Peter Phelps for five minutes! Veteran actor and director Peter is 62 years old.
You’ve seen Home And Away before. How does it feel to be back on set playing a completely different character?
I’ve directed many H&A episodes, and I relished working with the same cast and crew again after 42 years [in TV]. The youthful energy of the actors is motivating. And the older performers give me the impression that I can go on till I pass out.
You were a huge hit with the Stingers audience in the 1990s. Australian police dramas are less common these days. What makes you believe that is?
These days, there are so many platforms, with so many topics, documentaries, and dramas, that classic cop shows aren’t what they once were. However, they’ll return in more varied forms that reflect the times.
Do you think about a reboot?
My favourite Australian television programme, Stingers, would make a fantastic remake. I could guide the youngsters as the experienced veteran.
While some characters in Home and Away are pleased to meet Peter’s character, Gary, they aren’t all that welcome. Gary is already causing a commotion in the show.
When Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) learns Gary (Peter Phelps) is in town, she isn’t all that grateful for Cash’s (Nicholas Cartwright) considerate attempts. Cash is ecstatic to see him, but Flick has a different reaction.
They had a troubled past, says Jacqui to TV WEEK. “He and Cash have her feeling ambushed. Cash doesn’t agree with her decision to avoid seeing him; instead, he coerces her into doing so. She and Cash become enmity-driven as a result.”
Cash urges his sister to put the past behind them in the hopes that the two would be able to reconcile. But when Flick and Gary finally meet, she makes it apparent that she is not interested in making things right.
Thankfully, a perceptive Gary sees see through her pretence and enfolds her in his embrace.
Follow Gary, who is played by Peter, on Home and Away.
