Chris Pappas is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by James Mason. Mason originally read for the role of Andrew Robinson, before he was called back to audition for Chris three days later. He was told during the audition that the character would be gay. He began filming his first scenes in October 2009, and he made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 25 February 2010. Executive producer Susan Bower said the character was created because of requests from young viewers in the Neighbours website's online forums. The character's sexuality storyline was also based on the real life experiences of the show's writers. Chris became the first prominent, regular male homosexual character in the show's twenty-five-year history. He was the second ongoing homosexual character overall, following Lana Crawford's (Bridget Neval) introduction in 2004.
Chris is introduced as a high school student, who befriends the soap's other teen characters and becomes captain of the school's basketball team. He briefly dates Summer Hoyland (Jordy Lucas), before revealing that he is gay. Chris struggles with his sexuality and the reactions of his friends, family and teammates. Writers explored the issue of homophobia when Chris is confronted by a homophobic customer while working at the local garage. The character was given a love interest in nurse Aidan Foster (Bobby Morley), and they formed Neighbours' first gay couple. Chris was central to a coward punch storyline in 2014, which was a topical issue in Australia at the time. Producers also established a relationship between him and Nate Kinski (Meyne Wyatt), and he fathered a child with his friend Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell), shortly before his exit which aired on 27 March 2015. He made a cameo appearance on 6 November 2015 and reprised his role for the show's final episodes in 2022.
Bower expected Chris's coming out storyline to receive criticism and some media commentators called it "an obvious ratings grab". Mason and the show's script producer defended the storyline, saying that it was not a ploy to boost ratings and that it explored how Chris's coming out affected the people around him. Television critics and LGBT websites have given the character and his storyline development a positive reception. In 2012, Mason earned a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Male Talent.
Creation and casting Neighbours' executive producer Susan Bower said the creation of the character and his storyline was a result of requests from young viewers in the Neighbours website forums. Bower said that Chris's coming out storyline was also based on the real life experiences of the shows writers.
Mason's agent got him an audition with Neighbours and he originally read for the role of Andrew Robinson. The part was given to Jordan Patrick Smith, but an offer to play the role of Chris arrived three days later. Mason told Matt Akersten of SameSame that he was okay with knowing Chris would be gay. The character is Mason's first major television role. He began filming his first scenes in October 2009, before making his on-screen debut in February 2010. Bower later revealed that two-thirds of the boys who auditioned for the role of Chris backed out when they discovered the character was gay, which she said was "disappointing, but not surprising." Mason said that he was "really excited to get an opportunity like this" and added the writers had helped him out as the script was coming straight from their experiences. Bower praised Mason, saying that he "does a wonderful job."
In October 2010, the ATV News Network reported that the Neighbours writers and producers were unsure how to keep Chris connected to Ramsay Street. ATV said that the writer were "stumped" as to what to do with the character and his story. At the time, Mason was still filming for the show, but ATV reported that it was not known if he would be given a new contract. However, in January 2011, a Network Ten spokesperson told SX News that Mason's role would be expanded from April and he and Chris will get more screen time. Chris will be seen taking on "issues that every gay teenager does." On becoming a regular cast member, Mason told Channel 5, "I love it. The more time I spend on Neighbours, the more I feel part of the show. And I'm learning all the time. The thing about this industry is it's very hard to find stable work, so to have stability, I'm extremely grateful."
Development Coming out Neighbours had featured a few short-term or minor male gay characters before for plot points or small story arcs, but Chris was the first male gay character to be given a prominent role. The first minor male gay characters to appear were Andrew MacKenzie (John Morris) and Alf Taylor (Frank Bren) in 1994. The following year a gay schoolteacher, Andrew Watson (Chris Uhlman), became the victim of a dismissal campaign by his pupils. Hairdresser Gino Esposito (Shane McNamara) was often hinted at being gay.
Mason has said that there have been a few hints about Chris's sexuality along the way and in August 2010, Chris finally revealed that he is gay to his girlfriend, Summer. TV Week described Chris as being "deeply conflicted" over his decision to tell her about his sexuality. Mason said "It's hard for Chris because he has a girlfriend who he's been with for some time. To try and tell someone in this situation would be really difficult". Summer initially takes the news well and plays it down, but when fellow student Natasha Williams (Valentina Novakovic) discovers that one of her classmates is gay, she goes out of her way to find out who it is and expose them. Mason said that she does not realise that "what she sees as a game is someone else's life".
