Joey Rainbow
| Joey Rainbow | |||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Alex O'Han | ||||||
| Duration | 1996–99 | ||||||
| First appearance | 20 June 1996 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 11 May 1999 | ||||||
| Introduced by | John Holmes | ||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Occupation | Student at Summer Bay High (1996–98) Beautician's assistant (1997) |
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| Father | Saul Bennett |
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| Mother | Melanie Rainbow |
| Half-brothers | Alex Bennett |
Joey Rainbow is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Alex O'Han. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 June 1996. O'Han joined the serial while he was still in high school and was assisted by an on-set tutor. His decision to quit the serial three years later was based on the decision to concentrate on his education. Joey departed on 11 May 1999.
Joey's storylines involve him leaving his mother Melanie Rainbow (Mercia Deane Johns) and father Saul Bennett's (David Ritchie) commune in order to learn more about the wider world and find acceptance in Summer Bay, gaining a new home with Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger). He befriends Liam Tanner (Peter Scarf), Casey Mitchell (Rebecca Croft) and Stephanie Mboto (Fleur Beaupert). He tries to initiate a relationship with Casey but she rejects him. O'han described Joey as "naive and innocent", also "nerdy" and is better at winning school quizzes than female attention.
Later storylines see Joey begin a relationship with Tiegan Brook (Sally Marrett), work as a beautician's assistant for Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons) and develop schizophrenia while taking his HSC. O'Han told the Sun-Herald, he found the storyline challenging and did some research into mental illness. He shortly became the face of SANE Australia's mental health campaign and the storyline was positive received, resulting in a 100% increase in phone calls to SANE's helpline advertised on the serial's official website.
When O'Han joined the cast he decided to maintain his education and received help from an on-set tutor. He was taken ill in late 1996 and had to have his appendix removed. While he returned to filming shortly after his operation, scripts still had to be rewritten. O'Han decided to leave the serial in early 1999 in order to concentrate solely on his education. The actor told Jason Herbison from Inside Soap, "I had mixed emotions on the last day. It was hard having to say goodbye to all my friends in the cast and crew." O'Han made his final appearance as Joey in May 1999.
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