Will we have any long-termers from the current cast?

[adam436]

I've posted the same topic on a Neighbours forum, so I'll ask here too. Will we have any long-terms emerge from the current cast? Obviously avoid spoilers in the discussion.

Unlike Neighbours, I can see very few of the current cast having the potential to become long-term cast members. Hopefully the likes of Irene, Leah, Alf and Marilyn will stay for a good few years yet and if they can hold onto Georgie Parker and Shane Withington, then things could look quite healthy in a few years time.

A few possibilities:

• John and Marilyn: Shane is into his 6th year now and seems quite committed to the show, so I can see him sticking around. Like Shane, Emily seems quite committed to the show and this is now the longest of her three stints. If Marilyn stays for a good few years too, I could see them becoming a stable couple like Alf and Ailsa.
• Jett: It would be great if he stuck around and we watched him grow up on screen, like Sally and to a lesser extent, Sam.
• Chris and Spencer: Of all the young characters, these are the only two that I can see staying past the standard 2-3 years. They are probably the only youngsters interesting enough to survive as long-term characters (although Hayley was incredibly bland and stuck around for 7 years!) and Chris does not seem to be given the heavy material his peers get, which means we don't get sick of him as quick.
• Zac: It would be nice if Leah could retain one love interest for a few years and Zac seems like a stable character she needs.

I like Matt, but I can't see him staying past his current contract for spoiler reasons. It's a shame, because he is a great actor and I would love to see him develop from teenage tearaway to responsible young adult, in a similar mould to Vinnie or Bobby.

[j.laur5]

I hope Kyle becomes long term. It's unlikely but you never know!.

I agree that Marilyn,Roo,Zac and John will stay long-term.

But I thought both Beth and Gina would stay long term but they didn't.

[Homeandawayfan.]

I can deffo see John, Irene, Alf, Roo, Maz and Leah staying on for years yet. Ray Meagher will probably stay on for another 5 or 6 years as he is only 70 and I know many actors who are quite a bit older.

I can hopefully safely say Andy and Josh, Oscar and Maddie wont be around after 2 or 3 years. I cannot see Kyle sticking around for longer than about another year.

Out of the youngsters it would be good to see Jett, Matt and Chris stay on.

[gutterboy]

Unfortunately the show doesn't seem like it can hold onto any young cast for more than 3-4 years these days, which is understandable for younger actors as they want to grow their career and try new things - but for the audience it gets a bit annoying.

[Jacklost]

It would be great if Jett where to stay for many years like Sally did, i love that character He kinda reminds me of Max

[Jezz]

I get the feeling John will be on the show for quite a while yet and I hope the producers can keep Roo and Marilyn on board for many years to come. Alf, Irene and Leah will be around for many years to come.

Out of the younger cast I see potential for Jett staying in the long-term but I worry that the actor may want to focus on his school studies or do other projects when he gets older. He may leave in a similar way to the way we saw Callum Jones leave on Neighbours after six years on the show.

A lot of the teen characters we have at the moment seem like three years stayers and then they'll be gone. Maybe I'll be proven wrong though when time goes on.

[Angelica]

The problem is that the younger cast always want to leave and go to Hollywood once their contracts are up so they never stay for more than a few years. Jett probably likely to outlast the other youngsters just because he is that bit younger and so may be more content to be settled in the same place until he is his twenties.

I could see Zac staying for a while as they seem to be giving him a little more to do now. Can't see Nate/Andy/Hannah/Sophie/Ricky staying past their contracts.

I think Irene/Alf/Roo/Marilyn/Leah/John all seem to be pretty settled so don't expect any of them to leave soon.

[jodlebirger]

I think the categorizing of the actors and painting the young ones as shallow and only trying to "make it big in Hollywood" is very irritating and tiring. It has very little to do with age. Not all young ones are leaving because they want to make it big in Hollywood.

A lot of older characters have quit too because they want to move on to other things. Acting is about being creative. And most actors don't stay on the same project/work for years. Sonia Todd (Gina) left, because she wanted to, and so did Norman Coburn, Ailsas actress, Rhys, Shelley, Nathalie and Noel's actors too. And many more.

And some young actors don't get their contracts renewed, and sometimes it is a bit of a mutual decision that the characters has come to an end. I think that many younger actors would have liked to stay on the show for longer, where they can experience some success instead of try the luck somewhere else in a very difficult job market for actors.

Some young actors are written out before their contract is ended for example Conrad Coleby and sometimes older actors have experienced the same, for example Robert Mammone.

And some of the olders are trying luck outside Australia too, Lynn McGranger for example who are off the show for several weeks/months each year... And I honestly think that if someone younger had asked about that they have been asked to leave the show for good. And the show is suffering a bit when the characters are gone, for example Irene in the middle of Belles drug storyline and other times.

[3ku1]

Their seems to be a four year cycle on home and away the past decade. An actress from 18-25 stays for four years, then has a desire to try new things. Now that's not the case for all of the young actors sure, but mostly. I remember reading a few years ago Samara was planning on staying for a while, but that didn't last. Their was a rumour going around when Luke left she decided to leave. I guess most of her scenes was with Luke, so if that's true its understandable. Bit different these days, so many oppurtunities. But wish some actors would realize they need to hone their craft, and four years some times is not long enough. I read Samara hasen't broken into the States yet. Very few do, its about luck and timing. Chris Hemsoworth has done very well. I think Samara for example could do very well in comedies, they seem to go over their thinking of movies. But its best to start out small.

[adam436]

I think the categorizing of the actors and painting the young ones as shallow and only trying to "make it big in Hollywood" is very irritating and tiring. It has very little to do with age. Not all young ones are leaving because they want to make it big in Hollywood.

A lot of older characters have quit too because they want to move on to other things. Acting is about being creative. And most actors don't stay on the same project/work for years. Sonia Todd (Gina) left, because she wanted to, and so did Norman Coburn, Ailsas actress, Rhys, Shelley, Nathalie and Noel's actors too. And many more.

I thought Michael Beckley (Rhys) was axed along with Max? It made sense with Jade gone, Kirsty and Dani on their way out and the writers wanting Summer Bay House for Sally and Flynn.

I don't think I tend to catergorise actors by age. I don't know enough about the cast of Home and Away, as I am not the fanatical fan I am with Neigbours. But in Neighbours for example, I could see Lauren staying as long as the producers want her, but I think Matt and Brad will move on to new projects in a year or two.

Although I am only a casual viewer these days, my problem is that the younger characters do not seem interesting enough to stay long term (eg. another Leah). This is partly due to lazy writing, but I could see some of the current teens/20s characters struggling if they took out the never-ending love triangles that seem to consume them, which could see them written out early. If we compare this to the 90s teens, Justine, Joey, Selina, Chloe, Shannon, Curtis, Edward and Petra were all memorable and interesting characters that could easily have stayed another 3-4 years without becoming stale.

The only expections as I've said, are Sasha, Jett, Matt, Spencer and Chris. They are actually well-written and interesting characters and have the potential to still be fresh and interesting characters in say 5 years time. I can't see Alec Snow sticking around longer than his contract though, but Matt has the potential to be the next rebel-turned-responsible-adult (eg. another Vinnie or Bobby) if he does decide to stay.