“It’s been tough.”
Home and Away star Ethan Browne has revealed the emotional, and unexpected, real-life challenge he’s facing while filming the soap in Australia.
Browne – who plays Tane Parata – moved from New Zealand to Australia when he first joined the series, with the hope that he’d be able to regularly fly home and spend time with his family and friends.
Unfortunately for Ethan, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions have made it difficult for him to travel – and the actor has now revealed that he won’t be able to return to New Zealand for Christmas.
The Home and Away star told Kiwi outlet stuff that it had been “tough” not being able to see his 13-year-old daughter as often as he’d like.
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“It’s been tough. As much as I love working here, if I’d known I wouldn’t be able to go home, I might have thought twice about it,” Ethan admitted.
“I only took the role because I knew I’d be able to go home or bring my daughter over here. It’s been a real challenge in that regard.”
Tane Parata fans needn’t worry about Ethan taking a step back from Summer Bay, however, as the actor is still enjoying his time on the soap.
“In terms of the work itself, it’s been great,” he added. “I feel like I’ve moulded into the group pretty well and I really love it.”
Ethan also hinted at an upcoming storyline involving the Parata family that will see Home and Away embrace the characters’ Māori roots.
“There’s something coming up – I can’t say what – but there are quite a few storylines that integrate the culture back in which is really cool,” he teased. “I think some of that might not have been shown on Australian TV before.”
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR (UK) and Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 (Australia). Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
