Home & Away star reveals

[SummerBayLocal]

He is only saying it because he was removed from the cast. Isn't it obvious. Home and Away is a beach-side local Australian drama, what did he think he would be doing on the show (other than acting clearly). The keys word is "beach". Look at Aden now, is he a meat puppet? I don't see Todd complaining that he has to take his shirt off on a BEACH drama television show. After all, it is just a TV program. He would be a no-body without the producers of Home and Away giving him a spot on the show.

I have lost all respect for Bob.

This opinion has nothing to do with me being a fan of Home and Away. I am not sticking up for the show purely because I watch it, I genuinely think Bob's comments were out of order.

[Andy]

Bob Morley: “meat puppet”

tvtonight.com.au

Surprising comments today from actor Bob Morley being candid about his time on Seven’s Home and Away.

In less-than-flattering comments to the Daily Telegraph, Morley has reportedly lambasted the show as a “machine that can chew you up and spit you out”.

The 23-year-old actor spent two years on Seven’s soap and now stars in Nine’s The Strip and recently had a role in Scorched.

“It’s nice to be in a show (The Strip) where it’s not based on taking your shirt off,” he said.

“That was one thing that got me down (in Home & Away).

“If that’s all I am - a meat puppet - then I don’t know that I want to keep doing it,” he said.

While it might not be a regular feature of the show, Morley did whip his shirt off briefly in the pilot episode of The Strip. And promotions for the Nine soap have been far more adult and sexy than Home and Away ever gets- but that’s because it’s got a racier classification.

Morley reckons at the end of his stint on Seven’s soap he felt so dejected that he didn’t care whether he ever acted again.

“I knew I had to get out. It wasn’t a good place to be in. Home & Away is a great place to learn, but it’s a machine and it can chew people up and spit them out,” he said. “I stepped out not really caring whether I had another job.”

Despite his experience on Seven’s long-running soap, Morley said that he was happy that it did not dissuade him from further pursing an acting career.

But The Strip doesn’t have anywhere near the ratings success or longevity of Home and Away.

You’d hope he hasn’t been quoted out of context here. As many in the industry know, it isn’t particularly helpful to burn bridges when you’re a jobbing actor, not in a country of our size. Network execs remember this sort of stuff, as well as producers who look to employ you further down the track.

Prior to his his stint on Home and Away, Morley doesn’t have any other professional credits according to IMDb.

[c120701]

Why does he think he got the role? It clearly wasn't for his acting ability.

[Oipoodle]

I don't think he really said anything too bad about the show, there are quite a lot of scenes were they use any excuse to get a blokes shirt off(not that I'm complaining) it makes sense on the beach but its often inside and not really for any reason! And he said it was the one bad thing about h+a. As for his relationship with Jess he said that it was the publicity that was the problem rather than the show. As for saying "Home & Away is a great place to learn, but it’s a machine and it can chew people up and spit them out" its prob true of most soaps as they're so fast moving. Anyway I'm glad he's happier now and I hope he appreciates the start that h+a gave him.

[January]

Interesting reading but I am bit surprised to be reading it because I would have thought “its not helpful to burn your bridges” as stated in the tvtonight.com article.

Bob acknowledges H&A is a great place to learn but didn’t like various other aspects. Fair comment I’d say and I’m sure there would be other former stars who would agree with him.

I would think current actors would have some sort of confidentiality clause in their contract and even if they thought their fellow actors were the worst in the world, they’d never say. And so it should be.

Perhaps Bob wants a bit of publicity, perhaps he’s been quoted out of context, perhaps he’s considering a career change and doesn’t care or perhaps he can talk faster than he can think. Time will tell I guess.

[Anaya]

Here's the full interview. Credit to Jessica R at HAAC.

THE BIG ASK

1 October 2008

Herald-Sun

THE Bob Morley of The Strip is a very different person to the Bobby Morley who left Home and Away earlier this year.

