How did this return come about?

Paul Leyden: I saw Chris Goutman at the St. Jude benefit (in October 2003). He mentioned this storyline, and it looked like it could be a good story. And the timing seemed right. It seemed like the right thing to do.

What have you been up to since we last saw you?

Paul Leyden: I ended up shooting a short film, for the Australian Film Festival. Artie [Colombino, Terri's husband] helped me shoot it. The cast was Artie's dad, and his Uncle Frank, this eighty-year old Italian-American guy, who was just awesome. It was kind of like four Soprano type guys sitting around a poker table. It was all set up around the table. It looked great. It was really fun. These guys were awesome. They had such great chemistry between the four of them. Artie's dad and Uncle Frank have played music all their lives together. They've got this band... you just run the camera, you don't have to write anything! I didn't write any dialogue. I kept the camera on them and let them sort of talk their way through the scene. It's great.

How I got into acting was through writing. I directed and wrote a lot of stuff in Australia. That's what I really want to do. Acting just pays the bills. I really just want to write and direct. I'm actually writing this romantic comedy at the moment, which isn't very romantic and not very funny! It's an anti-romantic comedy. You think it's a romantic comedy and then it sort of turns it all on its head. That's what I write about; stuff that takes the kind of genre you're used to and just completely twists it. I've got two full-length screenplays done at the moment.

Would you consider writing a soap opera?

Paul Leyden: I would love to write a soap opera. I guess the thing with soap operas, they get to a point where everything's been done, they revamp storylines. There are plenty of ideas that haven't been done. You just have to think outside the box a little bit. What about leaving people single for a bit, and exploring friendships, even? It's all about relationships. Purely my take. This show's been on a lot longer than I've been alive, so there's a lot of institution.

What was it like coming back?

Paul Leyden: The first day, I felt a little like it was my first day. All I had to do was act with a rabbit. It wasn't so bad. My first day back, I acted with a bunny! It was like Easter. They're easing me back. It was all downhill from there, because I worked with the best actor on the show! [Laughs] Then I had to work with Terri. It was awful! They spoiled me with the bunny. Snickers is so good, but very temperamental. A bit of a diva. But everyone is still the same. I've worked with Mark [Collier; Mike] and Terri [Colombino; Katie].

So, how does Simon feel, coming back and seeing Katie all chummy with Mike?

Paul Leyden: He's not too happy about it. I guess he understands it. He knows that he had to do what he did so Katie would be out of danger. Deep down, he understands that she's moved on, but he doesn't want to accept it. Because he's come back to see her, to be with her. And to have an obstacle of her falling in love with someone else is obviously a little bit difficult to accept.

What can we expect from Simon this time around?

Paul Leyden: It's different. This time, the characters are a bit different, because they're not in a situation where he has a lot of humor. A lot of the previous Katie/Simon scenes, why the fans loved them together was because they had such a playful way about them. This time, it's a bit more intense, because he's come back into town for one reason: to get Katie, to be with her, to leave with her. So he's a bit more intense and passionate. He's on a time limit. He has to get in and get the hell out. So there's no time to stop and smell the roses.

Have things been left open-ended for the character to keep coming back?

Paul Leyden: As long as the show is happy to keep it open-ended, then I'm happy for them to keep it open-ended. Because you never know what can happen down the line. And if it seems like the right thing to do and the timing was right and they wanted me back, and I wanted to come back, it could all work out. If they want to keep it open-ended, that's fantastic. If you close your mind off to the possibility of it, then you're being a bit of a d***. If you leave your mind open to the fact that they're doing a good thing by you by leaving the story open, then I've got to do the same thing, show them the same respect that they've shown me, by saying absolutely, if it all works out and it's right for me to come back, then yeah.

The guy's got a lot of staying power.

Paul Leyden: He's got nine lives. I think he's down to two!

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