Whether or not you’re a fan of the Aussie soap, Neighbours, there is no denying its huge success over the last 37 years. With the final episodes screened recently, it is definitely the end of an era.
I’ve never been a huge Neighbours fan but there were a few reasons I did take time to view the last few.
Firstly, it is filmed in my hometown of Melbourne so it’s quite nostalgic to watch.
Secondly, I saw the very first episode back in March 1985 (before it was axed and sold to a rival network) so it was nice to come full circle.
And finally, Neighbours has a special place in my heart - it was my first paid television job (as an extra) back in the early 1990s.
Fortunately, I graduated from working as an extra and went on to have three different speaking roles in further Neighbours episodes along with minor onscreen parts in various other film and tv projects alongside my stage performing.
Given that it was Australia’s longest running serial drama (and the 7th longest running globally), I’m sure there are many lessons we could take from the show, but today I’d like to share what I learned from the four episodes I appeared in; lessons which have served me well in both my performing career and through decades of working in various roles in a business setting.
Lesson One – Role of Extra (not named in the credits)
At the beginning of my performing career, I had mostly appeared in stage shows and was working in the office of a large retailer to pay the bills. I had an agent and we decided that a couple of jobs as an extra would be good for me to get a feel for being on a fast-paced TV set before I started auditioning for speaking roles. The following week was my first opportunity; a half day as an extra at ‘Lassiters Hotel’.
I don’t remember anything about the scene, but what will forever stand out in my mind was being in the greenroom with a couple of the other extras. Several well-known actors hurried past us looking important and completely ignored us. Then Ian Smith, the actor who played ‘Harold Bishop’, casually strolled in, greeted us all and stopped to have a chat. He asked our names, seemed really interested in us and our performing ambitions and wished us all the best for the upcoming scene and our future careers.
His kindness and genuine friendliness stuck with me; he knew the value of every person on the set that day and treated us as part of the team. It was a great reminder to never be full of my own self-importance, to continue to treat everyone with kindness and respect and to recognise that everyone’s role in life and work is important in relation to others.
Lesson 2 – Role of Nurse (Nurse 2 in the credits!)
Interestingly, some time later, I ended up acting in a scene with ‘Harold’. This time I had a speaking role playing a nurse in a hospital scene when his wife ‘Madge’ was gravely ill.
The woman playing the ‘Doctor’ in the scene, Caroline Lloyd, was a qualified doctor in real life and enjoyed a bit of acting on the side, so she was able to guide us to ensure the scene was realistic. I was very grateful for her advice on how to properly hold and use the resuscitation device.
As a multi-passionate person who loves the freedom of choice and variety in my working life, after meeting Caroline it was great to realise I didn’t have to forego everything else in my life to become a full time actor and singer; I could pursue a performing career as well as finding other fun and enjoyable (and more lucrative!) ways to make a living.
The other lesson I learned is that even if you’re cast in a scene and your voice can be heard, there may only be a glimpse of you on screen in the final cut (my Mum was probably more disappointed about this than I was!)
Oh, and it pays to ask for expert advice when you haven’t got a clue about how to do something like using a medical device realistically!
Lesson 3 – Role of Receptionist (Receptionist in the credits)
Speaking of doctors, another scene was with Alan Fletcher who played ‘Dr Karl Kennedy’. I had known Alan for many years; between acting jobs he was a photographer and prior to his Neighbours fame he took my acting headshots. We knew each other reasonably well so I was looking forward to working with him. In the makeup trailer there was plenty of banter as we got ready for the scene, then we travelled to a hotel where it was being shot. His character was having an affair with ‘Sarah’ and I was the receptionist at the hotel he went to when his wife ‘Susan’ kicked him out of the house.
In sharp contrast to the off set banter, as soon as we were on the set, Alan became ‘Dr Karl Kennedy’ and I carefully observed his acting skills, professionalism and extreme focus. In every industry lack of focus and mistakes cost money and the entertainment industry is no different. Having spent many years training to be able to focus and deliver a scene in character when it counted, it was great for me to see the power of it in action in this setting, and this ability has served me well in all my roles as a performer and in business. It’s a skill I share in my presentation skills training because it’s so important to be able to do what it takes to get yourself in the right state to present well.
Lesson 4 – Role of Megan Ruttlidge (finally a character with a name!)
In the only Neighbours part that had an actual name, I played the owner of a small boutique that sold clothing and jewellery. Given that I had clocked up many years of working on a shop floor in various retail outlets when I was a teenager, this role came quite naturally to me.
I have discovered over the years that no experience is ever wasted, no skill learned is ever pointless. I have always been fiercely independent and never wanted to rely on unemployment benefit while I pursued a career as a performer, so I have done many different jobs to pay the bills.
And what a gift that has been. With experience in the entertainment industry, retail, hospitality, sales, marketing, public speaking, administration, communication, HR and learning and development, along the way I have accumulated a diverse range of skills that have ensured I am flexible and adaptable as an employee and I am now using to run my own successful business.
With the part of 'Megan Ruttlidge' I learned that playing a character with a name doesn’t pay any more money and doesn’t mean your role in Neighbours will ever become more than one episode!
So, while Neighbours may not have launched my acting career as it did for Kylie and Jason, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to have played a miniscule part in such an iconic Australian soap and thankful for the lessons I learned along the way.
What are the lessons you have learned from the roles you have played in life and work? Or indeed, do you have any lessons from Neighbours? I’d love to know!
Mel Sherwood is a Pitch and Presentation Specialist and Founder of The RED Effect. She works with entrepreneurs and business professionals who want to express themselves with confidence, credibility and charisma. An Australian now based in Scotland, Mel is an award-winning speaker, trainer and coach and combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer.