When it was announced that Neighbours was coming back we were told that so many of our favourite characters would be returning. The first new character we heard about was back in April, when Hollywood actress Mischa Barton was revealed as joining the cast in a guest role.
Mischa was born in London but her family moved to the United States when she was 5. Shortly afterwards she started acting, making her Off-Broadway debut at just 8 years old. After a number of stage, television and film roles Mischa hit the big time as a main cast member of the hit show The OC, where she played the role of Marissa Cooper from 2003-2006. After leaving The OC Barton appeared mostly in independent films and made a number of television appearances, including the first season the reboot of The Hills. She was initially attached to Neighbours back in 2019 and was said to be lined up to play the role of Scarlett Brady, Ned Willis’ stalker. This role was eventually portrayed by Christie Whelan Browne.
When Mischa’s involvement in the show was first announced we were given very few details about her character, just that she was called Reece, a mysterious American who arrives in Erinsborough with a secret agenda.
We can now share more details on Reece and why she is in town:
Reece Sinclair is a steely-eyed businesswoman with a vulnerable heart, arriving in Erinsborough with intrigue and romance hot on her heels.
Born and raised in the United States, Reece is the high-achieving, workaholic member of a global powerhouse family. After spending all her life trying to garner love and approval, a fed-up Reece decided to stop focusing on work and have the first real holiday she’s had in years.
Shedding the corporate armour and letting her hair down, Reece soaks up everything sunny Erinsborough has to offer… Including tangling the sheets with one of the charming locals. Having learned the hard way that men who are interested in her are probably more interested in her bank account, Reece is wary about exposing her heart, but this steamy new fling may just thaw her cynicism.
Living incognito has unleashed something in Reece and she’s never felt freer. But it’s only a matter of time before her true identity and reason for being in town are revealed… And who knows where that might lead.”
From the trailer for the new episodes of the show we know a little more about Reece and her heavy involvement with Byron Stone (Xavier Molyneux), making out on a beach and also in a lift at Lassiters Hotel. We also see Paul Robinson being deeply suspicious of her and scenes in the trailer show him trying to find out the secrets of this woman who he doesn’t trust. It has also been revealed that Reece will make an impact from the very start of the show and her true identity will be revealed at the end of the first week of episodes, sending ripples through Erinsborough.
Neighbours returns to our screens on September 18th, in the UK episodes streaming on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video from 7am, Monday – Thursday.