Trigger warning: This article mentions suicide.
Rob Mills’ character might have been killed off Neighbours in 2020, but that hasn’t kept him from being involved in the show’s final days.
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The beloved Aussie soap was cancelled in March after its British network decided to remove the show from its line-up, taking a fair chunk of funding with it.
It seems Rob was part of the blow-out finale, which is seeing the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, and Guy Pearce return to Melbourne to reprise their roles one last time.
“My shoot was out on Ramsay Street,” Rob tells WHO.
“It was the last day they were ever going to shoot on Pin Oak Court, or Ramsay Street. It was quite emotional … I took so many photos.
“It was great, they had Scotty Major directing, and he’s an incredible director and also an actor who’s come up through Neighbours … it was great to have him at the helm,” Rob revealed.
“I’ve never seen that many people on set – the call sheet was like hundreds of people long.
“I think even the EP got himself a gig as the ice cream guy, which I thought was kind of cool,” he laughed.
“It was a really beautiful day. I felt very, very lucky, very grateful to be a part of it … it’s Australian television history.”
While the details of the final episode have been kept tightly under wraps, we’re guessing we’ll see a lot of characters returning for the final moments, even if they’re just in cameo roles.
With Neighbours now behind him, Rob is now focusing on a few other projects. He’ll star as Link Larkin in an upcoming production of Hairspray, and has also been writing a book, a memoir that also focuses on mental health.
He’s also supporting Movember by doing The Push-Up Challenge, doing 3,139 push-ups across the month of June to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
“It’s 3,139 push-ups to represent the 3,139 people that have taken their life in 2020, which is … it’s a harrowing fact that seven people a day in this country are taking their life by suicide,” he says.
Rob is a huge advocate for mental health awareness after he struggled with suicidal thoughts after finishing Australian Idol and is focused on making sure people have access to help.
“I feel like the awareness is there, it’s now a matter of how do we implement these programs [in] the best way possible,” he mused.
“One of the reasons I did the book was to sort of chat to people about how we make that a reality.
“It’s pretty exciting, I got to interview some really wonderful, smart people… I’m just posing a lot of questions – how do blokes navigate this post Me Too-era, what world we live in, and what it is to be an Aussie man.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