Mason has said he was nervous about filming Chris's coming out. Describing the scene, he said "I did have to stand up in front a group of people and tell them [as my character], I was gay. That was a little intimidating". The actor felt that the storyline had been handled in a realistic manner and said that it shows that coming out is a difficult thing to do. Mason also spoke to a friend about his coming out experience to gain information about how long it took him to come out and how people reacted. The storyline follows Chris's struggle with his sexuality and depicts the reactions of his friends and family. It also deals with the issue of homophobia in sport. The Australian gay and lesbian newspaper, SX News said "Chris is the captain of the school basketball team, but once word he's gay gets out to the other teams it turns nasty for him".
Previous same-sex storylines in the show had led to criticism from conservative groups. Bower has said that she expects this storyline to come under fire, saying "I do believe homophobia is still alive and well, and I have no doubt that we will get complaints about it". Australian LGBT website SameSame said the story had attracted attention from some media commentators, who called it "an obvious ratings grab and an attempt to out-gay rival soap, Home and Away". However, script producer, Emma Steele defended the storyline and said that it is not a "ploy to grab ratings". Steele said that she is "particularly proud" of the way Chris's storyline had been handled and she added "It was something we wanted to do for a while because it's a story that affects so many people and in so many different ways. It wasn't just Chris's story. I think it's interesting to see how [his sexuality] affected his friends and his relationships with them too".
Mason said he hoped that his storyline would "draw in viewers in a responsible way" and the feedback would stay positive. Mason added that he would like to see Chris happy in the future and hopes the viewers will warm to him. He added "I know it's quite a sensitive topic, but I think the difference between his and the last encounters they've had is that we're looking more in-depth into more than just a "gay kiss". We go more into the relationships, how it affects people around". Steele backed this up, saying "We wanted gay to be part of Chris's character, not Chris to be the gay character. He's not your typical gay stereotype that some TV shows like to play up. He's on the basketball team, he's had a girlfriend for a time, and I think the show does a good job of portraying the way his character is discovering who he really is".
Relationship with Aidan Foster
In October 2010, Mason stated that a romantic interest for Chris could be introduced in the future. He said that it was not confirmed, but there was a chance that Chris would find someone. Mason admitted that he would find it "awkward" if he had to perform a male kissing scene. The following year, Mason revealed that the writers had plans for a romance for Chris on their radar and a few weeks later it was announced that Bobby Morley had joined the cast as Aidan Foster, a love interest for Chris. Aidan and Chris formed the serial's first gay couple. Bower called the storyline "a natural progression" for Chris, noting that he needed to meet someone at some stage. Bower told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that Chris's romance will be handled in a sensitive way and will be treated within the character. She explained "Chris is a naturally shy person – he is not a person who either flaunts his sexuality or his heart. So it will be done according to that character. And it may not be a full-on relationship. The character that Bob is playing is older and further down the track with his relationship testing, so it will be a relationship story rather than a gay male romance." Mason said that Chris and Aidan's relationship would have a slow build up.
Chris meets Aidan when he is brought into the hospital following a "vicious beating". Aidan provides a source of kindness and support for Chris. He later takes his car to the local garage to be serviced and flirts with Chris, who is initially unaware of what is going on. Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major) attempts to help Chris by asking Aidan if he is gay or straight, which leads to embarrassment for them all. The appearance of Chris's father, George (Lliam Amor), makes the situation worse and when Aidan asks Chris out for a drink, he turns him down. Mason told an Inside Soap writer "George is only just starting to accept that his son is gay, so when Aidan invites Chris for a drink, Chris turns him down out of fear of what his dad will think." Chris becomes intrigued by Aidan, but he also unsure what to do as he has never had a boyfriend before and it is all new to him. Natasha urges Chris to "face his fears" and she decides to play matchmaker at a barbecue they are all attending. Chris bonds with Aidan, but he thinks he missed his chance when Aidan goes on a date with someone else. Mason revealed that this leads to some new tension between the characters.