By Ewen McRae
From Sydenham to stage and screen, it’s been a hell of a journey for actor Christopher Farrell.
Farrell, 33, who is starring as Dr Rob Carson on Neighbours, grew up in Sydenham and East Keilor, where his dreams of an acting career took hold.
“I think that whole area is one of the most beautiful, untapped resources that Melbourne has to offer,” Farrell said.
“I think my passion for drama started when I was a young kid in Sydenham … movies were always a bit of an outlet for me.
“Other kids wagged school to get up to mischief, but for me it was always to get into the cinema on my own. So it grew from there.
“I remember me and a friend entered a competition called Class Clowns at the Comedy Festival, and we took out the Victorian final for that, so we got to work with guys like Peter Helliar and Carl Barron. And that day really made me feel like I’d found what I wanted to do in life – and that was perform.”
Farrell said he “didn’t have the courage to take on drama school after high school”, so instead he did a nursing degree as a way of funding his drama pursuits.
His passion led him to London, where he studied acting, worked as a crew member on film sets and began to build his professional network.
Over the years he has worked alongside Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (
Lord of the Rings) and been mentored by former housemate Samuel Johnson (Secret Life of Us, Molly) and Sarah Hallam (Wentworth).
It’s all led him to his current role on Neighbours, but he sees plenty of growth ahead.
“Even now I don’t feel like I’ve had my big break,” Farrell said.
“I’m a real believer in things happen for a reason … I was working on the Neighbours crew as the set nurse when my agent contacted me and said there was a small role that I might be right for.
“So Dr Rob has fallen deeply for the character Amy Williams and that journey is going to be an interesting one. I’m still hopeful I’ll be around for a while after this next run.
“But I’m also dabbling in a couple of different things, so I’m always learning.
“I haven’t given up on the opportunity to work in London or LA and New York if some things pan out.”
