Hendrix Greyson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Ben Turland. Turland's manager did not tell him that he was not what the producers were looking for when he submitted a self-tape. However, he received an audition a week later and was flown to Melbourne from Sydney for a chemistry read with members of the cast. Three days later, he was informed that he had been cast as Hendrix. He joined the main cast in his first ongoing television role. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 September 2019. Hendrix was introduced as the estranged son of Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards). His arrival led to further exploration of Pierce's backstory and established a new family unit in the serial.
The character was initially portrayed as an entitled, confident, 17 year old with a bad attitude. Turland enjoyed playing Hendrix bratty side, but tried to make him lovable and likeable. Hendrix's bad behaviour is linked to the hurt caused by his father's absence in his life. Hendrix eventually starts to grow up and is seen owning his mistakes. He also drops the "rich kid" act and is more open with his kind hearted and vulnerable sides. The character's early storylines often explored his bad behaviour and the poor relationship he has with his father. He makes romantic advances towards Pierce's partner Chloe Brennan's (April Rose Pengilly) and crashes his car, which endangers Harlow Robinson (Jemma Donovan). Pierce and Chloe's engagement causes Hendrix to feel left out and Turland explained he just wants his father to himself, but he is also struggling with his feelings for Chloe, whom he later kisses. The embarrassment leads Hendrix to move out and try to flee town on the day of the wedding. Producers later introduced the character's mother Lisa Rowsthorn (Jane Allsop), which continued exploration of the Greyson family's backstory and sees Hendrix reach a turning point in which he goes from brat to adult.
Writers explored the chemistry between Hendrix and Harlow throughout early 2020. Both Turland and Donovan thought they made a good couple. Hendrix often played a supportive role to Harlow, as she dealt with various issues related to her mother. Their relationship is also tested by Harlow's grandfather Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), who dislikes Hendrix. The character was given his first major solo storyline in early 2021, as he becomes involved in gambling. As the story progresses, Hendrix gets into debt to local criminal Kane Jones (Barry Conrad) and he acquires a gun for protection. Writers used the plot to break up Hendrix and Harlow, which Turland admitted to being "quite upset" about. Hendrix then experiences a downward spiral. The character next love interest was Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone), with whom he had shared the show's first transgender kiss. The pair establish a romantic relationship after forming a close friendship, which Stone described as "a safe place". She found that Hendrix brought out a more playful side to her character. The relationship comes under strain when Hendrix befriends teenager Zara Selwyn (Freya Van Dyke), who later kisses him.
Turland decided to leave Neighbours to try new roles and pursue work overseas shortly before the serial was cancelled in early 2022. Producers decided to kill Hendrix off, which came as a shock to Turland until the story was explained to him and he realised that his character would come full circle with his family. Hendrix is diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis as a result of saving Mackenzie from a fire. The pair took centre stage in a special episode focussing on the storyline, which sees Hendrix spontaneously propose to Mackenzie. Shortly after the wedding, Hendrix undergoes a lung transplant, but his body rejects the new lungs and he dies surrounded by his loved ones. Turland made a brief appearance as Hendrix in the show's finale on 28 July 2022. Hendrix also appears in the first Neighbours spin-off Erinsborough High (2019). The character received an early negative reaction from fans due to his questionable actions and behaviour, particularly towards women. For his portrayal of Hendrix, Turland was nominated for Best Daytime Star at the 2022 Inside Soap Awards.
Casting On 1 September 2019, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported that Neighbours would be introducing Pierce Greyson's (Tim Robards) teenage son, Hendrix to the regular cast. Benny Turland was 20 when he was cast as a teenage Hendrix. Neighbours marks his first ongoing role, following a guest appearance on fellow Australian soap Home and Away. Turland sent in a self-tape, unaware that he was not what the producers were looking for. He explained "My manager didn't tell me this and had me put down a tape for the show." A week after sending in the tape, Turland was asked to audition and was flown to Melbourne from Sydney for a chemistry read with Robards and Jemma Donovan (Harlow Robinson). Around three days later, he was informed that he had the role. Turland stated that he had watched Neighbours since he was young and was finding it "surreal" appearing alongside the show's iconic actors. Turland made his first appearance as Hendrix on 13 September 2019.
