Former Neighbours star Jordy Lucas on Summer memories and return chances
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As excitement grows over the return of Neighbours later this year, we've been taking a trip down memory lane by catching up with former cast member Jordy Lucas, who played the second incarnation of Summer Hoyland on the Aussie soap.
Jordy's first appearance as Summer aired in early 2010, as she took over from Marisa Siketa in the part. She stuck around on screen until early 2013, when Summer was written out as part of a major revamp.
Digital Spy chatted to Jordy about Summer's storylines, her surprise exit, life after the soap, and the chances of a return now that Neighbours is making its own big comeback.
It's been 10 years since you left the show. Does it feel like that long to you?
"Yes and no! There are parts of me that feel like it was just yesterday. When I went to the show's wrap party a few months ago and was catching up with everyone, it didn't feel like much time at all had passed.
"But during the last 10 years, I've moved overseas, moved back home, got married and had a daughter, so it does feel like a long time. In those respects, my time on the show feels very far from where I am now."
Can you remember what it was like to join the show in 2010?
"At the time, I had done a few guest roles on Australian shows, but it was obviously nothing on the magnitude of Neighbours. Neighbours was huge in comparison to those roles.
"I had auditioned for quite a few roles on Neighbours in the past. I also got quite close to getting the part of Rachel Kinski. I just kept getting called back for different roles here and there. I think it was just a matter of finding the right one for me. Summer was perfect for me in the end, so it all worked out.
"I don't think I realised at the time just how huge the show was. Being 17, there was a degree of naivety, I think! I look back now and think: 'Gosh, what a huge undertaking at 17 years of age'."
When you join Neighbours, is it surreal that most of the fanbase is on the other side of the world?
"Yeah, it was. The show used to be big in Australia but not so much now. When I was on, there was a degree of fame in Australia, but when I came over to the UK, it was just a whole other level.
"Even now, a lot of fans that I interact with on Instagram are fans from the UK that like to keep in touch. They're very passionate soapy fans over in the UK, for sure!"
Did you feel more pressure going in as a recast character?
"I did definitely feel pressure. When you go in as a fresh character, there's no comparison. Definitely in the back of my mind I wondered: 'Are people going to like me? Is there going to be a backlash?' But I was really lucky that the audience were really supportive."
Did you have a favourite storyline?
"I think the storyline of Summer cheating on her exam and having to repeat Year 12 was a good one.
"Then, as sad as I was to leave the show, I think my last storyline was really great. Summer had an affair with an older man and it was a bit more of a challenge. I was sad that it was my last storyline, but it was also one of my favourites."
Did you have a least favourite storyline?
"I think the whole love triangle – the 'will they / won't they?' with Summer and Andrew dragged on a little bit too long. But it wasn't that I disliked it, I just felt it maybe went on a little bit too long! It was like: 'Can we just get a resolution to this now?!'"
Your era was when Neighbours started to improve its diversity, by bringing in Chris Pappas as the first regular gay character and introducing the Kapoor family. Were you proud to be involved in that?
"Yeah, definitely. Chris was the first openly gay character on Australian soaps and that was huge. We took that very seriously and it was a very proud thing for us.
"Hopefully it gets to a point where it's not a novelty anymore and we just have a really diverse group of people on TV, because that's representative of Australian society.
"It was definitely great to be a part of that and I was proud to be part of Chris' storylines."
Summer left the show at the beginning of the 2013 season, when new producers came in and there was a cast revamp. How was it to go through that?
"It was a huge shock. I was the first person to be told that my contract wasn't going to be renewed. It was a huge blow. I felt like I had another year or so left in me for the show, so I was devastated.
"It certainly didn't make me feel any better when other people started losing their jobs too, because it's an awful thing to happen to anybody, but it also made it feel a little less personal.
"It was a really tense time because if you got called into the producer's office, it was like: 'Are you going to be next?'
"It was a really tough time for a lot of people because they didn't feel like their job was safe. It was definitely hard being the first one to be let go, though."
How has life been since leaving the show?
"It's been amazing. I moved to America as soon as I finished and I spent a few years over there.
