Damian Roberts
| Damian Roberts | |||||||||||||||||
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| Home and Caravan Park character | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
Matt Doran Ben Hamilton (flashback) |
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| Duration | 1991–1996 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 6 November 1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 March 1996 | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Des Monaghan (1991, 1992) John Holmes (1995, 1996) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student at Summer Bay High (1992-94) University Student (1995) Priest (1996-) |
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| Home | Sydney | ||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Murdoch Roberts |
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| Mother | Irene Roberts |
| Brothers | Nathan Roberts |
| Sisters | Finlay Roberts |
| Half-brothers | Mick Jennings |
| Aunts | Wendy McFarlane |
| Nephews | Paul Roberts Mark Roberts |
| First cousins | Nelson McFarlane |
Damian Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Matt Doran. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 November 1991. Ben Hami played a young Damian in flashbacks in 1997.
Damian was Doran's first "big" television role. He told a writer from Inside Soap that he was given no time to prepare and he was attending school one day and the next filming for the show. His teachers attempted to convince him to stay at school instead, but he thought that the role too much of a "wonderful opportunity" to give up. He was also signed to a "long contract" with the show. In September 1994, Justine Cullen from Inside Soap announced that Doran had quit the show in order to pursue other projects. Doran told Cullen that "I'm to make horror movies". In September 1995, Jason Herbison from Inside Soap reported that Doran had reprised his role. He added that upon Damian's return he has "thrown off his clean cut image" by having his hair in dreadlocks.
Damian is the son of Irene (Jacqui Phillips) and the younger brother of Finlay (Tina Thomsen) and Nathan (David Dixon). In The Official Home and Away Annual John Kercher describes the Roberts children's backstory as their suffering Irene's continuous gambling and their alcohlic father, Murdoch (Tom Richards) walked out and left them "to fend for themselves". As Irene was "rarely around", Finlay decided to help bring Damian and Nathan up.
Playing a character whose mother suffers from alcoholism was a challenge for Doran. He told Inside Soap's that he had never seen his own mother drunk. So Doran "absolutely no idea what it must be like to be in Damian's shoes". He did not find it easy imagining how Damian should react to Irene's behavior. In is "hard" for character and he is in a constant dilemma because "at the same time as being treated so badly by his mother, he really loves her". He finds himself stuck between "loving her and wanting to support her and protecting himself and his own life". Doran revealed that he and Phillips had built a good rapport while working on the storyline. He also praised her acting abilities because she would transform into Damian's "nightmare of a mother" during filming. In the Home and Away – Official Collector’s Edition, Andrea Black detailed Damian's early development. In one of the Roberts siblings first storylines with their alcoholic mother, Irene falls down the stairs and claims that Damian and Finlay pushed her. Irene later wants Damian to leave with her, but Finlay manages to convince Damian to live his life in Summer Bay. Finlay's influence on Damian helped the "troubled" character "stay on the right track".
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