He’s been a DNA cover model, Mardi Gras poster boy and The Bachelor. Now Tim Robards is melting hearts on Ramsay Street!
You’ve done well to go from a guest to regular role on Neighbours!
Yes! I did six months of training in the lead up, but I also had to meet the more established actors with where they were at. So I was thrown right into it, but I leant a lot quickly. It’s not like an apprentice job where you carry the bricks! It was actually quite nerve-racking, but I got the invitation back, which is a great form of flattery.
Your character Pierce Greyson has been described as a cross between Christian Grey (50 Shades) and Harvey Specter (Suits). How do you see him?
The character seemed right up my alley, but he originally had a very brief background. He was a Christian Grey type with a lot of money, possibly billions, and a worldwide wine conglomerate, but that was all. So I had to create something for myself to draw on. Being Mr Perfect and Mr Money is kind of boring, so I had to discover what makes Pierce tick. I’m fleshing out the mixture of Christian Grey and Harvey Specter. Christian Grey has got some demons…
Is he going to…spank someone?
(Laughing) Well we do have a PG rating, so you never know!
Was acting something you always aspired to?
Yes, in a way. I’ve always loved movies. I was Keanu Reeves body double in The Matrix, which was the first time I’d ever been on a film set. It was exciting and inspiring, but the thought of ever doing something like acting then was far from my mind. I grew up in Newcastle, Dad’s an accountant and Mum’s a nurse, so I didn’t come from a creative background. But over the years I’ve been drawn to the acting world, with all these little omens saying I should give it a go. I spent nine years at uni studying for a degree and got to a point where I figured I was financially okay to move into this. I thought if I don’t do it now I’ll regret it.
Tim Robards in a scene with April Rose Pengilly (Chloe) on Neighbours
How did the Keanu Reeves body double gig happen?
I was doing a bit of modeling at the time, and decided to cast for it in Sydney. It wasn’t about having any particular skills, but more the look, height and body shape. It was pretty cool and I got to meet Keanu. At one stage I was watching the TV monitors, poking my head in between these two guys, when a lady came up behind me, tapped me and said “Hey, you better get away from there or they’re gonna tell you to fuck off!” It turned out they were the directors, the Wachowski brothers!
Apart from Neighbours, you’ve also done I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Dancing With The Stars, Ninja Warrior and of course the original Bachelor. But in 2006 you were our DNA cover model!
Oh yes, back then I was doing a lot for Aussie Bum, who has a big connection with the gay market, and it was also around the time I did a shoot for the Mardi Gras. It was a poster shot with a mirror ball, and I kind of became the face of Mardi Gras!
“I’ve been at Stonewall dancing on the tables, with my shirt off.”
Thirteen years ago it was still pretty brave for a straight man to be on a gay magazine cover, not to mention the Mardi Gras posters. Did you cop any flack?
Not really. Most of my Sydney mates were all pretty understanding. Maybe the shot in pink with the mirror ball might have…but I think anyone straight or gay, would cop a bit for that! (Laughing). But everyone was pretty good, and I was happy with my own sexuality back then.
So you have gay mates?
Oh yeah. Anthony Whitlock is one of my longer-term gay mates who I met when I was around twenty-one. In fact, he came to my wedding last year. He’s a flight attendant and does a bit of DJ’ing around Sydney. He’s been a good friend for many years.
You’ve been to a few gay clubs in your time?
Yeah there were a few! When I was with the Aussie Bum crew they’d organize a few official things and we’d go along as models. I’ve been at Stonewall dancing on the tables with my shirt off, and one year I did Toybox too!
“I can’t look at a guy in a sexual way, but I can think he’s got a great rig.”
Who would you turn gay for?
Funny thing about that! Whenever my wife Anna and I have the ‘Who’s your hall-pass’ question, I always say Arnold Schwarzenegger or The Rock. I say them because I won’t get in trouble from my wife! But they are guys that I look up to from a physical point of view and everything they’ve done in their careers make them aspirational. I can’t really look at a guy in a sexual way, but I can think he’s got a great rig.
What song gets you on the dance floor?
I love something upbeat like Pharrell Williams’ Blurred Lines. And then there’s that great song Get Lucky, which he did with Daft Punk!
Tim Robards on the set of Neighbours
So who’s your music diva?
I like Britney Spears, but I can’t go past Madonna from back in the Eighties and Nineties. Like A Prayer is one of her best, but can George Michael be a diva too?
Of course, he was definitely a diva whom we loved to bits.
Well he’s my second diva. I went to his concert. It was super-expensive and I expected dancers and all that, but he just got up and sang. I love his music.
Who’s been your greatest influence?
I went to one of John Demartini’s talks right before I went onto The Bachelor, because I had just gotten out of a relationship and was in a bit of a shit spot. I needed to get strong quick and be in a place where I could go onto national TV, where people would be critiquing the shit out of me. I also needed to find myself again and become someone who twenty-five girls would possibly want to be with! So I went to John’s talk, read his book and even after The Bachelor, went to his Break Through Experience seminar. The stuff that I’ve learned from him was imperative in kick-started everything and I started believing in myself. My parents are also the inspiration behind the fundamentals of what I want to be.
This is our Modern Man issue. What’s your best grooming tip?
I’m the face of Handsome Skin Care, and I believe you’ve got to make and effort with your skin. You need a little bit of sunlight for vitamin D, and I think whatever you put on your skin, you should also be happy to put in your mouth. You should use as many natural and organic products as possible, which is why I work with Handsome Skin Care. They aim to be as naturally organic as they can. I’m also all about time efficiency and don’t want to use fifty thousand products, spending ages in front of the mirror. But it’s all about what’s taken on the inside, so if you want good hair and skin, you need to consider what’s building those cells. You need a good micronutrient diet.
“He said, “You can see half of your shlong!””
Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction?
Plenty! In fact, I was at the gym last week with Anna doing squats, and I blew the arse out of my pants! I had to finish the rest of the session with my bum hanging out. Anna was trying to record it on her phone and I’m like “Don’t draw attention to it, it’s bad enough as it is!” I also once did a photo shoot for Dolce & Gabbana and didn’t realise just how far I was pulling down my underwear! When you’re that focused looking down the lens, you don’t realise, and it was quite cheeky of the photographer who kept asking me to pull them lower and lower. I was trusting of him, but little did I know that at the end of the day…well, to sum it up, I went on the Kyle & Jackie O show with my first big interview after The Bachelor, and while I’m sitting there Jackie O produces a print of the image! Kyle said, “You can see half of your shlong,” to which I said “Mate that’s only a quarter of it!”
Tim keeping himself fit outside of his acting commitments
At the beach is it boardies or Speedos?
Generally boardies, but I’ve been getting more into Speedos lately. You get a better tan and they’re a lot easier to swim in. Aussie bum gave me twenty pairs for my wedding, and the day after we had a big pool party where I distributed them to all the boys. I wanted everyone to get drunk and be in Speedos!
Budgie smugglers seem to get a bad wrap.
Yeah, but they’re comfy and I guess you have to be confident to wear them. You have to make sure they’re holding everything in place, but you also don’t want to be able to see ‘everything’ through them! I guess some people do!
Are you briefs, fitted boxers or freeballs?
I have some briefs, but at the moment my main go-to are fitted boxers. I like the style. You can wear them in bed and such, and no one will blink an eye, where as if you run around in you briefs…well I guess it depends on who’s around!
Neighbours screens 6.30pm weeknights on 10 Peach
Tim and myself at the Neighbours studios
Tim checking out his DNA cover from 2006!
