Hayley Smith | |||||||||||||||||||
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Home and Away character | |||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Rebecca Cartwright (1998–2005) Ella Scott Lynch (2005) Eliza Wyvill (flashback) | ||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 1998–2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | 28 September 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | 25 November 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | John Holmes | ||||||||||||||||||
Book appearances | Home and Away: The Long Goodbye Home and Away: Mayday | ||||||||||||||||||
Spin-off appearances | Home and Away: Secrets and the City (2002) Home and Away: Hearts Divided (2003) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ella Scott Lynch as Hayley (2005) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hayley Rose Smith (also Lawson) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away . She was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress Rebecca Cartwright and from September to November 2005 by Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal reasons.
In May 2005, Cartwright announced she would be leaving Home and Away for personal reasons. The announcement came one week after she confirmed she was pregnant with her first child. [1] Cartwright said the decision had been hard, but she found that she could not continue in the role. She explained, "I will always remember my days on Home and Away as the best of my life. But at such an important time of my life, I need more time and flexibility away from the day to day demands of the production schedule." [1] Cartwright filmed her final scenes in June, and remained on air until September 2005. [2]
It was also announced that the role of Hayley was set to be recast. [1] The Seven Network's head of drama, John Holmes, said the character was "integral" to the show. Cartwright stated that she was "pleased that the character of Hayley will live on". [1] Scott Ellis of The Sun-Herald later reported that over one hundred actresses auditioned for the role of Hayley. [2] Producer Julie McGauran told Ellis that there had been "a couple of impressive contenders". [2] On 5 June 2005, it was announced that actress Ella Scott Lynch had been cast as Hayley. [3] Scott Lynch said she was both "excited and a little daunted" about joining the show as an already established character. [3]
Hayley is the daughter of Ken (Anthony Phelan) and Eve Smith (Robyn Gibbes) and the sister of Will (Zac Drayson) and Nick Smith (Matt Juarez; Chris Egan). After Eve suffers psychological problems and Ken descends into alcoholism, the children are placed in foster care. Will leaves and Hayley runs away to join him living with Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger).
Hayley quickly befriends Sam Marshall (Ryan Clark) and they begin to graffiti tag various areas in the Bay. They begin dating. While out walking one day, the couple are taken hostage by a drifter named Murray (Scott Major) who held up the diner. They are eventually rescued by Will. Hayley and Sam continue tagging until their friend Brian Matthews (Scott Swalwell) dies in a fall. Shortly after, Ken reappears and Hayley is keen to reconnect with him but Will isn't so easily swayed and is still hostile towards him. Ken leaves but later returns permanently and falls for Irene.
Hayley soon finds herself in a love triangle with Sam and the newly arrived Mitch McColl (Cameron Welsh). She eventually chooses Mitch. Their relationship lasts until Mitch reveals that he slept with Gypsy Nash (Kimberley Cooper). Soon after Nick rejoins the family and things appear to be going well until Ken is killed when a car he is working on, crushes him after a jack slips. Hayley slides into a downward spiral and is nearly attacked at a nightclub one evening. Noah Lawson (Beau Brady) is on the scene to save her and they ride off on his motorbike. They soon begin a relationship.
After failing Year 12 due to the stress of Ken's death, Hayley decides to repeat and Noah joins her. School principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) asks her to do the illustrations for his Children's book Letter to Byron dedicated to his late son. When the book is launched, Hayley sees a vision of Ken in the crowd.
Hayley's relationship with Noah is tested when she catches him kissing Skye Patterson (Angela Keep) at her 18th birthday party and soon after Noah spirals into alcoholism and matters are not helped when Hayley befriends Noah's overly-religious mother, Jill (Tracy Mann).
When Donald goes to launch his book in London, he invites Hayley, Irene, Will and Nick join him on the trip. While there Hayley meets a porter, Robbie Jamison (Rupert Evans) and falls for him and they have one date. Robbie asks Hayley to stay with him in London but she declines, realising she still loves Noah. After arriving home, Hayley reconciles with Noah.
Hayley and Noah later move into their own place together which they name "The Palace". After Hayley kisses her housemate Josh West (Daniel Collopy), she and Noah split but remain housemates. Hayley's relationship with Josh does not last very long after Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) tells her of his visions of Hayley marrying Josh and becoming unhappy.
