He was the villain that everyone liked to loathe on Neighbours.
Following the news of the show’s cancellation earlier this month, actor Rob Mills, who played creepy instructor Finn Kelly on the show, has stepped forward to pay tribute to the cherished series.
The popular Dancing with the Stars contestant told podcast TV Blackbox that the show’s cancellation was “quite sad for Australia” as well.
‘You get the impression that they’re dealing with some extremely significant subjects in a really caring and considerate way,’ he said.
Mills complimented the show for being a trailblazer in incorporating diversity topics into its plots.
‘Neighbours had the first homosexual marriage and the first transgender character on Australian television,’ he said.
When asked how the Neighbours family was coping with the show’s impending demise, Mills said that some of the younger cast members had only recently purchased their first houses.
‘Perhaps they’re trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage,’ he speculated, ‘but they’re all fantastic performers…’ They’ll be alright, I’m sure.’
Mills expressed his desire to see many of the show’s beloved cast members make cameo appearances before the final fade out, admitting he has no idea how the writers will end the show. ‘And not just the big names like Kylie (Minogue) and Margot Robbie, but all the actors who have come through,’ he said.
Mills quipped about his own character, who first debuted on the show in 2016 and was divisive with Neighbours viewers, during the lengthy interview: ‘He was just misunderstood.’
Mills began his own campaign to save the show in February.
‘Throughout the decades, Neighbours has created thousands of jobs,’ he said on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair.
‘However, it isn’t regarded as crucial.’ Let’s hope that when the election comes around, we get a Prime Minister who is committed to arts funding,’ added the former Australian Idol contestant.
On Friday’s show, Mills blasted the coalitions Arts policy once more saying: ‘We’ve seen over the previous few years how they consider the Arts as ”non-essential.”
‘There’s an election coming up and I won’t be voting for someone who doesn’t think the Arts are important…’
He argued that Neighbours, as well as all other forms of entertainment, served as strong ambassadors for the Australian brand: ‘Sending out coal is a far less vital calling card than sending out the arts.’
