Australian born Jason, broke off from mowing his lawn to chat to me about his childhood, Ramsey Street, mullets and his appearance in the 2026 theatre adaptation of Highschool Musical.
Tell us about your childhood
I had a good childhood and grew up in Malvern , Australia and was brought up by my dad , Terence , as he got custody of me , which was very unusual back then in the 70s. I was very close to my grandmother too. I wasn’t very academic but I did work hard at school and when I left at 17 I walked into Neighbours.
But Neighbours wasn’t your first acting role , was it?
No. My dad was a very established actor in Australia so I was always on set with him and when I was about 11 I got a role in an Australian tv show called Skyways , and that’s when I first met Kylie as she was playing my sister ! But the irony was that before I left school I had the opportunity to play Daniel Ramsey in Neighbours when it was on channel 7, so I had the dilemma whether I should leave school to take the part or not. My teachers all said that I accept the role but my dad said that I should finish school, so I took my dads advise and didn’t take the role and finished school. A year later I got a call saying that Neighbours had been axed from channel 7 and was going to be relaunched on a different network and would I consider the role of Scott Robinson , which I of course accepted. But can you imagine if I would have taken the role of Daniel Ramsey I would have been Charlene’s brother instead of her love interest.
Were you involved with lots of school theatre productions?
There were quite a few shows and collaborative co-education productions which was also a great social aspect. But at school I didn’t really push the singing although I was in the Australian Boys Choir. My dad pushed me to learn to play the piano from a young age as he believed that if you learnt an instrument you would never be out of work. But my first love was and still is acting.
When did you realise that Neighbours was a huge smash?
The viewership was really England and Australia, although there was some success in Europe but the fan mail for the cast just from those two countries was huge.
Kylie, who played your love interest Charlene left the soap to pursue a pop career . What made you decide to follow her in 1988?
I saw what Kylie was doing and saw her success and because our characters of Scott and Charlene were so popular it seemed like the natural next step to move into music. Kylies first song The Locomotion was huge in Australia and then of course she moved to England to work with Stock ,Aitken and Waterman who already had massive success with artists like Dead or Alive, Bananarama and Rick Astley . Now at this stage , SAW were a brand in themselves and a huge name so gave Kylie a bigger international spotlight . So I had some singing lessons to expand my craft and strengthen my abilities. Kylie very kindly agreed for us to do the duet , Especially For You which was massive and helped to introduce me to the pop industry
You were only 20 years old when you had your first of 16 top 40 hits in the uk with Nothing Can Divide Us…… How did pop star success affect you differently to soap stardom?
The acting background helps to give you a discipline and confidence in working and communicating with people of all ages and various backgrounds. The purpose behind becoming a pop star , I suppose, was to help create my own story and allow people to get to know me rather than be seen as just ‘Scott Robinson’. And the 80s were so liberating and colourful with artists like David Bowie , Michael Jackson and Madonna…..with flamboyant performers and catchy songs it was a great time. I remember hearing Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up in a club and thought wow…these songs just make you feel great and I wanted to be a part of that. It wasn’t really until I released Too Many Broken Hearts that I really felt that people had finally stopped seeing me as Scott and were getting to know Jason.
The late 80s has a lot to answer for and your “Scott chop” mullet was one of them for a lot of my friends . How much influence did you have in the look of Scott ?
Totally me. I saw him as a surf boy so I wore a lot of shorts and bright colours. John Farnham , who was a very successful singer in Australia had a mullet and Peter O'Brien who played Shane Ramsey…he had a mullet too so I just followed along. It was a hairstyle of that moment . So when I moved into pop, I cut off the hair and start wearing the ripped jeans which all helped people to see Jason and not Scott.
From 1988 to 1990 you were dominating the uk charts. What made you move to musical theatre and swap your guitar for the Coat of Many Colours?
