Pierce Greyson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Tim Robards. Robards secured the role after making an acting career a priority at the beginning of 2018. His agent put him forward for the seven-week role and auditions took place shortly before he married his fiancée in Italy. He began filming the week he returned from his honeymoon and finished up just as his first scenes went to air. Robards said was open to a return if it was another short stint, but a permanent role would mean giving up his job as a chiropractor and relocating to Melbourne, where the serial is filmed. Robards made his first appearance as Pierce during the episode broadcast on 5 October 2018.
Pierce is characterised as a suave, intelligent, wealthy businessman. Robards described his personality as being a mix of Harvey Specter, Christian Grey, and Robert Redford. He is also loyal, caring, values family and will do anything to help those he loves. The character initially arrives to carry out a business deal, but is soon involved in an indecent proposal-style storyline with Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly), whom he soon develops feelings for. The storyline also explored the subject of sex in return for payment. Following a failed hotel takeover venture, Pierce departed on 19 November 2018. Robards reprised the role the following year and joined the main cast. Christie Hayes also joined the soap as Pierce's fiancée, Ebony Buttrose, and the pair become involved in a love triangle with Chloe. Pierce and Chloe later reconcile, and producers established a new family unit with the introduction of Pierce's son Hendrix Greyson (Benny Turland), whose introduction also led to further exploration of Pierce's fictional backstory.
Chloe and Pierce later marry and their relationship is immediately tested by the arrival of Hendrix's mother Lisa Rowsthorn (Jane Allsop), who asks Pierce to father another child with her. Further problems are caused by the return of Naomi Canning (Morgana O'Reilly) in May 2020, as writers established a connection between her and Pierce. A misunderstanding leads Pierce and Chloe to realise they have communication issues. This is followed by a surprise pregnancy for the couple. Robards hoped that his experience at being a first time father-to-be helped with his performance during the storyline. When Chloe has a miscarriage, the couple's marriage becomes strained and Pierce relies on his friendship with Dipi Rebecchi (Sharon Johal), whom he later has an affair with. Robards thought Pierce was able to be vulnerable with Dipi, which is something he was not used to. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing rules on set, Johal's husband Ankur Dogra was employed for the kissing scenes.
Amidst the affair storyline, the character was recast to Don Hany, as Robards chose to finish up four weeks early amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, so he could return to Sydney to be with his pregnant wife. Robards explained that the recast meant less disruption, as an early exit would mean scripts and episodes would have to be rewritten. Robards' final episode aired on 19 October, with Hany's first episode airing four days later on 23 October. Hany took over the end of Pierce's affair storyline and subsequent exit from the show. Hany later reprised the role for a brief stint from 2 June 2021, as Pierce returns to check on his son and finalise a business deal. The following year, Robards returned to the role for a storyline focusing on Hendrix set and filmed in Sydney. The character received positive attention from critics for his good looks, while a TV Week writer described his relationship with Chloe as "messy, complicated and fleeting as any good Neighbours romance." Robards faced criticism for his lack of acting experience and the recast was not well received by viewers.
Casting On 19 July 2018, Mat Whitehead of Ten Daily reported that former Bachelor Australia participant Tim Robards had joined the cast as "wealthy investor" Pierce Greyson. Robards told Clare Rigden of Who that he had decided to make acting a priority at the beginning of the year, so he took lessons and worked with acting coaches. When his agent asked if he wanted to be put forward for the role of Pierce, Robards agreed, believing that he was ready. The role marked his "first proper audition" and took place in the week leading up to his wedding to Anna Heinrich in Italy. The show's executive producer Jason Herbison stated that Robards went through "a lengthy audition process and impressed us with his take on the character." He also worked with several of the show's actors before being cast. Robert Moran of the Sydney Morning Herald speculated that Herbison was anticipating criticism of Robards' casting with the statement, following similar criticism of "stunt-casting" surrounding reality stars.
Of securing the role, Robards said "I managed to get the lines down, did the auditions, and it turned out it was commencing shooting the week we returned – it fit in perfectly. It was a seven-week role and started, literally, the week we returned from our honeymoon." He admitted to being "super excited" about the role and found working with the show's actors to be "an amazing experience". Robards finished filming in early October 2018, shortly before his debut appearance aired on 5 October. Robards said he was open to a return if it was for another eight week stint, but a long term role would mean he and his wife would have to relocate to Melbourne, and he would have to give up his job as a chiropractor.
