Exclusive – Nathan Borg on Curtis' Neighbours romance with Jesse, and working alongside TV icons
Things have become very complicated for Curtis!
Curtis Perkins has finally got out of the classroom in Neighbours and the character, played by hard of hearing actor Nathan Borg, is now front and centre in a storyline that has many twists and turns to play out.
Jesse Porter (Cameron Robbie) is Curtis' first love interest on the show, but while Curtis is happy getting to know him, he has no idea that his new beau has a secret agenda. Jesse is working to bring down Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and Lassiters while maintaining a faux relationship with Harlow (Jemma Donovan).
Borg has been chatting to RadioTimes.com about the storyline, and what it was like for him to work so closely with two Neighbours icons.
"I think it's been 10 months now and yeah, it's good," Borg says of his time on the show so far, having joined in late 2020. "I feel very lucky because at first I was only supposed to stay on for just eight weeks, and then I thought I was done. But they asked me to do more and I was happy to bring more of Curtis, for sure."
And he is certainly taking a more prominent role in the soap, with Curtis now romantically linked to Jesse. But what Curtis doesn't know is that he is actually a spy who is plotting against several people in Erinsborough. "He doesn't know at all" Borg says, adding that "Curtis does get the real Jesse, in a way, but when he finds out the truth he is really hurt by it".
"He feels quite betrayed and very angry," Borg adds, while saying that the betrayal will allow viewers to see a new side to him. "It's going to be very interesting for the audience, because he is such a positive guy - it's going to be great to see him in this romantic light to then moving into a quite angry and physical one. That was so much fun to play and I was really happy with that. It's going to be great to see those different sides."
As for whether there could be a future for Curtis and Jesse when the dust settles, Borg is not offering any hints: "Who knows! You'll have to wait and see!" he teases.
Prior to this, Borg's scenes were primarily kept to Erinsborough High, but his role as a teacher did allow him to work closely with both Jackie Woodburne and Annie Jones (Susan Kennedy and Jane Harris) - and they proved to be quite the support for him when he was starting out.
"They were the main two people I really wanted to work with and I've been really lucky," he says. "Jackie and Annie both give me advice and tips and they help me pave the way of finding where to take Curtis. I'm so grateful to have them. To be able to go to them for advice about the character and to get the understanding of everything - I'm really happy that I get to work with both of them."
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