Rebecca Breeds Interview

[Anaya]

Rebecca Breeds recently did an interview with Holy Soap, here it is for anyone that hasn't read it yet:

When Rebecca Breeds popped over to the UK for a family wedding, she was kind enough to spare a moment for a chat about life in Summer Bay. In the first part of our interview, the actress opens up about Ruby Buckton's crush on Liam Murphy (Axle Whitehead), and even gives an insight into her real-life romance with hunky co-star Luke Mitchell, who plays Romeo Smith.

What brings you to the UK?

My cousin got married, so all the Australian relatives came over. It was in Chichester, and it was beautiful. There was all the wedding preparation and a hen party too - we went to Goodwood Races and I won £120. Then we had a barbecue at night and there was a hot tub. It was really cool.

The last time I came I was 12, so this is my first time as an adult and in summer. I even got a tan!

Are you missing home?

I miss certain people, but as for home itself, I know I'll be there so soon there's no point missing it. I want to enjoy myself in England and I'm loving it here.

Let's talk about Home and Away. What do you think of Ruby's crush on Liam?

I had a great time doing this storyline as it's a different kind of love from her and Xavier. She's matured a bit and is exploring different parts of herself and love. She is realising something she's passionate about, and being encouraged in her creativity with her music. The intoxication of that has been misappropriated to Liam, I think, but at the same time they do have really strong chemistry emotionally and creatively.

They get along really well and they make good music so I can totally see how she's fallen for him. She's headstrong and doesn't confine herself to boxes so she doesn't care he's a teacher.

I don't think she wished this upon herself. She tried to deny it for so long, and she knows it's controversial, but if they're your feelings, they're your feelings.

Does he share her feelings at all?

I think he'd be confused because she's definitely been his muse. She's inspired him musically and that's a pretty special thing to have with someone. And they spend so much time together, so they get along and have really strong support for each other. They talk each other through various things, mature things that surpass a student-teacher relationship. She's definitely a big part of his life, but he has his professional career to think about it. And he's been though a lot, he's not a teenager, so he's in a different place. I think it's very confusing for him.

Who in Summer Bay, in your opinion, is the right man for Ruby?

I don't think Liam's right for her really. Maybe in a different lifetime and if they were closer in age. It would have been beautiful if there weren't logistics standing in the way.

She and Xavier have a beautiful friendship and really good support but I think it's lacking passion, which everyone deserves. It's there but it's not there enough. She hasn't had much to do with Romeo, but I think the fact he was with her best friend Annie means he's a no-go zone, at least for a while. I don't think there's anyone there for her at the moment.

So are we going to see her crush on Liam develop into a relationship?

It could do but it wouldn't be without its hurdles and a lot of controversial negotiation. She would love it to. And it gets quite serious. Her feelings get massively serious.

You're dating Luke Mitchell, who plays Romeo Smith. Would you like your characters to be boyfriend and girlfriend on screen?

No. I like having the differentiation. Off set we can be boyfriend and girlfriend but we come to work and can be professional and honour our jobs. Mixing our characters' emotions and our own emotions - it would be too closely related because it's such a huge part of you, so I like having the separation.

I like being able to see him at work but I like being able to maintain a professional distance and go home and be as close as we like.

But if it was written into our storylines we'd deal with it and do our absolute best. It would probably be interesting to watch because we'd have a lot of chemistry. So for you guys it would probably be awesome but for Luke and me, to leave things less complicated than they need to be, I'd probably prefer not to.

Does Luke live up to the name Romeo? Is he romantic?

Yes!

Does he get jealous when you kiss other guys on screen?

We have a very professional understanding and I think we're lucky we have the same job. I know how much he doesn't have feeling for Charlotte (Best) when he kisses her as Annie - as much as he understands how much I don't (when I kiss someone). When you do it you understand how it's just part of the job. You're totally professional, and in character. You're following lines and direction. We're probably less jealous than someone who doesn't understand the industry. It's fine, it's not even an issue.

And your housemate is Tessa James, who plays Nicole Franklin. What's she like to live with?

Our schedules are so different we hardly see each other. We still keep work separate. We don't really run lines at home, we save that until work but she's awesome. She's such a beautiful girl. We go on walks together, go shopping now and again. We have the same show size - an Australian 6 - so that works out perfectly. She's a beautiful roommate. We don't see too much of each other so it's exciting to get home and bounce daily issues off each other and give each other some clarity.

Your boyfriend Luke, who plays Romeo, won a Logie recently. How did you celebrate?

He went to bed because he had publicity in the morning! I stayed up and had a good time with the rest of the Channel Seven actors. But the smile didn't leave his face for about 20 days. He put the award next to his bed and we would see it and go "Wow, I have a Logie in my room." It was so wonderful for him.

