Phoebe Gottlieb
| Phoebe Bright | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Simone Robertson | ||||||||
| Duration | 1991–93 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 23 September 1991 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 September 1993 | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Don Battye | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Student (1991–92) Waitress (1993) |
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| Home | Anson's Corner | ||||||||
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| Father | Arthur Bright |
|---|---|
| Mother | Myrnah Bright |
| Husband | Stephen Gottlieb (1993–) |
| Daughters | Hope Gottlieb |
Phoebe Gottlieb (née Bright) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Robertson. She made her first screen appearance as Phoebe during the episode broadcast on 23 September 1991.
Robertson was desperate to secure the role of Phoebe when she learned of the casting. She knew that the character was going to be a "bit freaky" and decided play herself up to the persona. She attended the audition wearing thick glasses and her hair in pigtails. Two days later Robertson was informed that she had won the part.
"When Phoebe first appeared in Neighbours it was as a figure of fun. The school swot, she was called 'Creepy Phoebe' because of her passion for keeping pet reptiles, her favourite of which was Oscar the snake. But both Josh and then Todd fell for her and she blossomed."
One of Phoebe's reptiles is a pet snake named Oscar. When Robertson auditioned for the role she was asked if she liked snakes. She pretended to like them to help gain the role. But she was later confronted with snake. She was required to have large snakes around her neck. Although the actual owner was onset in case of emergency. Off-screen the snake had to be replaced a number of times due to constant mishappenings. Robertson told Lisa Anthony from BIG! magazine that "we've had three different Oscars so far, the first one died, the second one got eaten by a snake - and that one died from indigestion!"
Phoebe begins a relationship with Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and the pairing developed Phoebe into one of Neighbours' central characters. For Robertson the romance provided her with a challenge. She told an Inside Soap reporter that she was inexperienced and had never been in love. While creating the duo's scenes she had to use her imagination to make Phoebe appear "smitten by Todd". Schmid revealed that he had formed a close working relationship with Robertson through the storyline. He even had to correct inaccurate news stories they were romantically involved. In April 1992, a TV Week reporter announced that the couple would lose their virginity together. Todd then seventeen and Phoebe sixteen, the storyline was issue led and Schmid said that "Neighbours is a family show, but it’s also a realistic show."
Neighbours soon provided the actress with another challenging storyline. The character was sixteen years-old and discovers that she is pregnant with Todd's baby. The storyline was controversial and had much shock value for the residents of Ramsay Street. Robertson stated "when she gets pregnant, there are all sorts of problems she has to face." She felt lucky that producers has given her such an "important role" and noted that "absolutely everything happens to this girl - there's never a dull moment in her life." The pair have to decide whether or not to keep the baby. Schmid believed the couple should keep the baby and told Chris Twomey from What's on TV that Todd would make a good father because he is responsible. But Schmid had quit Neighbours and writers planned for Todd to leave Phoebe to live with his mother. He felt it was unrealistic and requested that his character be killed off.
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