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Interviews > Lliam Amor

Not content with just being a great comedian and writer, Lliam Amor has also turned his hand to acting, appearing in two Neighbours guest roles. Here, he shares memories of stalking Carmella and missing out on becoming a Ramsay Street regular...

Can you tell us a little about your career before your first Neighbours appearance as prison officer Adam Buxton in 2004?
I had acted in quite a few theatre productions and had stints on other Aussie TV series (The Micallef Program, Blue Heelers, MDA) as well as a few ads. The majority of my work was (and still is) funneled into an improvisation company called Impro Melbourne.

How did that first role come about? Was it just a typical audition for you?
I had been to see Jan Russ a couple of times for other roles such as Max Hoyland (damn you Stephen Lovatt) when my agent rang to say I had the role of Adam if I wanted it. No specific audition was required - they must’ve just remembered “…who's that fat guy with the sideburns? Oh yeah…”

You returned a year later as Frank Romano? Can you tell us a little about filming that role?
That one was won through an audition (the creepy toy scene with Carmella). I’m sure everyone says this but the whole shooting schedule was a joy, the crew set up the shots quickly and without any fuss, the directors, Tony and Jovita, were great and Natalie and Patrick were very supportive, charming and funny. It was quite surreal in places as I sat in the green room trying not to mix up actor’s names with their character’s (forgive me Blair).

Was there anyone you particularly enjoyed working with during your two stints on the show?
Tom [Oliver] was great in my Buxton ep. He told loads of wonderful anecdotes about his days as an actor in the 50s and 60s. In the Stalker storyline Natalie [Blair] was fantastic. As we had the most scenes together we worked quite a bit on the lines and trying to get the emotional level right. I found I could make her laugh at the drop of a hat which was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. She’s a lot of fun and very talented. I also keep bumping into the guys who played the cops on other shoots.