Eve Morey first appeared on Ramsay Street in 2009 as Sonya, a guide-dog puppy trainer. Bright-eyed and bubbly, her character caught the attention of novice puppy owner Toadie, played by Ryan Moloney.
There were hiccups – Sonya being Callum’s birth mother, fertility issues, and the troublesome Dee, aka Andrea – but the rest was history.
Now, as Sonya tragically succumbs to ovarian cancer, Eve, 35, and Ryan, 39, look back at their time together on Neighbours.
What has been your most memorable moment on set?
Ryan: Probably episode 7000, the nude dinner party, where doctor Karl [Alan Fletcher] had to come in and look for a lottery ticket. It was disturbing on several levels, mainly because Alan was hilarious.
Eve: It was so funny! And absurd. Alan had a great sense of humour about it, but he took it very seriously, which made it even funnier. Plus, I was pregnant at the time, so I had to be nude with this pregnant belly. It was a funny episode, but also fun for us all to shoot.
R: It was probably one of the funniest moments we had together.
Eve Morey and Ryan Moloney say goodbye after almost a decade.
Do you remember the first time you met?
E: I told my friends I’d got a job on Neighbours as Toadie’s love interest. Everyone would watch him as a kid and laugh. Then I met him and was like, “Hi – this is so weird!”
R: I think we’d met at rehearsals the day before. But I remember our first scene: I opened the door and she was the guide-dog puppy trainer in her guide-dog jumper.
E: I remember looking at Ryan and Morgan, who plays Callum, and thinking, “These two guys are so gorgeous” and then “This is fun.”
“I met him and was like, ‘Hi – this is so weird!'”
What have you loved most about each other?
E: I don’t always explain myself really well, but Ryan seems to get exactly what I’m saying. It’s this unspoken ease and bond that’s really special. It’s just easy; we’re so lucky to have had what we’ve had.
R: Her loving and caring attitude. And her Tourette Syndrome. She doesn’t really have it, but she does swear a lot! Normally at herself, which is pretty funny.
Any annoying habits you won’t miss about each other?
R: When Eve really wants to talk in-depth about storylines, to delve deep into the psychology of things, and I’m normally in the middle of something. And I’m like, “Not now.”
E: It’s not really a habit, but I won’t miss the heavy storylines with him. It’s traumatic and sad and I won’t miss being in that headspace. Even though I’ll miss him, it’s part and parcel of it.
Ryan and Evie’s characters Toadie and Sonya have had LOTS of ups and downs.
What was it like filming that emotional last scene on the beach?
R: It was horrible and beautiful all at the same time. We went away for more than a week to shoot it all. The whole week was just horrible, but at the same time, it was nice that we got the chance to actually be in love for the last storyline.
E: It was a real mix of being incredibly fulfilling in some ways, but so sad in so many others.
R: Even the idea of watching any of it… Oh, boy – even just talking about it brings up the emotions straight away. It’s not hard to be emotional about it again. It’s like PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder].
E: The good thing about this storyline is we got to really sit in the grief of that. It was difficult, but at the same time there was something beautiful about it. We were in it together. I’m getting emotional. It’s sad for Toadie as a character, but it’s also sad because you know this part of your life is over; we won’t be doing it again.
Their final beach scene was emotional to film.
What has it been like not having Eve on the set?
R: Her not being here is actually really hard. Frankly, it sucks. It’s not hard to bring up those emotions when you walk into Sonya’s nursery and she’s not there and you realise she’s not coming back. The person you sat next to for the past eight years, that you talk with and do pretty much everything with, is no longer there.
Neighbours airs Weeknights, 6.30pm, 10 Peach.
