Home and Away star Lukas Radovich has shared details of his character Ryder Jackson’s sudden departure from the bay.
He revealed that Ryder’s shock decision to leave was prompted by a recent stint as a croupier at Mackenzie Booth’s (Emily Weir) illegal poker nights.
“He realises that maybe there's a whole world out there that he doesn’t know about that he wants to explore,” explained Lukas.
“Everything falls into place where he gets a call from his mum saying there's a job opportunity on a cruise ship that would be difficult to pass on and he decides to take it.
“The job that he’s hoping to do is in hospitality as a mixologist, but there’s opportunities for him to expand.
“He could potentially go into working in the poker rooms and the casino which is on board.”
It sounds like Ryder has repaired his sometimes troubled relationship with mum Quinn Jackson (last played by Lara Cox in 2018).
After arriving in the bay as a runaway in 2017 - much to the surprise of grandad Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) - Ryder convinced Quinn to let him stay.
“Ryder’s mum is a singer and entertainer and that’s why she’s never around,” confirmed Lukas.
“He was supposed to be living with her but she would just go off for a couple of months and leave him!”
The job offer comes out of the blue and Ryder has to make a decision fast, as the ship is due to leave port the very next day!
Despite the rushed exit, Lukas revealed that he was relieved that Ryder didn’t meet a grisly fate.
“It was a good opportunity to say goodbye to the character because I feel that sometimes when your character’s killed off you don’t get a very good farewell.
“There’s a lot of great scenes I was able to do with Georgie (Parker, who plays his aunt Roo Stewart) and with Ray and with Courtney (Miller, who plays Bella Nixon) where we were able to have a nice goodbye.”
After Lukas finished filming his final scenes last December, his exit was kept under wraps. We caught up with Lukas earlier this year when he was on holiday in the UK, visiting family.
“My brothers have been in London for the last three or four years, so it’s nice to catch up with them. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other,” shared Lukas.
“They’re very, very different to me - they’re logical people, unlike me! One works in pharmaceuticals and one works in tech.”
Despite leaving the soap, Lukas insisted he’s still in contact with his former castmates and is now thinking about his next move.
“I’m very good friends with Courtney Miller - we’re joined at the hip! I’ve seen lots of people from work and I regularly catch up with Sophie Dillman (Ziggy), Patrick O’Connor (Dean) and Emily Weir (Mackenzie). We’re all quite close,” he revealed.
“I have a few things planned, creative projects that have been put on hold for the time that I’ve been working on the show, so there are a few things that I’m looking forward to jumping into.”
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1:15 pm on Channel 5 and 6:00 pm on 5Star followed by a 'first look' episode on 5Star at 6:30 pm.