Robards later said that when he started, he hoped his co-stars would give him "a chance to prove himself", as he sensed that some of them had doubts about him. Robards made sure that they saw his "most serious side" and he worked hard on his scenes. He felt that his acting skills vastly improved during his Neighbours stint, saying "You know, I'm a good learner. And when I work hard, I work hard." Robards added that in order to help him win over his cast mates, he offered his chiropractic skills to those in need of them.
Development Characterisation Robards said Pierce's personality is a mix of fictional characters Harvey Specter and Christian Grey, and actor Robert Redford. He enjoyed exploring the mix of their various traits, saying that Pierce has "a number layers to him", which made him interesting to play. Pierce is also billed as having a "super suave nature and good looks". The character's fictional backstory detailed on the official Neighbours website states that Pierce was not born into money, but instead created a business with one vineyard, before investing in an international wine conglomerate and various hospitality ventures. Robards later described him as "an investor, a very wealthy businessman who has built up his wealth through hard work and being an intelligent guy. He's very self-assured, hard to read and he doesn't give a lot away. It's not always plain sailing in Erinsborough and the stakes for him get much higher." Pierce often puts up a guard when it comes to romance, but he is loyal and caring. He also "values family and would do anything to help the ones he loves." When asked how Pierce would fare on The Bachelor, Robards thought some of the women might be "blindsided" by his wealth and would not try as hard to get to know him. He also said Pierce is not a good dancer, adding "so for 'Mr Cool', that's a weakness – and you might actually get to see some of that soon..." Robards later described Pierce as "resilient", especially in business, which has led to much success. He also said that his character "always looks for the positives, he always wants to push through".
While reflecting on his Neighbours stint, Robards admitted that he had regrets about not making Pierce "as interesting as he might have been." Citing actor Samuel L. Jackson, who often gives his characters idiosyncrasies, Robards told Dan Williams of Men's Health that if he were going into Neighbours today, he would likely try to give Pierce some "quirks" from the beginning. He thought it would give him "more to play with", as he felt that he kept the character "too simple."
First stint
In the character's casting announcement, it was stated that "romance is also on the cards and hearts could be broken", indicating that Pierce would find a love interest during his time in Erinsborough. He soon comes into contact with Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly) when he arrives in Erinsborough to do a business deal with Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano) at Lassiters Hotel. Producers created an indecent proposal-style storyline for the pair, as Pierce soon learns Chloe runs an escort service offering platonic dates and asks to become one of her clients. Robards commented that Pierce is "taken by her ingenuity and approach to things" upon their first meeting. Chloe turns him down, as she does not want to jeopardise the deal he has with Lassiters, however, Pierce later books Chloe's services using a pseudonym and they get on well. During a second date, Pierce leaves Chloe "shellshocked" when he asks her to spend the night with him. She accompanies him to his hotel room, where he gives her a necklace, but she turns down his proposition. Robards said that Pierce has developed feelings for Chloe, explaining "He sees her business almost as a challenge to get her to fall a bit deeper. He wasn't expecting it, but he realises he has feelings for this girl."
The storyline later explores the subject of sex in return for payment. While working together one evening, Chloe and Pierce have sex. Pierce then sends Chloe the necklace and a bottle of wine afterwards, leaving her "confused" and believing that he sees what they did as a transaction. Chloe is also concerned about Pierce's feelings for her. Pengilly commented, "Initially Chloe does really like Pierce and she initiates taking the relationship further, but she's not up for anything serious or long term which she's quite clear about, and he agrees." Pierce is also brought into Terese Willis's (Rebekah Elmaloglou) attempted takeover of Lassiters, although it is clear that he is only interested in Chloe and not the hotel. He later presents Chloe with a ring, leaving her feeling "increasingly overwhelmed". Pierce soon insists that Chloe accompany him on a business trip to a ski resort. Pengilly told Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap that Chloe is surprised by his offer, as she has just told him she is uncomfortable at how their relationship has been progressing. Chloe accepts the invitation, as she thinks the hotel's future depends on her keeping him happy.