Jack Scully
Jack Scully | |
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Neighbours character | |
Adam Fitzgerald |
Jack Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jay Bunyan. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 April 2001. The character was initially played by Paul Pantano in a guest role. When he returned in 2002, Bunyan had taken over the role. Jack is the first son of Joe and Lyn Scully. He departed on 8 December 2004, with a further appearance on 11 January 2005.
Casting
Following the introduction of the Scully family in 1999, Jack was often mentioned by his parents and siblings. In 2001, Paul Pantano was cast in the role of Jack and introduced to the show.[1] Pantano and Jack left that same year. When the character was reintroduced in 2002, Jay Bunyan took over the role.[2] Bunyan was auditioned for the role in New Zealand by Jan Russ.[2] He and Michelle Ang (Lori Lee) impressed Russ and their roles were especially written into the storylines.[2] Bunyan was nineteen when he joined the cast.[3] He relocated to Melbourne for filming and signed a two-year contract.[2]
In December 2003, Linda Barnie of the Newcastle Herald reported Bunyan was considering leaving Neighbours.[4] Bunyan's departure was confirmed the following year, as he wanted to pursue new acting roles in the United States and tour with his one-man play The Packer.[5] He told James Elliott of the BBC that the producers had wanted him to sign a contract for another few years to keep the Scully family alive on the show.[6] However, he admitted that he wanted to finish as he had had enough.[6] During an interview published in Inside Soap, Bunyan revealed that he had only ever intended to stay with the soap for two years.[7] Bunyan filmed his final scenes on 30 July 2004, alongside Ang, who returned from New Zealand for two days.[5] Bunyan admitted that it was only during the filming of his last scene did he realise that it would be the final time he would play Jack. He explained: "That's a bit weird. Jack's pretty close to myself, actually, except for the storylines. And maybe his accent's a bit twangier. I will miss Jack because I get to play this deviant character. But there will be other characters to play."[5] Bunyan added that he would miss his co-stars the most, but not the early mornings.[5]
Development
Introduction and characterisation
"Jack's a lovely young man, although possibly a little feisty. He certainly set the cat among the pigeons with the local teenage girls when he came to Erinsborough."[8]
— The BBC on Jack
Jack is the eldest son of
Relationship with Nina Tucker
During a trip away to the beach, Jack realised he was attracted to
When Nina told Jack she was not ready to have sex with him, he cheated on her with
Goodrem departed Neighbours in 2003 after she was diagnosed with
Partying and drug addiction
In June 2004, Jack became the centre of a storyline which saw him partying and taking drugs. When he finds himself being mocked by his co-workers on the building site, his frustration leads him to start partying in nightclubs to forget his problems.
Olivia soon introduces Jack to drugs. When Bunyan received the scripts revealing Jack was going to become a drug addict, he decided to get away from his character's "pretty boy image" and grew his hair long. He commented "The make-up artists would try and touch up my face and I'd say, 'no, I'm supposed to be on drugs!' So I'd go on set with no make-up and would rub my eyes and look like a scruff."[6] To raise money for their new lifestyle, Jack and Olivia steal some tools from the building site to sell.[22] Olivia persuades Jack to frame Darren Stark (Todd MacDonald) for the theft. Bunyan said Jack would have taken the blame for the theft himself if Olivia had not been pressuring him.[22] The following week, Jack wakes up in the gutter following yet another night out with no recollection of what has happened. He is found and taken home by Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver).[23] Becoming worried about Jack, Max tells Steph about the incident and she confronts Jack about his partying and her suspicions that he is taking drugs.[23] Bunyan was pleased with the storyline, calling it "really cool, because it's branched out and got a bit edgy. It's the first time a character's really had the whole drug thing happening on Neighbours."[24] Bunyan said Jack would have "a lot of brushes with death" before his departure from the series.[24] He also said he had filmed some stunts, including a car crash, but his final storyline would be "nice" to go out on.[24]
Storylines
Jack first arrives in Ramsay Street, much to the surprise and relief of his parents who had been notified by his coach in London that he has gone AWOL. Jack is on hand to support his sister Stephanie when her boyfriend
The following year Jack returns, followed by his girlfriend Lori Lee and they settle into the Scully house. Not long after their arrival, Jack becomes attracted to Michelle's friend Nina Tucker when he and several other teens go on
Jack and Taj later contemplating cheating on their VCE by using stolen exam papers a friend of Taj's managed to obtain. The boys use the paper and get an attack of conscience when a story is leaked about stolen exam papers and panic that Taj's friend will turn them in. In the end, the boys own up. After leaving school, Jack has a second try at labouring on the site with Joe. After being generally ribbed and mocked, Jack manages to persevere.
