system in Australia is overwhelmed.”
Similarly, the storyline was an eye-opener for Honda who, along with Wilson’s character, took on the role of a sudden, first-time parent.
“I was unaware of the specifics around foster care and how under-served the industry is,” says Honda. “There are so many kids out there who don’t have a safe place to call home and it’s not a subject that gets much media attention so I’m quite proud to have brought it to the fore.
“A close friend of mine was a foster child,” says Honda. “It isn’t something we’ve really dived deep into as I know there’s a lot of pain associated with it but I can only think she is a success story from the foster system. Matt and I were also able to talk to the writing team, one of which is a foster carer themselves, and those insights were invaluable.”
Also involved in the episodes and bringing her own real-life experience was actress Deborra-lee Furness. Along with husband Hugh Jackman, the couple have adopted children. In 2008, Furness co-founded Adopt Change, an organisation devoted to providing safe homes for displaced and vulnerable children. As part of developing the fostering storyline, Herbison engaged the aid of Adopt Change with Furness contributing to the story narrative, as well as directing some scenes from the episodes.
“It was an honour to have Deb involved,” says Herbison. “This subject matter is very close to her heart. I love that she uses her platform to bring awareness to the cause. She’s also an incredible actress and she brought all those years of experience to the set. We’ve only seen the tip of what she can do in the directing field.”
Wilson and Honda were similarly impressed with Furness in the director’s chair.
“Deb is a force of nature,” says Wilson. “She has a way of manipulating a scene and pushing you to boundaries, moment by moment, which all pays off in the edit suite. What a woman!”
“Deborra-lee was an absolute dream to work with,” agrees Honda. “Her positivity is infectious and the different light she shone on the script was refreshing. She pushed us into territories we wouldn’t normally have gone. And Ezra Justin is a fast-rising star,” he says.
“I offered guidance and support whenever he asked and I also felt the urge to protect him when COVID hit. I didn’t want his time on Neighbours be ruined by the pandemic. I hope to work with both Deborra-lee and Ezra again – I know I’ll be better for it.”
As for the show itself, Neighbours has clocked up over 6,000 episodes, is shown in over 60 countries and has inspired international remakes. Fans around the world are familiar with names like Dr Karl, Toadfish, Harold and Madge, Mrs Mangle and, of course, Scott and Charlene.
Over the years, Neighbours has reflected the changing times, with current storylines not only involving LGBTIQ culture but also drug abuse, police corruption, cyber stalking, mental illness, Huntington’s Disease and environmental issues. The show has survived in a niche market where many have failed and earlier this year the 35th year celebration saw many past characters return.
“Neighbours is always evolving,” says Herbison. “But there’s a sense of the familiar to it as well. Sometimes we take ourselves very seriously and other times we don’t at all, which is a bit like real life. We don’t always get it right but the people who make the show love it for what it is, and I think the audience feels the same.”
As Neighbours continues to entertain, it also reflects the world as we know it, and the concept of two gay men fostering a child shows the great progress that has been made.
“We’ve received a lot of recognition, which is lovely,” says Herbison. “The biggest reward is the real change we have seen in the audience. For example, a few years back our gay characters raised a few eyebrows, but nowadays the only place you find negative commentary is the odd homophobic Facebook rant. Our wider audience simply don’t care. They see everyone as human beings and that’s how it should be.”
A few years back our gay characters raised eyebrows. Nowadays… negative commentary is just the odd homophobic Facebook rant.