australian television information archive

Richard Healy…

Richard has featured in many TV shows, films and stage plays in his career, but he's never worked on a long-running series before. It's not the job security he cares about—although it's nice—it is more the team spirit that has captured him.

"It's good to be able to build on a role rather than just have a guest role," says Richard. "By the time you've played a character and started to get inside him, your part's finished. Also it's about the relationships you build up with your cast members. So it feels like a bit of an adventure."

Richard, however, has done plenty of other kinds of productions. Plays include A Winning Day, The Norman Conquests, Emerald City and The Time of Your Life, which he also co-wrote. Films include Shotgun Wedding, Arguing the Toss of a Cat and Twelfth Night. TV shows have included Water Rats, Big Sky, GP, Blue Heelers and Naked.

Paul's role of being in charge of the building has made it fascinating. "I probably have the widest range in terms of working with so many of the other characters," he says. "But I still haven't quite worked Paul out yet. I still keep trying to find his better half, but the worst part keeps popping up and waving its hand.

"He is basically a nice chap, with the gift of the gab and is reasonably charming although he's not a very good businessman. He's a bit of a chameleon. And he must have a terrible sex life surrounded by kids and living under his ex-wife!"

…as Paul Simmons

Paul, 37, is smart, handsome, witty, generous… and terminally lazy. He has lived a charmed life, easing himself into relationships and jobs by continually being in the right place at the right time, but never by any great effort on his part. Paul's singular lack of drive and ambition is one of the major reasons his marriage to Eve was doomed.

Paul is a man who enjoys the good life, so the fact that he surrounds himself with attractive young women in his working career fits him to a tee. He slips naturally into being the father figure to his models. He's the kind of guy to take advantage of his position as half owner (with Monique) of BMS—that would require an effort as well as being a betrayal of trust. But if one of the older girls was to make the running, it might be a different story.

As it is, Paul's love life is severely curtailed by the fact that his ex-wife and kids are living in the floor above him. 'Your place or mine?' is not an option Paul ever gets to exercise and he's never had the nerve to put his hotel bills on the company plastic.

Paul's natural "fathering" instinct made him become a de facto dad to Alex… when he could find the time. And when Alex started to go off the rails Paul saw it as his failure, but that guilt soon turned to frustration and anger as Alex got out of control.