An Australian Soap Opera Has Quietly Launched Some Of The World's Best Actors

What do Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe all have in common? Along with coming from the land down under and being among our greatest working actors today, they all quietly launched their careers on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours." 

Set in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough, the series follows the melodramatic lives of the residents of Ramsay Street. Airing between 1985 and 2025, it is the longest running soap opera in Australian broadcasting history. Over that time, the series gave many of Australia's greatest performers their first paid acting work.

Guy Pearce joined "Neighbours" in 1986 as high school senior Mike Young, an upstanding young man dealing with a difficult home and relationship life. In 1989, he officially departed the show to pursue his film career. Margot Robbie was a more recent addition, joining "Neighbours" in 2008 as Donna Freedman at age 17. She stayed with the series until 2011when she came to Hollywood to star in the period flight attendant drama "Pan Am" before landing her breakout role in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street." Russell Crowe also appeared on "Neighbours" as Kenny Larkin, an ex-convict who causes trouble at the local pub. This was only a four episode guest role, but it gave Crowe one of his first chances to display his trademark gravitas before coming to Hollywood and winning a best actor Oscar for his work in "Gladiator."

Whether a major character or a small bit part, work on a soap opera can serve as an incubator for actors to develop their craft. Besides "Neighbours," other major Australian soap operas such as "Home & Away" have featured notable alumni, including Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, and Isla Fisher. 

Wild and dramatic American soap operas have also been host to many soon-to-be superstars. "Matlock" star Kathy Bates had one of her first TV role on "The Doctors," while her "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio featured in "Santa Barbara." Julianne Moore won one of her first awards for playing identically half-sisters Frannie and Sabrina Hughes on "As the World Turns."

While these actors may have ended up working on more high profile projects, many still hold affection for their time on "Neighbours." Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie reprised their roles for the "Neighbours" finale episode in 2022. And when the series was revived by Amazon Prime Video for another season, Pearce came back for more, until its cancelation in 2025. Whether any of Hollywood's next best and brightest come from the soap opera realm is yet to be seen, but if history is any indication, it's inevitable.