"I later moved back to Melbourne, met my now-husband and we have a 3-year-old daughter together.
"I run It's All Her, which is an Australian women's lifestyle website and we have a podcast as well. I get to talk to lots of amazing women about what they do and how they make life better for themselves.
"I've been able to have some old friends on the podcast like Carla Bonner [who played Steph Scully] and Val Novakovic [who played Natasha Williams], and Ada Nicodemou who's on Home and Away.
"Life is certainly very different now. I'm not the young 20-year-old partying all the time, but I'm very happy with where I'm at in life."
What made you want to start the website? Is it your main focus now?
"Yes, it's my full-time focus now. I really wanted to do something where I was in control. Being an actor or any kind of creative, you're at the mercy of other people giving you opportunities and saying: 'Yes, you're good enough to do X, Y, Z'.
"I feel like It's All Her has given me the best of both worlds, where I'm in control but I'm still performing in a way with the podcast – and I do lots of live shows now. It's just a nice balance."
Do you still act?
"I do some voice-over work for radio ads and things like that. I also shot a commercial for an American product this year.
"I'm not actively pursuing acting, just because it's not feasible anymore when you've got a family and a mortgage and all that sort of stuff. But if something landed in my lap, I would absolutely love to get back on a set again. It's just a matter of whether something came along."
Did you enjoy your time out in the US?
"Yeah, I did – it was fun but it was also probably the most isolating and challenging years of my life. In hindsight, I should have probably come to the UK and tried to pick up work because it probably would have been a bit easier, but going over to the US was just the thing that everyone did.
"It was an experience and I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't have done it. It was fun but I definitely wouldn't go back!"
Who are you still friends with from Neighbours?
"I'm still in touch with Gemma Pranita who played Jade, Ash Brewer who played Kate, and Val.
"Then it was really nice to see a lot of old faces at the wrap party like Alan [Fletcher, who plays Karl Kennedy] and Jackie [Woodburne, who plays Susan Kennedy]. I still talk with Kym Valentine [who played Libby Kennedy] and Carla Bonner [who played Steph Scully].
"It's one of those things where you work so closely with these people and when you see each other, even if it's been a few years, it's just like picking up where you left off. But Gemma, Val and Ash are probably the three that I keep in touch with the most."
How did you feel when the news broke last year that Neighbours had been axed?
"I was really, really sad. That show just feels like an institution and it obviously holds a very special place in my heart.
"I was really sad for the cast and really sad for the crew. Most of that crew have been there since the beginning. I was sad as someone who had been part of it, but then also really sad that people were losing their jobs."
How did you feel when the news later broke that Amazon would be reviving Neighbours?
"I was scrolling Instagram while I was in bed and the clip with Jackie and Alan came up on my feed. I thought 'What's this?' and I thought it was a joke in the beginning!
"I was really surprised. I honestly thought that, if Neighbours was going to be saved, it would have been saved in those first few weeks after Channel 5 pulled the plug. The sense at the wrap party was the same – that the show was done. I'm sure a lot of people felt the same surprise that I did."
Would you return as Summer if the opportunity arose?
"I definitely would. I don't live too far from the studio. I have nothing but fond memories of my time on the show, and if they were to ask me back, I would jump at the chance. I had the best time there and it would be amazing.
"I'm not sure what Summer would be doing now. I'm sure she'd be doing something in the journalism space – perhaps she'd be a podcaster too!"
Fans have been speculating over whether Neighbours will move back over to the main network, Channel 10, in Australia after being on 10 Peach since 2011. Do you think it should?
"I think it would be amazing if Channel 10 could support it, because I think it might have been the beginning of the end with it switching to Peach. I think it really needs the support of a main channel, so it'd be amazing for Channel 10 to start playing it again. We'll have to wait and see."
How do you feel about the classic episodes now being available on Freevee and Prime?
"I'm excited to show my daughter when she's a bit older. It'll be nice to have a look down memory lane again!"
Neighbours returns in the second half of 2023 with new episodes streaming free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. Network 10 will retain first-run rights in Australia for the new series.
Read more Neighbours coverage on our dedicated homepage
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