My manager at the time really wanted me to do live work so in 1990 I did a big tour which taught me so much about my voice and performance. One night I was performing in Brighton and Andrew Lloyd Webber came to the show with his daughter and he was putting together Joseph & His Technicoloured Dream Coat at the London Palladium. I auditioned for Andrew in London and he offered me the role of Joseph. I really threw myself into the role and at the time it was very rare for a pop star to jump into musical theatre. But what was particularly unusual for me was to be in one place for a year doing 8 shows a week. What I have come to love is the discipline of theatre ,but it was far removed from what I had just been doing so was a shock but I’m so glad that I did that show. Even when I recorded & released Any Dream Will Do ,I thought that the song itself was so simple so i was shocked at the huge success of it! Number 1 in the uk for two weeks. Of course Andrew Lloyd Webber was particularly popular with hit shows like Phantom, Evita and Cats as well as some of their songs getting into the charts. Perhaps it was the combination of Andrew, Joseph, the Palladium and me … but the show was magic.
You have really embraced this genre with West End starring roles in Priscilla , Grease and Rocky Horror Show…..These are not easy roles and at 8 shows a week can be punishing . How do look after your voice on these tours?
Whatever role I do , especially in musicals it’s always important to give a strong acting performance so the audience believes in your character. For example when I did Joseph I could feel the innocence of that character so it was easy for me to also deliver his songs as the character with the emotion and intention need to convey the story. I never set out to do musical theatre, it found me…and has been very good to me! It’s brought me consistency and helped to pay for my kids school fees !
I had a bit of a problem with my voice a few years ago so I’m much more aware of taking care of the muscle and steaming a lot which is great for the throat and vocal cords. I really do think that I’m singing better now than ever before.
High School Musical showcased their new production at The Lowry this month, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the iconic movie. Tell us about the show.
It’s based on the hugely successful Disney film about two teenagers who fall for each other but are from very different backgrounds. I remember sitting with my kids watching this film…they loved it as did I! But this is a unique production and is going to be nostalgic and very immersive for the audience. I play Coach Bolton who wants his son, Troy to be an athlete but Troy has other ideas so they go on quite the emotional journey together. It’s about purpose, identity and following your passion and dreams.
How do you look after yourself physically and mentally?
I love to get in the pool and stretch as well as cold water swimming. I live in London so I cycle quite a bit and I eat well. I tend to only drink alcohol at the weekends . It’s also important for me to get home as often as possible to my family. Normally if I’m doing a theatre gig I will get a car back home after the Saturday performance and have one or two days there before I head back to the theatre for the Monday evening performance.
You revisited your character of Scott for what was supposed be the final episode in 2022. Along with Kylie and Guy Pearce…Tell us about that experience revisiting the character and seeing old friends.
My dad fought very hard for Australian television drama in the 70s especially as there was a lot of American content as it was cheap to import. It was through the hard work and persistence of people like my dad that we got uniquely Australian productions like Mad Max, Muriel’s Wedding, Pricilla Queen of the Desert, Home and Away…and of course Neighbours. We wanted to pay respect to a moment that changed all our lives: mine, Kylies, Guys , Natalie Imbruglia , Margot Robbie. But initially I wasn’t sure about doing it. It was Guy that said straight away that he was going to do it, so once he said yes then the rest of us said yes too. Even my daughter , Jemma who was in Neighbours for a while said that we had to do it.
Is there a character that you would love to play but haven’t yet?
There’s no one really that I’m desperate to play but I do actually love Willy Wonka…especially Gene Wilders performance of him. I’m a big film fan and I like Jack Nicholson movies too.
Do you have any regrets in your life?
I lost a bit of time in the 90s with drugs and addictions. But I learnt , from that experience who I didn’t want to be and what I don’t want to do. I’m very happy now and want to remain healthy and see my children happy…..and continue to mow my lawn and trim my hedge!
What's your next acting project for 2026?
In November I’ll be playing Randle P McMurphy, in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest , in Melbourne. Based on the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson it’s going to be a brilliant play and I’m really excited to to play Randle…who’s a very different character to Coach Bolton!
What advise would you give to your younger self?
Keep mentally and physically fit and be authentic…not only with your work but with yourself.
Armand Beasley is a celebrity makeup artist and beauty columnist. He is a regular contributor to beauty magazines and publications, and appears on TV, radio and podcasts.