The soap opera: from Russell Crowe to Kylie Minogue. The Australian soap "Neighbours" just keeps churning out stars. (A-List).

W, February, 2003 by Brown, Laura

In London promoting Gladiator in 2001, Russell Crowe was recalling an early highlight of his career in Australia that had largely escaped international attention. "I did four episodes of 'Neighbours' in 1987," Crowe explained on a morning TV show, referring to the now-iconic soap revolving around the daily dramas of the residents of Ramsay Street, a suburban Melbourne cul-de-sac. "Four episodes of 'Neighbours' takes about 25 minutes to shoot," he giggled, "because they work a pretty tough schedule. And I got more money for those three or four days' work than in the whole season in Melbourne theater." He became more animated as he recalled his soapy moment. "So here's the script, right, and I'm reading it and it's crap, right? Because the show's crap-I don't care if you...

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