Ryan Lee (Home and Away)

Ryan Lee
Home and Away character
Portrayed by	Alistair MacDougall
Duration	1991–92
First appearance	22 August 1991
Last appearance	27 November 1992
Introduced by	Des Monaghan
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Home	Perth

Ryan Lee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Alistair MacDougall. He made his first screen appearance on 22 August 1991.

MacDougall was a model before he took the role of Ryan in Home and Away. It was his first television role. When he auditioned for the part casting directors were "so impressed" that they did not consider his lack of experience and offered him a two-year contract. However, MacDougall only stayed with the soap for a year. When the actor departed in late 1992, he told Josephine Monroe from Inside Soap that because he loved playing Ryan, he would go back for a cameo appearance as long as the scriptwriters made his character bad. He added "I would have stayed longer before if the scripts had been good enough."

MacDougall described Ryan as a rich, good time guy "who happens to be a bastard!" He explained that Ryan was not very nice, calling him "egotistical, self-centred, and wordly so he knows how to pull off a few scams and set things up to advantage." Ryan does not mind seeing other people suffer if they are in his way. An Inside Soap reporter commented that MacDougall and Ryan "are poles apart".

Ryan began a relationship with Lucinda Croft (Dee Smart), while they both lived in Perth. The couple became "very serious" about each other, but they eventually broke up and Lucinda moved to Summer Bay. In The Official Home and Away Annual John Kercher explained that Ryan arrives in Summer Bay to "win back the affections" of Lucinda. But Ryan did not expect to find her dating Nick Parrish (Bruce Roberts). Kercher described Ryan as "very charming" with "extremely manipulative" tendencies. So when Lucinda's brother David (Guy Pearce) dies he uses it as an "opportunity" to comfort her, while hoping that it will lead to the reconciliation of their relationship. Ryan almost wins Lucinda back, but at the last minute Nick put up posters all over town saying how much he loved her and she decided to stay with him. Ryan left the Bay and began to come up with another way to win her back.

Upon Ryan's return to Summer Bay, "a hot tempered love triangle" between him, Lucinda and Nick began. MacDougall stated "It's a strange situation. Lou doesn't know where her loyalties lie or her feelings. I'd feel sorry for anyone in that position." The actor explained that Ryan is very optimistic and he sets up "little scams" to further himself in everyone's eyes. However, what he really wants to do is get Lucinda to admit that she feels something for him. Lucinda starts to show a bit more interest in Ryan, so viewers got to see what it must have been like between them before they split up. MacDougall said "There's constant tension between them and when you see them together on screen, you can't help thinking, 'Oh no, what's going to happen now?" The actor told an Inside Soap writer that Ryan takes great joy in seeing Nick squirm and he has no problem with trying to split him and Lucinda up. Nick becomes protective of Lucinda as he knows what Ryan is like.

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