Development Characterisation Hendrix is 17 years old upon his introduction. His character profile on the show's official website states that he is in possession of "an impressive ego and a chip on his shoulder to match." He is initially portrayed as entitled and disrespectful towards others. He has a "bad attitude" and a confidence that leads him to think he is a "ladies-man." Turland enjoyed playing Hendrix's bad side. When Matthew Myers of DNA called Hendrix "a rich spoiled brat", Turland replied "I mean, who doesn't love playing a brat and getting away with it? I have so much fun with the role because when you're a kid you want to play up, but you'll always get punished, and now I can do whatever I want!" Turland later explained that while he wanted to play Hendrix as "an annoying little rich kid", he also wanted him to be "lovable and also likable." Hendrix's behaviour is linked to the hurt caused by Pierce's absence in his life and his belief that Pierce chose his business over being there for his family. Hendrix craves his father's "love and attention". Turland admitted that his character entered the serial with "a massive bang", leading to a negative fan reaction. He thought it was understandable because of Hendrix's questionable actions and behaviour.
Turland stated that Hendrix would start to show some growth throughout the episodes and would begin to own up to his mistakes, which he said was "really nice and responsible of him." He pointed out the character's bad attitude towards women as an example of this, explaining that some of things he had done were "inappropriate", but he now knows that and begins to learn from his mistakes. Turland partly blamed the lack of "a father figure" in Hendrix's life while he was growing up as the cause of his behaviour, adding "Hendrix has been quite spoiled and he lashes out to get attention. In some ways that can be quite disrespectful to other people, but he's really growing, which I'm happy about." Turland said that his character would do "a complete one eighty" throughout 2020 and would start to grow up a bit. He drops the rich kid act and viewers begin to see more of his "kind hearted and vulnerable" sides. He later said that he and Hendrix shared very few similarities, but thought they were similar with their connections and emotions. He thought Hendrix usually reacts straight away and does not think his actions through, while Turland hoped that he was better at decision making.
Introduction and early storylines
Hendrix's introduction helped further exploration of Pierce's fictional backstory and established a new family unit in the show. Hendrix comes to Erinsborough to visit his father, having just been expelled from his boarding school. His arrival coincides with Pierce and Chloe Brennan's (April Rose Pengilly) reconciliation. Both Chloe and the show's viewers were unaware that Pierce had children. Pierce explains his history with Hendrix's mother and how he has had little involvement in Hendrix or his sister's upbringing, which leads him to struggle with his resentful son. Turland enjoyed working with Robards and found that they had a lot in common, which helped them build a good rapport with one another on-screen. Hendrix also makes a subtle romantic advance towards Chloe. A couple of weeks later, he openly flirts with Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone) at a party, which causes her to wonder whether she should tell him that she is transgender. Mackenzie briefly leaves the party to seek advice, and when she returns she "tentatively" opens up to Hendrix, whereupon he calls her "the hottest girl at the party" and kisses her. This marked the first transgender kiss on the show. Turland said that he was asked whether he would be okay with it beforehand and he replied that it was "a privilege and an honour!"
The character's early storylines often explored his rebellious side and the poor relationship he has with his father. One such storyline sees Hendrix crash a car and threatened with prison. It begins when Pierce promises Hendrix that he will inherit his business in the future in a bid to get him "on the straight and narrow". Hendrix is grateful that Pierce trusts him and he takes on board his father's advice, until he loses Pierce's attention to Chloe. Kilkelly reported that the moment makes Hendrix think that he will always come second in Pierce's life, so he steals his car and goes for a joyride. However, he soon loses control of the car and crashes into a marquee at Lassiters, trapping Harlow Robinson (Jemma Donovan) inside. Once she is freed, Pierce confronts his son and Hendrix "brushes off the crash with his usual bad boy nonchalance", causing Pierce to make a threat about reporting him to the police. Hendrix realises that he could go to prison, but Pierce soon tells everyone that he is responsible as he asked Hendrix to park his car. This leads to "a heartfelt apology" from Hendrix and a better relationship between father and son.
Hendrix reacts badly when Pierce and Chloe's get engaged and decide to move in together. Of his character's reaction, Turland told Kilkelly: "Pierce's proposal was pretty surprising to Hendrix, because he had no idea about it. It felt like he was in the dark and he feels left out, which is quite hard to deal with. Hendrix wants his dad to himself and he's also into Chloe. It'd be tough to be at a wedding where he wants both people for himself! Accepting that they're going to get married will be quite a big thing for him to get over." Hendrix also learns Chloe has Huntington's disease, which Turland said comes as "a huge shock" to him. Turland told Kilkelly that the news causes Hendrix to become embarrassed about his actions, and it forces him to "look at himself" and the way he has been approaching things. Turland thought it was a big step for the relationship between Hendrix and Chloe, saying "He grows up and realises you never know what's going on in people's lives, so you can't treat people the way he has been doing."