‘Unfortunately it’s my cross to bear’: Harley Bonner on playing the superhero in Summer Bay

Soap royalty Harley Bonner spills the beans on doing the Aussie double and shares his respect for the medical profession.

There’s a new superhero in Summer Bay – trauma surgeon Dr Logan Bennett.

And he’s in a race against time to reach the trapped trio from last month’s cliffhanging Home and Away mid-season finale.

“Look it’s not what I want to be known as but now it’s unfortunately my cross to bear,” Harley Bonner said.

Bonner – who’s best known for his role as Josh Willis on Neighbours where he worked alongside his mum Carla Bonner – particularly enjoyed his character’s spectacular arrival in the Bay.

He’s quite content to pretend to be a doctor, saying he’d never contemplated any career in medicine. “In saying that, now I’ve had to because I’ve had to try and step into those shoes,” Bonner said.

“It’s been really interesting and there’s a great support at work in terms of the medical advisers. They’ve been great and have allowed me to really embody that character and make it look as real as possible.”

Harley Bonner swoops into the Bay in spectacular fashion as Dr Logan Bennett on Home and Away. Picture: Supplied

Anna Samson as Mia Anderson, Harley Bonner as Dr Logan Bennett and Kawakawa Fox-Reo as Nikau Parata on Home and Away. Picture: Supplied

Three lives – Dean (Patrick O’Connor), Mia (Anna Samson) and Nikau (Kawa Fox-Reo) – hang in the balance following the tragic cliffhanging car accident as the soap returns from its mid-season break for the Tokyo Olympics. While Bonner couldn’t divulge if all will survive, he could hint at love for his dashing doctor.

“There are certainly many reasons why Logan is considering staying put in Summer Bay,” he teases. “He’s typically been a bit of nomad throughout his life and travelled around the world for his job. The fact that he’s considering staying in the Bay speaks volumes.”

Bonner’s super stoked to have done the double of iconic soaps, but confesses he worried he would have been a little less match-fit after his five-year break from the gruelling schedule of producing 150 minutes of television a week.

“It does feel very much like home,” Bonner said. “When the producer took me on a tour I was a bit like do I do know how to do this anymore? But to my delight it quickly felt really natural. And I’m excited to see what we’ve done.”

Harley with his TV legend mum Carla Bonner.

Mum Carla is a TV legend in her own right after playing Stephanie Scully on Ramsay St for 19 years, but Bonner still felt a little awed to be in the presence of Ray Meagher and Lynne McGranger.

“It’s very hard to separate – I feel like I know these people and know how they will react,” he said. “It’s just a very different experience working with these people you’ve seen for 20 years than it is with someone you don’t know.

“But it’s great. They are all really lovely and very generous and kind.”

Home and Away returns Monday, 7pm, Seven

Originally published as ‘Unfortunately it’s my cross to bear’: Harley Bonner on playing the superhero in Summer Bay