Hollywood megastars Chris Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe and Isla Fisher all appeared on Australian soaps early in their careers.
And Home And Away star Jake Ryan has revealed the ‘unspoken rule’ when it comes to leveraging soap stardom for that next big role.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Jake admitted: ‘I believe there is a timeline of staying there [on a soap] too long.’
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EXCLUSIVE: Home and Away star Jake Ryan (pictured) has revealed the ‘unspoken rule’ about leaving soaps for Hollywood – and says no actor is EVER too good to act in them
Jake, who acted on Home And Away from 2017 to 2020, has recently turned his attention to film roles.
He praised being part of the long-running Chanel Seven program, as it gave him ‘more on-screen time than most people dream of in their whole career’.
Jake added: ‘I think for me I needed those hours under my belt to sort of progress anywhere… it’s an invaluable experience and the pace you work at is incredible. You just get very comfortable on set.’
While he believes there is a ‘timeline of staying too long’, Jake says no actor is ever too good for a TV soap.
‘It’s an invaluable experience and the pace you work at is incredible’: Australian soaps have helped launch the careers of Hollywood megastars Chris Hemsworth (left), Margot Robbie and Isla Fisher, and Jake claims it’s a great place to get ‘hours and experience under the belt’
‘If you think you’re too good for soaps then good luck sitting on the sidelines’: Jake (left) said no actor is ever too good to appear on TV soaps, as it offers more on-screen time in a few years than most actors would dream of in their entire careers
‘At the end of the day, it’s work. You can choose not to go on something like Home and Away because you might think you’re better than that and not work for a year, or you can spend a year there and do 200 episodes and pay your bills,’ he said.
‘I think especially in this day and age and with the state of the industry, there’s some great people that are signing on to soaps.
‘Work is work, and if you think you’re too good for soaps then good luck sitting on the sidelines waiting for that big role to come along, because it might never come,’ Jake said frankly.
‘For me it was really good timing’: When speaking of his decision to depart Home And Away, Jake said he felt the storyline was good and the audience was still responding well to his character, Robbo, at the time. Pictured with Sam Frost’s character Jasmine
When speaking of his decision to depart Home And Away, Jake said it felt like a ‘good time to leave’.
Jake’s character Robbo was dramatically killed off Home and Away during the season premiere in January 2020.
‘The storyline was good, I was still enjoying it, the audience was still responding well, so for me it was really good timing and plus my baby [son Wolf] came not long after, so it gave me the opportunity to be around for that. I think it all fell into the right place when it did,’ he said.
‘I probably would have stayed a little bit longer, but my contract was up and I already had a few other movies scheduled,’ he said, noting films Savage and Streamline.
‘I got a great crash course on how to deal with babies’: Jake finds it funny that his character on Seven’s soap Home and Away helped prepare him for his role as a real-life father to son Wolf
New role: Jake’s new film Savage, which is inspired by the true stories of New Zealand’s street gangs, is out now
Jake spoke to Daily Mail Australia on his recent press circuit for film Savage, which is inspired by the true stories of New Zealand’s street gangs.
The actor plays a violent enforcer of a gang, the Savages, and sports distinctive facial tattoos.
The film, directed by Sam Kelly, wrapped filming in October 2018, a year before the birth of Jake’s son, Wolf.
SAVAGE was released in Australian cinemas on October 8, 2020.
Out now: Savage was released in Australian cinemas on October 8, 2020