Hayley's next relationship is with her friend Alex Poulos (Danny Raco), which lasts several months but when Alex develops a steroid addiction and Brodie Hanson (Susie Rugg), Alex's ex-girlfriend returns things are strained. Hayley and Brodie soon find themselves at loggerheads and both are seriously injured in a car crash after an argument. Hayley is later left disfigured and has lost her memory. Alex and Brodie try to break the news to Hayley that they are back together but are unable to do so and give her a story that they are both going away for a while. Hayley slowly regains her memory and Noah is there to comfort her.
On her 21st birthday, Hayley receives a proposal from Noah and she accepts. The couple later marry in an outdoor ceremony where Ken reappears to Hayley as she walks down the aisle. Kane (Sam Atwell) and Kirsty Phillips (Christie Hayes) also renew their vows on the day. Their marriage is cut short when Noah is shot dead in an armed siege with Sarah Lewis (Luisa Hastings-Edge), leaving Hayley widowed. After finding paintings that seemingly appear at the palace, Hayley begins to become confused despite the fact she painted them. Kit Hunter (Amy Mizzi) tells Hayley that she stole the paintings the previous year and a vision of Noah told her to return the paintings.
Hayley finds herself in a love triangle with Scott Hunter (Kip Gamblin) and Kim Hyde (Chris Hemsworth). She later falls pregnant and is unsure who the father is. The baby is initially believed to be Kim's and Scott steps aside. However, Hayley is still in love with Scott, but plans to marry Kim. On the day of the day of the wedding, Hayley runs away and Scott searches for her and eventually finds her as she goes into labour. Hayley then gives birth to a baby boy and names him after Noah. By the end of the year, it is revealed that Kim is not Noah's father, as his blood type does not match the child. Scott is thrilled to be a father and he and Hayley leave for a new life in France.
Described by The Sun-Herald 's Scott Ellis and Tom Findlay as one of the "best-loved characters in Australian drama", [4] Cartwright won the 2005 Logie Award for Most Popular Actress for her portrayal of Hayley. [1] She was also nominated for a Gold Logie the same year. [5]
When Hayley and Noah broke up, Jackie Brygel of the Herald Sun wrote "Hayley, a chickadee who has made some dumb decisions in her short life, finally sees the light. She realises her bloke Noah is on a fast track to nowhere and dumps him." [6] James Joyce of the Newcastle Herald dubbed Hayley "Summer Bay's resident angelic blonde". [7] Rachel Browne from The Sun-Herald described the character as "trouble-prone", [8] while Tony Davis of The Sydney Morning Herald called her "an artistic young widow who has overcome a graffiti problem". [9]
When Lynch was cast as Hayley, Gordon Farrer of The Age wrote about how difficult it was for the cast and audience to get used to a new actress in the role. [10] He commented: "while she's still in the hospital get-up she's now a red-head, with a totally different nose, and... you want to leap up and shout at the telly, 'she's an imposter, mate, don't get sucked in, she's up to no good.' And then someone else comes in and calls the redhead 'Hayley', and then another, and you realise you must've gone mad, because the only other explanation is that they've all gone mad, but that'd be like something out of Days of Our Lives, and this is Home and Away, a far superior soap". [10]
Rebecca June Hewitt is an Australian actress, television presenter and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera Home and Away. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music album in 2002. In 2005, she married professional tennis player Lleyton Hewitt.
Ella Scott Lynch is an Australian actress. Her notable roles include Shirley Ryan in the series Love Child and Melbourne gangland barrister Nicola Gobbo in the Channel Nine mini-series Informer 3838.
Kimberly "Kim" Hyde is a character on the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Chris Hemsworth. He made his first appearance on 17 February 2004 and departed on 3 July 2007.
Jesse McGregor is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Ben Unwin. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 May 1996. The actor departed in 2000, but returned in 2002 and departed once again on 26 July 2005.
Alexi "Alex" Poulos is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Danny Raco. He made his first on screen appearance on 26 February 2001 and departed on 13 February 2004. He returned for a brief guest stint in 2007, arriving on 4 June 2007 and made his final appearance on 19 June 2007.
Noah Lawson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Beau Brady. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 September 2000.
Sam Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by former actor Ryan Clark. He made his first on screen appearance on 3 April 1991. Sam remained in Home and Away until 2001. He later returned for brief stints in 2002 and 2005.
