Mcleod's Daughters: articles


Drovers heart-throb bows out

DEPARTIN McLeod’s Daughters hunk Myles Pollard never thought he would see himself on-screen in another country riding a horse and speaking a foreign language.

“It’s bizarre seeing yourself in another country riding a horse and speaking Spanish,” laughed Pollard, who bows out of the Nine Network’s award-winning drama tomorrow night.

During the four years he has portrayed Drovers Run heart-throb Nick Ryan, Pollard has been seen in countries including the United States, South Africa, Canada, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, where the program has been lapped up.

The actor recently visited the US and said he was impressed by how big the show was there.

“The advertising’s huge,” Pollard said. “It’s a different approach... a bigger approach.”

He said the show had done so well around the world because it was “simpler and non-violent”.

“It’s had such a wide appeal, especially on the back of what happened with September 11,” Pollard said.

“And there was nothing like it on television that was suitable for kids and older people.”

Pollard said he had enjoyed working on an award winning drama when there was so much reality television being made.

“It’s sad for the whole business,” the actor said of the phenomenon.

“I don’t really think it does a lot for Australian culture.

“It doesn’t really speak Australian.”

He also said it also “perpetuated the myth of celebrity”, something which he branded as “dangerous”.

“I think a lot of kids want to be famous these days for the wrong reason,” Pollard said.

With his character, Nick, taking up a new job in Argentina and his wife Tess set to join him, Pollard is free to pursue “new challenges and new horizons”.

The star, a NIDA graduate, who grew up in rural Western Australia and now lives in Cronulla in Sydney, has already toured with the Bell Shakespeare Company.

He is now playing a role in the production End of The Rainbow, the story of Judy Garland, alongside actress Caroline O’Connor at the Sydney Opera House.

The show began last month and will run until September 10.

Pollard, who also intends on doing some films and travelling now he’s off McLeod’s, said he had already been to Los Angeles to look into agents and opportunities there.

“[But] it’s one step at a time,” he said.

AAP

By Amy Fallon
August 02, 2005
The Daily Telegraph