Hollywood star Guy Pearce returns to his Neighbours roots to bid farewell as the legendary Australian soap bows out after 37 years on screen.
The Emmy-winning actor got his big break playing Ramsay Street student Mike Young, before going on to have a stellar career, starring in films Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Memento, and most recently joining Kate Winslet in Sky Atlantic crime drama Mare of Easttown.
As he joins other returning Neighbours stars including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan for the soap’s double-episode finale, he revealed much more…
How does Guy Pearce feel about being back on the Neighbours set?
Guy says: "It was surreal! I’m an incredibly nostalgic person anyway, so I’ve always wanted to step back into Neighbours at some stage and, with the sad news that the show is finishing, it seemed like the appropriate time. Thankfully, I was planning a trip back home anyway, so it just worked. Kate Winslet is a huge fan of the show and is literally wetting herself that I’m back. She was besotted with Mike back in the day. When I told her I was coming back, she was beside herself."
Can you remember your first day on the set of Neighbours?
Guy says: "Neighbours started on 2 December 1985, just a couple days after my last exam at high school. I’d just turned 18 and I had to move from my home city of Geelong and start on this television show. It was pretty mad."
Do you credit your time on Neighbours for the incredible Hollywood career you’ve had?
Guy says: "There are certain moments in your life that are real markers. Being cast in Neighbours, and the confidence it gave me, and what I learnt being on the show are immeasurable. I can’t ever forget that. I always feel super lucky to have got on the show when I did."
Did you get to catch up with your fellow cast mates like Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan?
Guy reveals: "Actually Jason and I see each other all the time, and we still call each other Scott and Mike, which is a bit sad! So whenever I’m in London I’ll see Jason and I’ll catch up with Kylie as well if she’s around. There are a few others I see when I’m in Melbourne, like Stefan Dennis and Annie Jones.
How did you approach the very last day of filming on Neighbours?
Guy says: "Coming back was kind of weird and I’d been thinking, “Who’s Mike now, and how do I play this guy?” I had to trawl through my memory bank, but it all came flooding back to me. Funnily enough, the producers had Mike’s old motorcycle gloves, they’ve been in a box since 1987, so that helped!"
Neighbours finishes on Channel 5 on Friday, July 29 at 9pm
