Home and Away star Matt Evans has revealed that Theo is facing one of his biggest fears when it looks like he might get expelled from his course.
Trying to move on from his troubled background with a violent and bullying father, since moving in with aunt Leah Patterson (Ada Nicodemou) he’s thrown himself into a new mechanics career, mentored by his uncle Justin Morgan (James Stewart).
"He doesn’t have a lot of confidence. I think it stems from fear of failure with everything that happened with his dad growing up, so he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough," commented Matt.
"He didn’t feel loved so he put on this brash alter ego. He wants to be liked all the time."
When a protective Justin worried that Theo wouldn’t get the assignment done, he wrote it for him! The old Theo might have let it pass but things have changed since he first arrived in the bay.
"Absolutely! He would have said, ‘Sweet, thanks!’" Matt agreed.
“But he feels it’s wrong to hand in work that isn’t his, so he does the whole assignment himself.
“Deep down it shows that Theo is a good kid and he doesn’t really want to do the wrong thing and he is changing now.
“He wants to be able to show that he’s capable. It’s a big moment for him.”
When Justin is a little TOO over invested after a jubilant Theo gets a distinction, Leah smells a rat and a guilty Justin's forced into confessing.
With Theo feeling awkward about rewriting the assignment, Justin is still under the impression that the top mark is down to him. A furious Leah insists Justin tell TAFE what he’s done, leaving Theo horrified to realise he could be kicked off the course!
“He gets investigated and he’s facing getting expelled. It’s a big deal and a scary, scary moment for him,” shared Matt.
“When I was Theo’s age, if I was facing expulsion I would have been so scared!
“It’s quite intense. You don’t think it’s as intense as what it is, but put yourself in his shoes and it’s pretty scary.”
Although Theo does manage to find a dated original copy of his assignment, the TAFE examiner asks him to sit an exam to prove the work is his. It brings to the surface all his insecurities from the years of put downs by his dad.
“It’s another hurdle for Theo so it’s one thing after another. There are lots of ups and downs coming,” teased Matt.
“Some of the most exciting things I’ve filmed are coming up, some of my favourite storylines.
“What I can say is that Theo will get to lean a little bit more into his musical side in the coming months.
“But he’s got some cool stuff happening, so I’m very excited viewers will get to see that.”
In Australia Matt was best known as a singer before joining Home and Away, after appearing as a contestant on The Voice 2020.
He revealed that his first acting job has been a steep learning curve, particularly the heartbreaking storyline involving dad Dimitri Poulos (Salvatore Coco).
"The Dimitri storyline was quite intense. I didn’t feel like I was ready for it, it was so early in and I was still learning so much about acting, which I still am," he insisted.
"It’s a good challenge to get something serious like that but I really do enjoy the fun comedy stuff as well, especially with Theo and Justin, so it’s nice to get a balance."
UK viewers will soon see Matt bringing his musical talents to the show when Theo does a sweet duet with Justin. He revealed on Instagram that he got to choose one of his dad’s favourite songs.
“I don’t manage to get to see my parents so much because I live away from them. The duet is a father-son type moment for Theo and Justin so it felt fitting to pick a song that meant something to me personally,” explained Matt.
“It was dedicated to my dad and it was a thank you to my parents for always supporting me and letting me do what I wanted to do. I’m very lucky to have the parents I have.”
As well as hearing Matt’s singing talents on the show, he revealed that music is still very close to his heart.
“I’m currently in the middle of working on some of my own music and I want to get towards releasing some of that while I’m still on the show,” he revealed.
“Also to prove that I’m not miming and it is actually me!
“I would love to have a music career and an acting career, so I do as much as I can.
“I don’t know what the timeline is on the music, but I’m in the studio recording and writing stuff, so I’m definitely in the process.”
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.
