The actor Takaya Honda of Neighbours talked to Digital Spy about David Tanaka’s unexpected departure from the show.
In Thursday’s (February 1) show, David made his farewell appearance before passing away from the injuries he had received in his dramatic cliff fall with Eden Shaw.
Eden started a violent brawl that resulted in both guys falling down the side of an embankment during the horror holiday week on the programme. After the event, David asked that Eden be taken straight to the emergency room.
David’s twin brother Leo and spouse Aaron learned that he had tragically passed dead and had been lying about his injuries when they went back to the accident scene to assist him.
After the fall, David’s torso was wounded by a sharp item, causing him to bleed out, as Dr. Karl Kennedy later confirmed. Eden’s life was ultimately spared by David’s unselfish decision, which stands in stark contrast to the shocking 2022 plot in which he allowed Gareth Bateman to die at River Bend.
Regarding David’s departure, Takaya exclusively spoke with Digital Spy and said: “Neighbours basically asked me if I would be interested in returning when the show was announced as coming back.”
“I basically asked them, ‘What have you got?’ and told them, as I had been telling them for the previous eight years, that it would all rely on the tale.
“At the end of the last season in 2022, everything had to wrap up, and they’d wanted David and Aaron to have a nice ending to finish it off that way, so I wanted to come back and actually finish David off properly.”
“For David’s return, they pitched this storyline almost in its totality – at least in terms of what happens towards the death moment – and I loved it.”
“I was able to add my two cents,” he said. I pleaded with them to let me capture the finish when they informed me about David leaving a voice memo for Aaron to locate. They answered yes every step of the way, but it wasn’t included in the script or the timetable, so I had to beg the entire time.
“The director and I spoke extensively, and she seemed quite excited about it. We had ten minutes to shoot this thing, and she was fantastic. We performed four takes, and the final one was the best.
“I think it’s a beautiful send-off for the character and everyone around me, including Majella Davis (who plays Krista) and Hannah Monson (who plays Nicolette). It was a wonderful storyline that they’d come up with.” They do a fantastic job of carrying out that plot, not only to the very end but even after.
“A hero, David passes away. He actively participates in his own demise, and he makes a decision to save his brother because he values it more than his own life. Being a part of it was amazing, and I’m happy that I was able to bring the character to a satisfying conclusion in that way.”
Takaya continued by talking about the possible responses from fans to his last scenes, which were released right before David was preparing some significant preparations for his future with Aaron.
“I anticipate that everyone will be crying and declaring that they will never watch the show again because it made them feel too depressed,” he stated. But I have no doubt that they will continue to observe, and I hope that they do.
“Even so, the crowd doesn’t really like David right now; they refer to him as “whiny David.” So, who knows, maybe they’ll be applauding! However, based on what I’ve seen of the episodes, I believe that everyone will find it quite upsetting.
“This death is really unexpected. Full-on are the two episodes that preceded it. They’re intense compared to what Neighbours usually is, therefore I predict that everyone will be astounded and amazed by everyone’s performances as well as the plot.
“I believe that David’s death is probably a beneficial thing for my mental health since it draws a boundary. There were, in my opinion, only two possible outcomes for David leaving Aaron, Isla, and Nicolette: either he would have passed away or ended up in jail.
“I believe that returning to prison would have been a pointless outcome, so death was the best option. The show’s masterful construction of this plot and its flawless execution mean that, ideally, this will be remembered as one of the most significant deaths in Neighbours history—but for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.”
Takaya also mentioned that Aaron might ultimately meet another “Boo,” which was Aaron and David’s long-term nickname for one another.
“Well, he better not call him ‘Boo’ too, I feel like that would be too much,” he joked. But see, David wouldn’t want Aaron to be depressed for all time as a character. Though he is an excessively loving guy, I believe he would have expected David to remain “the one” until Aaron entered paradise.
“David loves Aaron too much to want Aaron to be alone and depressed for the rest of his life due to David’s passing. That message contains some information regarding David’s decision-making in this situation as well. He is very much in favour of Aaron moving on. Aaron should probably move on soon, but since it’s Neighbours, it might take a week or two.
“I’ve been filming the Australian Play School, and I had a film that premiered recently called The Gift That Gives, which was well received,” Takaya continued while talking about his upcoming projects. I play the lead in this romantic comedy that took home the best film award at the New York International Women’s Film Festival.
“It’s a lot of fun, so I don’t know if it’ll come to the UK at any point, but if it does, everyone should check it out.”
