Elijah Johnson (Home and Away)
| Elijah Johnson | |||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jay Laga'aia | ||||||||
| Duration | 2010–2012 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 11 February 2010 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 11 April 2012 | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Cameron Welsh | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
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| Occupation | Reverend Missionary Jiu-jitsu instructor |
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| Adoptive father | Song Johnson |
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| Adoptive mother | Lijuan Johnson |
| Wife | Grace Johnson |
| Stepsons | Thabo Manthenga |
Elijah Johnson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Jay Laga'aia. When the serial created the character, they felt it was a role that would be well suited to Laga'aia and invited him to join the cast. Laga'aia accepted and filmed for a number of months before leaving to film for a separate project. Laga'aia agreed to return to filming in November 2010. In February 2012, it was announced Laga'aia had finished filming with Home and Away and Elijah departed on screen on 11 April 2012.
Producers created Elijah as a new love interest for established character Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou). Elijah arrives in Summer Bay as a new Reverend posted at the local church. He is portrayed as out of conjunction with usual roles filled by clergymen. Laga'aia said the fact that Elijah is a "6'2″ Polynesian man with a white collar" who looks more suited to playing rugby is a lot for viewers to understand. The serial has described him as being "muscular, tough and handsome with a charming smile". However, Elijah's dedication to his career has left him prone to feeling alone. Though, Elijah has been subject to a long running romantic storyline-arc in which he falls in love with Leah. In 2010, the serial focused on their journey as the couple faced problems such as prejudice from the Religious Sector, interference from Elijah's parents and the prospect of a long distance relationship. Their relationship failed as Elijah left to carry out a Missionary in Africa.
When he returned in early 2011, the serial created a new family unit around Elijah. He married Grace Johnson (Clare Chihambakwe) so she could gain access into Australia to seek medical help for her ill son. Both Laga'aia and Nicodemou said that the development had removed any hope of a reconciliation between their on-screen counterparts. The serial created a new direction for Elijah when a series of bad events leave him with nothing. Laga'aia said it was about portraying how a man's "life is turned upside down". Elijah has received mixed reviews in character analysis. The Age wrote that Laga'aia was a welcome addition to Home and Away's cast, while readership of Inside Soap magazine voted him as their least favourite Reverend in soap opera. While TV Week summed up the life of Elijah as "one bad thing after the other".
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