When Lori returns with her and Connor O'Neill's daughter,
Reception
For his portrayal of Jack, Bunyan was nominated for "Most Popular New Male Talent" at the 2003 Logie Awards.[25] The BBC said Jack's most notable moments were "Playing football for Barnsford in England" and "Cheating on Lori with Nina."[26] Linda Barnier of the Newcastle Herald said Jack was a womaniser who could not keep out of trouble.[27] Ahead of Jack's departure, critics for the Herald Sun noted "it won't be an easy last few weeks. He's been causing a stir with his drug use and partying."[24] The character was popular in terms of his appearance. Nick Levine of media and entertainment website Digital Spy claimed in a section aimed specifically at gay readers, that "Neighbours' Jack Scully (Jay Bunyan) was in pretty good shape, wasn't he? Must have been all that soccer training...".[28]
References
- ^ a b c d "Jack of all trades". Inside Soap (179). Attic Futura (UK) Ltd: 21. 12–25 May 2001.
- ^ a b c d "Actor: Jay Bunyan". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 September 2004. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- The Dominion Post. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Barnier, Linda; Waugh, Andrew (2 December 2003). "Poulos to pull pin". Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d Edmonds, Mike; Dennehy, Luke; Danaher, Carla (2 August 2004). "Bad boy Neighbour off to Hollywood; Jay Bunyan will miss much about Neighbours as he continues his career and prepares to tackle the big boys". Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 February 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ a b c d Elliott, James (6 September 2005). "Head to head with Jay…on his way to LA!". BBC Leicester. BBC. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- ^ "You ask...Jay Bunyan". Inside Soap. No. 33. 14–20 August 2004. p. 35.
- ^ a b "Character: Jack Scully". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 September 2004. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Character: Jack Scully". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 September 2004. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ Richards, Holly (16 August 2010). "Neighbours: Where are they now?". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ Mercado, Andrew, p. 225
- ^ a b c d e Mercado, Andrew, pp. 226–7
- ^ Barnier, Linda (13 December 2002). "The dawn of Delta". Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Mattessi, Peter (19 June 2003). "Rules of the Neighbourhood". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Johnston, Tony, p.193
- ^ Hachette Filipacchi UK: 40.
- ^ Miller, Kylie; Berry, Jamie (12 July 2003). "Delta faces fight of her life". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ ACP Magazines: 8–9.
- ^ Johnston, Tony, p.216
- ^ a b c d "Into temptation". TV Week. No. 22. 29 May – 4 June 2004. p. 34.
- ^ a b c "Jack's close call". TV Week. No. 26. 26 June – 2 July 2004. p. 32.
- ^ a b Brygel, Jackie (31 July – 6 August 2004). "Wrongly accused?". TV Week. No. 31. p. 34.
- ^ a b Brygel, Jackie (7–13 August 2004). "Fuzzy memory". TV Week. No. 32. p. 38.
- ^ a b c d Edmonds, Mike; Dennehy, Luke; Danaher, Carla (21 June 2004). "Lured by LA's big lights". Herald Sun. Retrieved 27 March 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ "Logie Award Winners 2003". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
- ^ "Character: Jack Scully". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 September 2004. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ Barnier, Linda (4 November 2003). "ChannelSurf". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ Levine, Nick (6 January 2008). "Gay Spy picture special: Soap Stars part 1". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- Mercado, Andrew (2004). Super Aussie Soaps. Pluto Press Australia. ISBN 978-1-86403-191-1.
- Johnston, Tony (2005). Neighbours: 20 years of Ramsay Street. News Custom Publishing. ISBN 978-1-876176-78-5.
External links
- Character profile at the BBC