Scott John Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kip Gamblin. He made his first on-screen appearance on 23 January 2003. The character was riding a white horse onto the beach, where he was spotted by Dani Sutherland. Scott departed on 25 November 2005.
Brodie Hanson is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by actress Susie Rugg. She made her first appearance on 20 July 2000 and departed on 7 November 2002, she briefly returned in February 2004.
Ken Smith is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Anthony Phelan. He made his first appearance on 26 April 1999 and departed on 28 July 2000 following the character's death. Phelan reprised the role when the character reappeared as a ghost until 2004.
Mitchell McColl is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, originally played by Cameron Welsh. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 15 July 1999. Welsh thought that the role of Mitch would be a guest part, but producers soon signed him onto a three-year contract. Welsh was diagnosed with an herniated disc and took a break from filming in 2000. Mitchell McMahon took over the role temporarily when producers decided that Mitch needed to remain part of a "big storyline". Welsh decided to leave Home and Away in November 2000 and Mitch departed on 9 March 2001. Welsh reprised the role in 2005 for the serial's 4000th episode. Mitch has been described as a "bad boy with a heart of gold" and likes to help people out. He is also "emotionally scarred and guarded" due to his upbringing.
Peta Janossi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Aleetza Wood. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 27 May 1999 and departed on 14 July 2000.
Colleen Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Lyn Collingwood. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 March 1988. She was introduced as a recurring character by producer Alan Bateman. She served as comic relief and busybody from 1988. She returned briefly in 1997 before returning as a regular on 23 September 1999 until January 2013. Colleen has been portrayed as the serial's "local gossip", a role that been well received by certain critics. Many storylines have centered on her over protective nature towards her son Lance Smart. Collingwood revealed that she often pitched storylines for Colleen in the hope they would play out on-screen. Collingwood decided to leave the series in January 2012 and Colleen departed on 23 May 2012. She made a brief return from 27 November 2012 and officially departed on 24 January 2013.
Kate Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ashleigh Brewer. The actress successfully auditioned for the role and relocated to Melbourne for filming. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 May 2009. Kate was introduced along with her siblings Harry and Sophie as a new generation of the Ramsay family. Her storylines have included dealing with the death of her mother, becoming the legal guardian of her siblings, her relationships with Declan Napier and Mark Brennan and kissing a student. For her portrayal of Kate, Brewer earned a nomination for Most Popular New Female Talent at the 2010 Logie Awards. In November 2013, it was announced Brewer had quit Neighbours and Kate was killed off during the episode broadcast on 8 April 2014.
Home and Away: Romances is an exclusive-to-DVD special of Australia's most popular soap Home and Away. It was released on 2 November 2005 and unlike it previous two DVD releases, Secrets and the City and Hearts Divided which only contained three episodes each, this release is completely different, this takes a look back at all the classic Home and Away relationships over the past 17 years of the show from 1988 to 2005. It is hosted by Home and Away star Beau Brady and has everything from first meetings to good and bad dates, first kisses to love triangles and proposals to happy endings. The DVD also contains the movie length pilot episode, which is a rare chance for fans to go back to where it all began.
Jade Mitchell is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Gemma Pranita. Pranita's casting was announced on 7 September 2010 and she began filming her first scenes the day before. The actress was in Russia when she received a call from her agent about the audition for Neighbours. She returned to Australia and her agent managed to get her in on the last day. Pranita won the part of Jade and she was given a twelve-month contract with the show. She relocated to Melbourne for filming and she made her first screen appearance as Jade during the episode broadcast on 10 December 2010. In June 2012, Pranita announced her departure from Neighbours. She filmed her final scenes in August and departed on 29 October 2012.
Danielle "Dani" Sutherland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Tammin Sursok. The actress successfully auditioned for the role of Dani in 1999 and she called the experience incredible. Sursok considered herself lucky to get the part, as the audition was the first one she had had since acquiring an agent. She made her first screen appearance as Dani during the episode broadcast on 19 June 2000. After four years in the role, Sursok made the decision to leave Home and Away in 2004 to pursue a music career and other acting opportunities and as a result Dani departed the series on 12 November 2004. She later explained that she had also become frustrated with the serial's producers. Sursok was glad that her character was written out of the show without anything bad happening to her.