I know where he's come from and how hard he's worked for this. He's not just someone who's fallen into it because he has a six pack. He really cares for his acting. He's come from a tennis background and a little town in Queensland. He's had to work really hard for it so to see him succeed was such an exciting and encouraging thing for both of us. And his parents were just over the moon.

You were nominated for a Logie too. Were you disappointed not to win?

Rebecca Gibney won in my category - she's like a veteran. I was disappointed we have the same first name! They said 'The winner is Rebecca...'I took a big gasp, going 'Surely not!' and then they said 'Gibney!' and I was like, 'Come on!' But it's fine. She's been in the industry for such a long time and is a credible, good actress. I have a lot of respect for her, and there's no bad blood whatsoever. She's fantastic. But I'd like to win a Logie one day too so maybe next year everyone can vote for me!

How did you feel about Ray Meagher's (Alf Stewart) win?

He won the Gold Logie which is the award of the night and I think everyone was more excited about that than their own awards. He's worked on this show for 22 years and not been recognised. So for him to be honoured was such a "finally" moment. He's been such an integral part of the Australian television industry and such a stronghold for all of us. He has stayed in that job and has done such an amazing effort. New people come and go and he's such an Australian icon, so for him to be recognised was good because anything else would have been an outrage.

How similar are you to Ruby in real life?

I think she's more prepared to be confrontational and abrasive than I am. I am a little bit more careful than she is. I am aware of consequences and what's coming up in the future. But we're both very idealistic, and have high expectations of ourselves and are very passionate people but she' s a lot more outspoken and brash. But she's 16, and maybe at 16 I would have been more irrational and silly.

Is it nerve-wracking to sing in the soap?

No! I am more nervous singing as myself than Ruby. When you're playing a character you can hide behind them. I know it's still my voice, and I can't totally rationalise it but for some reason I was more confident singing from Ruby's point of view. Even though there was a storyline where she was terrified about singing in a school play, I wasn't nervous at all. I had to try really hard to make myself feel nervous.

Do you have to change your singing voice as Ruby?

I change it a little bit. It's a bit cleaner and I want to make it a bit more inexperienced, especially at the beginning because it was meant to be that she'd never sung before. I've had a bit of classical training so I know what I'm doing if I try, but I have to pull her back a bit. But in the later stuff coming up I didn't have to as much. But some people who have never sung before have amazing voices straight away so there are no real guidelines.

Would you like to go down the route of many Aussie soap stars and have a pop career?

I wouldn't seek a pop career but (maybe) if there was an opportunity to record some music I really enjoy doing, that was maybe a bit more personal than the pop scene or more humble. I don't like flashy lights. I like sitting on a stool with a guitar. That would be more what I'd like to do. You've got to see what opportunities come along. If they don't, they don't. If they do, we'll see what happens.

Ray's going to star in the West End over here. Would that interest you?

Yeah, absolutely. Acting work is good, wherever that is. I did a lot more stage when I was younger, but for the last three years I've only done screen. But I'm not finished with that yet, there's lot more to do, but if the chance came to be on stage, I would definitely pursue it.

Will the soap miss Ray when he's away?

We all will. The show will, the cast will. It's lovely to go work and see him and he's so friendly and welcoming. When you have his respect, he's a really warm guy. He sees so many young kids come and go, he demands respect and a high professional attitude from all of us, which is great because someone needs to. He's not harsh at all but he makes sure you take the job seriously. Then he's completely adorable, he's lovely, and takes you on like a dad. He's laugh a minute too.

Lots of cast have left recently. Who will you miss most?

I was really happy for Lincoln (Lewis) because he went on to do some really good stuff. Todd (Lasance) was a real loss to the show because he's such a great actor and a vibrant person. Jess Tovey was so full of integrity and loves acting so it's sad to see her go.

In terms of character, to see Tony and Rachel go is kind of upsetting because they fill a really important demographic - that middle-aged, new family thing and there's nothing like that on the show now so they're a loss. And Bernie (Curry), who played Hugo, is just amazing. He's just had his first son so that's really exciting for him but he's one to miss because every time he came to work he brought so much energy, vibrancy and passion for the day. I don't know where he got it from. It's a shame, but it's seasonal - people come and go.

Source

[Danni02]

Thanks Anaya. She seems so sweet.

[Lesley Bee]

Aww sweet interview, thanks Anaya

I didnt know she was dating Luke Mitchell, lucky girl

[Inactive User]

Thanks, Anaya. I agree, Danni. She's such a amazing and beautiful actress We hope to see more scenes between Ruby and Charlie soon on the show ;) x

[MeganSaturday]

Thats interesting that they didn't ask about Charlie and Ruby's relationship. Really nice interview though thanks for posting!

[HAA Girl 08]

Thanks for posting, Anaya.

The interview was great - Bec seems like a really lovely person.

[Laura]

Thanks for posting