His hair's been cropped, his name's been shortened, he's keeping his shirt on and he's pulled himself out of an emotional slump that threatened to derail his acting career.

The 23-year-old spent two years as bad boy Drew Curtis on Seven's Summer Bay soapie and by the end the pressure had left him so dejected he didn't care whether he ever acted again.

Why did you leave Home and Away?

I knew I had to get out. It wasn't a good place to be in. Home and Away is a great place to learn, but it's a machine and it can chew people up and spit them out.

I stepped out not really caring whether I had another job or not. I thought, ``Next year I'll go back to university''.

It's nice to be in a show (The Strip) where it's not based on taking your shirt off. That was one thing that got me down (in Home and Away). If that's all I am -- a meat puppet -- then I don't know that I want to keep doing it.

Your relationship with Jessica Tovey made you prime gossip fodder. That must have been annoying.

You can tell yourself that nobody cares what's in the papers, but it does play on your mind a bit and that was one reason for me to get out. I think we were naive and thought it would be nice and playful. I'm trying not to get anything in the public eye like that. I'm not with anyone.

I notice you've changed your name from Bobby to Bob. Is that because you want more respect as an actor?

It wasn't something I planned. When I moved to Sydney and got Home and Away, a lot of people said, "You can't be Bob, it doesn't sound right''.

With credibility, it's unfortunate that Home and Away does get looked down upon. People do great work on it.

It seems that people respect me more for what I did on Scorched than Home and Away, but I'm proud of both. It's the same with The Strip.

You were lucky because you landed a part on Scorched and then the role in The Strip straight after leaving Home and Away. If the move to Sydney was confronting, what was it like filming on The Gold Coast?

Sydney was my first big move (Morley was born and raised in Kyneton) and I think it shook me up a bit. Working with an older cast made that transition (to the Gold Coast for The Strip) a lot easier.

I'm the youngest in my family and I'm the young one in the cast so it really worked for me. It was like a safe haven to go into.

How would you describe your character, Const Tony Moretti, on The Strip?

The character brief was that he was a flamboyant little sex fiend, but in the scripts it didn't really play like that. We had some detectives to work with and I asked them about young cops (such as Moretti) and they said they really want to prove themselves.

Tony's quite a funny guy and I think Frankie J. Holden got a lot of that out of me. He's a funny guy. Because I've been the younger brother all my life it worked out perfectly that it was also his place in the team.

You were going to go back to university, but after Scorched and The Strip will you stick with acting?

I've got a little bit of a career going and I don't want to lose it. I never really cared about it before now.

[Anaya]

"With credibility, it's unfortunate that Home and Away does get looked down upon. People do great work on it."

"It seems that people respect me more for what I did on Scorched than Home and Away, but I'm proud of both. It's the same with The Strip."

He does have a few good words to say on it then, as highlighted above. I think an actor is allowed to have a bad experience with a show, and be able to be honest and open about it. Not everyone who joins H&A's going to fit right in and love every minute of it. Doesn't make them a bad person, but I will agree some of his choice of words were a little wrong, 'Meat puppet' and the like.

[Pierced Musie]

Well done to Morley for not being afraid to criticize as well as praise the show that helped him. Not many young actors would do that, for fear of losing fans. And he isn't the first to do this!

[emmasi]

As I suspected, his comments were taken out of context to create controversy. *Sarcastically claps the media for being the best darn liars there are*

[Jamey-Maria]

Sorry but um, what has he said that's so horribly wrong? Is anyone really going to argue that h&a completely flog their "young hot stars" by having them prance around on the beach in next to nothing and sometimes for a laugh nothing at all.

Has anyone in this thread ACTUALLY worked on h&a? Do you have inside info on what it's like to work there? You don't have to take his word for it but considering that he might have a bit more experience in the industry to draw from might be a start. Nothing that he's said is really anything short of truth with a bit of biast perspective. Tv shows (ESPECIALLY h&a in Australia and breaking the international market) can make and also break careers. In his opinion he got a rough deal. It's not like he outright discreditted the show.