On UK screens next week, Ryder Jackson of Home and Away fears for the life of his girlfriend Chloe Anderson when their food truck unexpectedly explodes.
When the truck blows up, Chloe (Sam Barrett) is in the danger zone, and Ryder is heartbroken when he discovers her buried beneath rubble.
As Chloe is taken to the hospital, her life is in jeopardy, Ryder searches for someone to blame, even wondering whether his old employer Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir) was to blame for the explosion.
Lukas Radovich, who plays Ryder, reveals what’s on his character’s mind in this video.
For weeks, Ryder and Chloe have been battling Mac over their competing food companies. What is Ryder’s reaction to the rising tensions?
“Ryder is divided between his devotion to Mac and his feelings for Chloe. Mac and Ryder have always had a fantastic working connection that goes beyond boss/employee. Ryder is in a terrible predicament because they were pals.
“Ryder is as concerned with the success of his company as he is with the restoration of his relationship with Mac. Ryder isn’t used to stepping on people’s toes, and Chloe is the main cause for Ryder’s animosity against Mac.
“All he wants is for things not to escalate to the point where either the business or his friendship with Mac is jeopardised.”
Do you think Ryder and Chloe have found their footing as a relationship now?
“They create an excellent team, in my opinion. Chloe is highly creative and has a lot of excellent ideas, while Ryder is very realistic and has the skills essential to start a firm. They seem to complement one other quite nicely.”
When the food truck explodes, what goes through Ryder’s mind?
“Ryder’s whole emphasis at the moment of the explosion is on finding Chloe and ensuring her safety. He’s heartbroken when he discovers she’s badly hurt.
“Based on the tense relationship between Mac and Ryder, he assumes she’s involved.” I don’t think he believes she’s capable of such a thing, but he’s so upset that he needs someone to blame, and Mac seems to be the logical choice.”
What was it like to film the explosion scenes?
“It was a two-day shoot that went very quickly, but it was a lot of fun! We spent the most of the days covered in dirt, both real and artificial, and watching the pyrotechnics arrive and set everything on fire – it was incredible.
“When the vehicle burst, I also got to execute a minor stunt. The explosion drove me backwards, and I was linked to a pulley system to imitate the blast.”
Will Ryder and Mackenzie’s friendship survive this ordeal?
“I certainly hope so! Mac and Ryder have always had a unique relationship, and I don’t want to see that go away altogether.
“Working with Emily Weir is always a blast, whether our characters are fighting or not!” We have a lot of fun in situations where we chat about our relationship problems and help each other out, so I’d like to keep Mac and Ryder’s friendship going.
“However, the more recent battle sequences have been a lot of fun as well. It was difficult to keep a straight face while shooting these since Emily has excellent comic timing!”
What does the future hold for Chloe and Ryder? Will they be able to come out on the other side of this spectacular occurrence unscathed?
“I believe Ryder and Chloe’s love will survive the food truck craze.” They’re a tough pair who get a lot of help from the Bay.
“However, like with many Summer Bay relationships, someone might turn up who genuinely challenges whether they are destined to be together or not…”
