Kyal Marsh Online Interviews & Articles

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JESSE SPENCER ON THE NET

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This page was last updated on 23rd September 2006.

Page launched on 23rd September 2006.

Site launched on 24th January 2004.

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INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

You Asked...Kyal Marsh

Inside Soap, UK, 9th September 2006

I’m one of the many Neighbours fans who’d like Boyd and Sky to get back together. Do you think the writers would listen if I started a petition?

Stephanie McIntosh and I have both been getting this feedback ever since our characters broke up 18 months ago. I’m not sure why producers made that decision in the first place, but they have their reasons and they’re sticking to them. Sky has been with Dylan – and various others – while Boyd is happy with Janae. I don’t really think a petition would work.

Do you keep in touch with Maggie Millar, who played Boyd’s grandmother, Rosie?

No, I haven’t seen her since she left the show in 2003. She’s disappeared off the face of the planet! No, I’, sure she’s still around and working. It was great to have the chance to act opposite her.

Have you had any strange experiences with Neighbours fans?

I get a lot of people who react as if I really am Boyd. When I’m out and about, they come up to me like we’re old friends and say things like, “How’s life in Ramsay Street Boyd?” What can you say to that? I don’t understand it, because I know what’s real and what’s not when I watch TV!

Do you ever get to keep any of your characters clothes?

Thankfully no! I’m not actually a big fan of Boyd’s wardrobe. He has too many pink polo shirts and tight-fitting tops for my liking. I prefer to keep things a bit more loose and casual in real life.

I really enjoyed the storyline last year where Boyd was mistakenly diagnosed with Schizophrenia. As an actor, was that hard for you?

It was very challenging, and I finally felt that I’d been given a storyline that would test me. I haven’t done many jobs outside of Neighbours, and I’d begun to feel as though as I was simply playing the same thing over and over again. Boyd’s illness – which turned out to be a brain tumour – allowed me to do something different and really push myself. I’m proud of a lot of those scenes.

I was shocked to see Boyd and Janae have got engaged. Do you worry this could send the wring message to children in the audience?

Not at all. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young marriage, as long as it’s for the right reasons. Regardless of your age, you shouldn’t rush into it – but if you’ve met the right person why not?

It must be difficult to memorise lines. Do you have any tricks – and are some cast members better at it than others?

I’ve learnt that it’s a good idea to read my scripts before I go to sleep. For some reason, they seem to sink in and I can remember everything the next morning. Some of my colleagues are better at it than others, but I shouldn’t name names! I think I do okay – which is surprising, as I have a really bad memory for other things.

Does being a young actor on TV make it difficult for you to start and maintain a relationship in

real life?

It does make it harder, because you have to separate the girls who like you for you, as opposed to those who are attracted to your fame. I guess it’s natural for people to be interested in Neighbours and ask questions, but there has to be more to it than that. It’s been hard for me in the past.

What’s been your least favourite storyline for Boyd so far?

There was one weird plot where Boyd found a fox in the Hoyland garage – I didn’t enjoy that very much. I don’t recall any of the details, so it can’t have been memorable – or maybe I blocked it out on purpose.

Things tend to move a bit faster in soap than real life – so can we expect to see Boyd practising medicine soon?

People become professionals over night in soapland, don’t they? I suspect Boyd will be operating on patients before the year is out. Considering that Toadfish managed to become a lawyer in about three months flat, it probably won’t take Boyd long to get his degree.

Out of all the actors who’ve passed through Neighbours since you joined the cast, who do you most admire?

Mark Little, who played Joe Mangel. I really enjoyed working with him when he came back to the show for six months last year. I think his work is fantastic – not just in Neighbours, but in other things too. He puts so much of himself into his performances.

INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES