Daniel Potts (Shortland Street)

Last updated

Daniel Potts
Shortland Street character
Daniel Potts portrayed by Ido Drent.jpg
Portrayed byJarred Blakiston (2004–2007)
Ido Drent (2009–2012)
Duration2004–2005, 2007, 2009–2012
First appearance29 September 2004
Last appearance17 September 2012
Classification Former; regular
Introduced byHarriet Crampton (2004)
Jason Daniel (2007)
Steven Zanoski (2009)
Jarriddanielpotts.jpg
Daniel in 2005 as portrayed by Jarred Blakiston
In-universe information
OccupationStudent (2010)
Orderly (2010, 2011–2012)
Software engineer (2011)
Entrepreneur (2012)
Father Tim Coombes
Mother Sarah Potts
Stepfather TeKoha Samuels
Stepmother Theresa Coombes
Half-sistersGrace Coombes [1]
Tillie Samuels
Daughters Eva Potts
Grandfathers Morgan Potts
Grandmothers Pam Potts

Daniel Joshua Potts is a fictional character in the soap opera Shortland Street. The role was originated by actor Jarred Blakiston from 2004 to 2005 and again briefly in 2007 before Ido Drent took over in 2009. The character departed in mid-2012.

Contents

The character arrived to the show in a high-profile storyline that saw Daniel revealed as his "sister" Sarah's (Amanda Billing) illegitimate son. Daniel departed in 2005 to live with his newly discovered father Tim Coombes (Millen Baird) before returning briefly in 2007 to attend Sarah's wedding. His return in 2009 saw Daniel adopt a more antagonistic role that saw Daniel participate in a bullying storyline. Renowned for his intellect and computing skills, Daniel storylines went on to feature internet entrepreneurism, government introduced bootcamps, abortion, homelessness and brain trauma.

Creation and casting

The character was originally played by Jarred Blakiston [2] from 2004 to 2005 and again for a guest role in 2007. When producers decided to reintroduce the character, the decision was made to recast him and Ido Drent won the role. [3] He stated, "It’s been such a great experience and challenge already. Everyone at Shortland Street has been incredibly supportive and encouraging. It’s very close knit and there’s a great vibe ... I feel so lucky to be where I am." [3] The character returned onscreen in March 2009 in a storyline that was set to accurately portray bullying on screen [4] and Drent promised the storyline would, "have an element of romance to it." [5] Drent returned to the show after a 10-week break in mid-2010. [6] In 2012 Drent quit the role to pursue job opportunities in Australia. He commented: "For me, broadening myself as an actor, it was imperative that I move on, even if it meant losing a bit of security and taking a big risk." [7] When reading Daniel's final scripts, Drent was brought to tears at the conclusion of his hard work and how the storyline resembled his own life. [7] Daniel made his last appearance on 17 September 2012. Drent was asked to reprise the role in 2014 for his onscreen mother's funeral but was unavailable. [8]

Storylines

Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing) was delighted upon her arrival to Ferndale that she could be closer to her brother, Daniel, but it was shockingly revealed to Craig Valentine (Renato Bartolomei) that Daniel was in reality, her illegitimate son. Daniel struggled with the news and, when he moved in with Sarah, clashed with her partner, Andrew (Paolo Rotondo). In 2005 Daniel finally met his dad Tim (Millen Baird) and after Tim's initial hesitation, the two grew close. Despite Sarah's reluctance, Daniel eventually went to live with his father in Samoa. He returned in 2007 for Sarah's wedding to TK (Benjamin Mitchell) but got into trouble when he stole Sarah's car. Daniel returned to live with Sarah in 2009 and after falling in with a bad crowd, began to date Sophie McKay (Kimberley Crossman). His illegal business of selling stolen goods saw his friend die in a car crash and Daniel was sent to bootcamp and later took up boxing, something that nearly saw him beaten to death by a gang.

Sophie left Daniel and in 2010 he began to date humanitarian, Loren Fitzpatrick (Sophia Johnson). However Loren fell pregnant and the two broke up when she had an abortion with Sarah's help. Daniel briefly became homeless before he forgave his mother. He and Sophie reconciled but in 2011 Sophie left him to travel the world. Daniel briefly dated Paige Munroe (Rachel Foreman) and became a computer software engineer before Shane (Jason Hood) claimed Daniel's work as his own. In December Daniel was assaulted over the head whilst stopping Hunter (Lee Donoghue) from robbing a pharmacy and he developed serious brain damage. He dated Lana Jacobs (Brooke Williams) but his memory loss proved too severe and the two broke up. In August a lucky night at the casino saw Daniel win $1,000,000 and after trying to win Lana back, he left Ferndale to travel the world. In 2014, TK called Daniel and told him the news of Sarah's death. Daniel could not attend Sarah's funeral as his pregnant girlfriend Lisa had been hospitalized.

Character development

Daniel was initially portrayed as a quiet and well mannered child but the revelation that Sarah (Amanda Billing) was his mother sent him on a downward spiral, Blakiston commented: "It's taken him a long time to come to terms with Sarah being his real mother. It's led him to do and say things he doesn't necessarily mean." [2] Following the revelation of the secret, the storyline saw Daniel's school work suffer and he even got into fights at school. Blakiston believed it was how Daniel dealt with the secret: "He knows Sarah will do anything for him, that she really wants to show she cares. If he doesn't get what he wants, he punishes and manipulates her, and even though she tries not to, she always gives in." [2] Upon his return in 2009, Daniel was described as an "articulate and intelligent teenager" and was shown to be interested in computers, sport and making friends. [3] However it was soon clear Daniel had little understanding of his mother's multiple sclerosis and planned to use it as an excuse "to party and enjoy himself as much as possible." [3] Drent explained that Daniel "holds a lot of resentment" towards his mother and "He's willing to go to pretty dramatic lengths to win a crowd and I think that surprises people." [5] Drent believed he and Daniel had small similarities, he stated: "I’d say we’re both fairly focused on what we want, both determined and both pretty cheeky!" [3] In a September 2011 interview with 20/20, Drent expressed concern at the new-found protagonistic characteristics of his character, stating; "you can't be too good in a drama, otherwise there's no room for you!" [9]

Reception

The casting of Drent in the role came as a surprise to many fans of the show due to his muscular physique contrasting Blakiston's petite shape. [10] However Drent's portrayal of Daniel has been said to having made a "big impression" on the soap. [7] Meanwhile, some critics have been less favourable towards Drent's acting, with Hugh Sundae of The New Zealand Herald in 2010, stating that newcomer Geordie Holibar (Phoenix Raynor) had already outdone Drent in his acting capabilities. [11] Chris Philpot, a television commentator on stuff.co.nz, jokingly stated that he would willingly kill off Daniel. [12] In the Ferndale Best of 2013 awards, Daniel was voted runner up for "Character you want to Return", losing only to his mother. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathon McKenna</span> Fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street

Jonathon Alexander McKenna is a fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He is portrayed by Kieren Hutchison, who played the role in both recurring and regular stints in the 1990s, before returning for a six-month period during 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter McKay</span> Fictional character

Hunter McKay is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Lee Donoghue from December 2006, as part of a new family unit consisting of parents Callum McKay and Justine Jones, and younger sister Sophie McKay. Donoghue stayed with the role until he quit in late 2011. Hunter made his final appearance in March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TK Samuels</span> Soap opera character

Te Koha "TK" Samuels is a fictional character in New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street, played by actor Benjamin Mitchell from early 2006

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Henderson</span> Fictional character from Shortland Street

Joseph James "Joey" Henderson is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Johnny Barker from mid 2007 to early 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieran Mitchell</span> Soap opera character

Kieran Mitchell is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by British actor Adam Rickitt through numerous high-profile storylines from early 2007 to mid-2010.

Sarah Potts (<i>Shortland Street</i>) Soap opera character

Dr. Sarah Marjorie Potts is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, who was portrayed by Amanda Billing from her first appearance in September 2004 until the character's on-screen death in August 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie McKay</span> Soap opera character

Sophie Juliette McKay is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Kimberley Crossman from 2006 to 2011 as part of the McKay family unit. She made a guest appearance in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Valentine</span> Soap opera character

Dr. Craig Valentine is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Renato Bartolomei for four years from May 2004 to September 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Cooper</span> Soap opera character

Wendy Cooper is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and has been portrayed by Jacqueline Nairn since her debut in mid-2010. The character arrived as the matriarch of the new family unit, the Coopers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Warner</span> Soap opera character

Phoenix Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He has been portrayed by Geordie Holibar since his debut in the show's first ever 90 minute episode in August 2010. The character was introduced as the previously unknown son of long-standing character Chris Warner and ex-wife Alison Raynor. The character departed after dying of an overdose in the episode airing 23 October 2020. Phoenix later returned that December when Chris imagined him as a ghost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roimata Ngatai</span> Soap opera character

Roimata Ngatai is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, who was portrayed by Shavaughn Ruakere from January 2011 to January 2014. Initially introduced as a 3-month love interest for TK Samuels, Ruakere's contract was extended to a regular role.

Ido Drent is a South African-born actor working and living in Auckland, New Zealand. He is best known to television audiences as Daniel Potts in the long-running soap opera Shortland Street.

Zac Smith (<i>Shortland Street</i>) Soap opera character

Zachary Smith is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who has been portrayed by Mike Edward in multiple guest stints since mid 1995. The character returned in a more central role for the shows 20th anniversary in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Gallagher</span> Soap opera character

Dr. Josh Gallagher is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Chris Tempest between May 2012 and January 2014. The character was mostly known for his change from friendly to villainous when he developed Hero Syndrome.

References

  1. ↑ "episode 3298". Shortland Street. Season 14. 18 August 2005. Television New Zealand. TV2.
  2. 1 2 3 "Daniel's recipe for disaster". Shortland Street . Television New Zealand. 2005. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ido Drent as Daniel Potts". Television New Zealand . 12 April 2009.
  4. ↑ Irvine, Ellen (15 March 2009). "Shory Star helps teens face up to bullies". stuff.co.nz . Fairfax Media.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Chelsea (19 March 2009). "New Kid on the Street". New Zealand TV Guide. Fairfax Media.
  6. ↑ "Shortland Street - Weeknights on TV2". Television New Zealand . October 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 Rawson, Emma (8 October 2012). "Ido & Mandy's Big Decision". New Zealand Woman's Weekly. New Zealand Magazines.
  8. ↑ Bennett, Simon (25 August 2014). "6:57 PM - 25 Aug 2014". Twitter. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Running Hot". 20/20. 1 September 2011. Television New Zealand. TV2.
  10. ↑ Drent, Ido (24 March 2009). "MediaWorks New Zealand - Wikipedia". Morning Madhouse (Interview). Interviewed by Jay Jay Feeney; Mike Puru; Dominic Harvey. MediaWorks New Zealand. The Edge.
  11. ↑ Sundae, Hugh (3 August 2010). "TV Review: Shortland Street". The New Zealand Herald . APN News & Media . Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Philpot, Chris (5 July 2012). "The diary of a TV blogger". stuff.co.nz . Fairfax Media.
  13. ↑ shortlandstreet (17 December 2013). "Results of Ferndale Talk's Best of 2013 Awards!". Ferndale Talk.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.