Former Bachelor Tim Robards swaps reality TV for Neighbours
WE first saw him on our television screens looking for love on the first season of The Bachelor. But now Tim Robards is chasing his acting dream with a guest role on Neighbours
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TIM Robards is no stranger to being in front of a camera. After all he had a TV crew follow him around for the first season of The Bachelor five years ago. This week, the 35-year-old will make his acting debut as debonair businessman Pierce Greyson on Neighbours.
Robards says he has had a desire to pursue an acting career since he was a 20-year-old uni student and had the opportunity to be a stand in for Keanu Reeves on the set of Matrix 2 and 3.
“I was the second in line stand in and would have to wear the iconic big black coat and sunnies and stand in place while they were setting up Keanu’s scenes,” Robards tells BW Magazine. “It gave me a taste for being on a film set and it was something I really wanted to pursue, but I wasn’t from a family of actors, I was from a family of an accountant and nurse and I followed the safe path of going to uni and getting a job.”
Despite a busy year so far which has included getting married to his Bachelor love Anna Heinrich in June and later competing in Ninja Warrior, Robards says he also left time to focus on his plans to break into acting.
“I’m 35 now and I just thought if I don’t do this now, I never will,” Robards says. “So I threw myself into doing lots of classes, both one-on-one and group acting courses, meeting with coaches, doing readings and really focusing on this goal. Coming at it later in life, I really felt I had to fast track all the learning. And everyone thinks Neighbours is just this little show, but it’s a huge production, they produce the equivalent footage of a feature film each week and everyone’s a well-oiled machine. So I felt the pressure of fitting in with that machine.”
While Robards reveals there is some romance associated with his character, which he develops over an eight-week guest role, he was coy when questioned about any on-screen kisses.
“Anna would joke ‘You better not have to kiss anyone’ and then I read the script and thought ‘Uh-oh’. But she’s been great and so supportive, even when we had to spend weeks apart during filming when I was in Melbourne and Anna back home in Sydney.”
Robards’ character will air on Neighbours from Friday.