Joel Samuels
| Joel Samuels | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Neighbours character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Daniel MacPherson | ||||
| Duration | 1998–2002 | ||||
| First appearance | 13 May 1998 | ||||
| Last appearance | 29 January 2002 | ||||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Triathlete Marine Biology Student Sports Shop Assistant |
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| Home | Queensland | ||||
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| Father | Bernie Samuels |
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| Mother | Brenda Samuels |
Joel Matthew Samuels is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Daniel MacPherson. Joel made his first on-screen appearance on 13 May 1998. He departed on 29 January 2002.
Neighbours casting director, Jan Russ, auditioned MacPherson and she approached the script producers and suggested they write the role of Joel for him. MacPherson joined the cast in February 1998, when he was seventeen, and he moved from Sydney to Melbourne for filming. "I'm not ashamed to say I bawled my eyes out that night going, 'What the hell am I doing? I've never acted, I've never lived out of home, I've never been to Melbourne, I've never been on a TV set. What the hell am I thinking?'"
MacPherson left the show in January 2002, of his time in Neighbours MacPherson said "I learned so much. I watch it now and again just to see what everyone's doing. I'd love to go back for maybe a couple of days or weeks just to see everyone but, as for a career choice, probably not".
Whilst travelling, Joel meets and becomes friends with Malcolm Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) and he comes to Ramsay Street "out of the blue" to stay with the Kennedy family. Upon his arrival, Joel was described as being "good-looking, down-to-earth, friendly and a champion triathlete."Inside Soap called Joel a "heart-throb" and said that he appears to be Mr Perfect. However, MacPherson told them that Joel is unlucky in love, saying "A couple of the girls throw themselves at him, but he's no naive he doesn't really notice." The BBC said "Being a fit, young tri-athlete, Joel certainly set a few hearts a flutter among the Ramsay St girls."
When Anne Wilkinson (Brooke Satchwell) crashes her car into a riverbank, Joel and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) are first on the scene and try to help her. The car slides down the riverbank and Joel becomes trapped underneath the vehicle. A storm causes the water level to rise rapidly and Karl tries to help Joel breathe. Filming for the stunt took three days and McPherson spent most of his time underwater. He said "Luckily , that meant I didn't have too many lines to learn, half the time I had to just sit under the water, hold my breath and wonder if they were still shooting!" Joel is eventually rescued and taken to hospital and McPherson told Inside Soap that there is a chance that Joel may not be able to walk again due to his injuries. The actor said "That is a tremendous shock. The triathlon is his life." Joel tries to keep his injury from his sponsors, but Karl reveals to them that Joel may not walk again. Joel is "absolutely furious" with Karl and McPherson said "I think in his heart of hearts, Joel knew they would find out eventually, but he hasn't learnt how to deal with the consequences yet." Joel then faces a long recovery process, but he has a "good chance of pulling through."
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