Jordy Lucas and James Mason from Neighbours. Picture: Tony Gough Source: Herald Sun
FOR gay teens, trying to find someone on TV who is going through the same things as them is hard.
There's Glee's Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), who does a perfect impression of the effeminate stereotype that exists in only fairly rare cases, and there's 90210's Teddy Montgomery (Trevor Donovan) - but who actually watches the new 90210?
Then there's Neighbours' Chris Pappas (James Mason) who shows that coming out in high school isn't all about expensive clothes and hair products.
While everyone is focusing on Chris's sexuality, Mason is quick to point out there is a lot more to him.
"Chris Pappas is the first ongoing gay male character on the show, but he's also recently graduated from Erinsborough High," Mason said. "He's taken on an apprenticeship with Lucas Fitzgerald at Fitzgerald Motors, his interests lie in sport like basketball and footy and he loves cars and his family.
"He's a very loyal person who'll always jump in if two people are in a fight or an argument. He's always there to make peace."
But one time Chris wasn't able to make peace was when an unknown assailant came into his place of work and beat the tar out of him. 2011 ended with Chris succumbing to his internal injuries on the floor of Fitzgerald Motors with help possibly coming just a little too late. Mason, however, is happy to assure fans that Chris will live for a while longer.
"I think it's pretty safe to say that Chris will survive, as I'm still filming," Mason said, laughing. "It's a pretty serious matter and it's lucky that Reece and Aiden pick up on the x-rays that there is something that they missed, so Reece rushed to Chris's rescue."
When Reece does find Chris, fans are in for some maverick surgery. "He doesn't have any time to get Chris back to the hospital, so he has to perform life-saving surgery in the garage with whatever tools he can find," Mason said.
Jordy Lucas, who plays the reincarnation of Summer Hoyland, had an interesting 2011, too. Not only did Summer cheat on her VCE, but she also holds the title of being Chris's last girlfriend. Summer dealt with the news that her boyfriend was gay extremely well and has become one of his best friends. If faced with the same issue in real life, Lucas likes to think that she would react in much the same way.
"There's no denying that it would be a really difficult thing to go through, but you have to respect that it's an even harder thing that they're going through," Lucas said.
While he might lack real-life experience, Mason has talked to so many fans about their experiences and has this advice for any teens struggling with coming out.
"Don't be afraid, you probably will go through tough times, but there will be good times as well," he said. "The best thing to do is not keep it inside, become comfortable with yourself.
"There's always someone you can trust and those people who love you for who you are will always love you, no matter what."
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