Fan-favourite The star of Neighbours, April Rose Pengilly, has made a veiled jab at the show’s creators. The actress, who spent more than four years as Chloe Brennan on the serial opera, has admitted that she hasn’t been asked to return for the revival.
When Neighbours was cancelled this year, the final episode, which aired in July, it garnered media attention. In an unexpected turn of events, the production company Fremantle was able to secure a new broadcast partner, and the reworked show will begin production once more in early 2023.
While Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Ryan Moloney (Toadfish Rebecchi), Alan Fletcher (Dr. Karl Kennedy), and Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy) have all agreed to return, April has informed viewers that none of the other cast members have been approached about doing so.
The producers stunned some cast members, including Georgia Stone (Mackenzie Hargreaves), Matty Wilson (Aaron Brennan), and Takaya Honda (David Tanaka), who claimed on social media that they only learned of the development when it was made public in November.
April recently released some behind-the-scenes videos from her time working on the soap opera on Instagram and acknowledged that she was unsure of which characters will be coming back.
“Who’s looking forward to the new Neighbors? Apart from the four that were initially revealed, we don’t yet know who will be asked back, so swipe through some BTS videos in the meantime,” she added in the description.
Greg Woods, CEO of Fremantle Australia, stated in a mid-November press release that writers were “beginning immediately” in order for production to begin as soon as possible in 2019. However, fans are upset that their fave actors haven’t been reached yet.
Many of the comments on April’s Instagram post from fans expressed their anticipation to see her return as Chloe the following year.
“It stinks how it was announced without informing the rest of the cast and without asking any of them back yet. One fan responded fervently, “I have to be honest, it’s a little reduced my enthusiasm. “In my opinion, the outstanding 2022 cast deserves the chance to return if they so choose (obviously, some can’t, like Hendrix or Harlow). I adore the Heritage Four, and while I agree that they needed to return, they do not make the entire show.
I believe that the significance that characters like Chloe, David, Aaron, Terese, and others have accrued over time to the audience is being somewhat overlooked. I don’t want a brand-new cast,” the viewer concluded.
“If they do not ask you back, they will have made a serious error! Another concurred, “You are one of the people who makes the show shine.
“You must return; failing to ask you would be a grave error on their part. I want everyone who returns to be sincere. I really want it to feel like it did before. As even seasoned characters were once new, I welcome new characters as well. But in order to still feel like Neighbours, I believe it needs a lot of fan favourites. What a whirlwind, hey,” chimed in a third.
The celebrity responded “for sure” when asked by fans if she would like to reprise her role.
