# UK Soap and Drama Discussion > Home & Away > Spoilers >  Jordan Rodrigues joins Home And Away

## Abigail

Jordan Rodrigues joins Home And Away as Jai, a troubled teen who tragically lost his entire family while holidaying in Phuket.

"Jai's brought into the show through Miles, they both because of the Boxing Day tsumani. Both families died there, so they have a connection which made Miles bring Jai to the Bay".

Once he makes the move into town, Jai is sent to school but he doesn't find it easy to settle in.

"Jai is angry at the world after Miles ditched him in Phuket". " Miles is now trying to help Jai because he was going through a tough time living in a refuge. But Jai is from the city and doesn't really fit into the surfy town".


Confirmed in TV WEEK, Jai first appearence on air is the week beginning Monday 19th May.

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## Abbie

Oooo this sounds very interesting

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## Abigail

How is his name pronounced? The character's I mean.

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## Abbie

Lol I have no idea, I dont really know how I say it in my head  :Lol:

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## CrazyLea

I said it as Jay lol.

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## Abbie

> I said it as Jay lol.


Yeah Im starting to think that, but with and I, how do you pronounce the 'i' ?  :Ponder:

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## Katy

i assumed it was Jay, this sounds interesting Its nice knowing more background to Miles.

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## Jessie Wallace

It could be Jay or Ji, only time will tell  :Stick Out Tongue:

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## senorita

I think its pronounced the same as the letter J so jay. - This is how our work colleagues name is pronounced.

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## Jessie Wallace

Well confirmed today, in the Oz episode as Ji

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CrazyLea (16-05-2008)

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## Abigail

*Jaiâs a tortured soul, masked by a wall of emotional apathy. He's a far cry from Summer Bayâs traditional surfer look, he has his own style and he's happy to be a loner.

Jordan Rodrigues moves to the Bay as Jai Fernandez to reconnect with Miles after the Boxing Day tsunami. He lost his family and now struggles to accept new people in his life, here is what Jordan has to say about himself and his character.*


*Can you tell me a bit about your background?*
I am just a normal kid. I went to Knox Grammer but I left school because I got the job at Home and Away, so Iâm going to start home schooling next term.


*Any acting experience before Home and Away?*
I performed in the musical The Lion King, I was Simba. That was pretty much my first professional acting experience. I loved it and wanted to do more so I joined an agency. They got me a lot of extra work and some commercials.

My interest in acting came from the Lion King, the sensation of performing. The Lion King was advertised in the newspaper so I just turned up and auditioned for it, so it was a good break. It went for about three years. It got a little tiring after a while, but you still learnt something new everyday. I would perform about twice a week because there were four other Simbas.


*Where are you from?
*I was born in Sydney but my parents are both Malaysian. They never bought me up speaking Manderin which now I sort of regret, Iâd really like to learn two languages.

The character Jai is sort of like me. Iâve been living in Australia but my parents are Malaysian. Jai was bought up in Australia but went on holiday with his family to Phuket and got caught up in the Boxing Day Tsunami.


*Does anyone in your family come from a performing background?*
No, not really. My Dad plays guitar for fun, and my brother and sister play instruments too, but they only do it for fun too. Maybe Iâve got a long lost cousin somewhere who is a bit of a performing at heart. But really, itâs only me.


*How did you get the role with Home and Away?*
Through my agent. The first audition was good and then I was picked to go along to the second one. Cameron Welsh was there, and Josh and Charlotte as well.

I was really excited when I got the part. I was getting help for the audition from a friend of mine. She said I really had a good chance of getting this character because heâs so much like me in so many ways. Cameron just made me feel really comfortable and good about myself in the audition.


*Your character, heâs a bit aloof and wonât join in? Can you relate to Jai at all?*
Everyone feels alone at some stage of their life and they think no one can help them with their problems, when really there are people who can help. Yes, past experiences have helped me portray Jai.

After Jaiâs family died in the Tsunami he feels there is no one out there that can really help him, but then Milesâ family also dies in the Tsunami so they are going through the same thing together. But Miles breaks down at the same time as he is helping Jai. So he kind of ditched me and I took that the wrong way pretty much and felt that the world is a cruel place and that no one will ever understand me. So my character has cut down on socialisation and doesnât really want to get to know anyone in the Bay, for trust reasons. He doesnât want to get hurt again.


*How is it working with Josh?*
Josh is such a great actor and heâs helped me with this experience. Itâs completely different to what I started out doing and heâs just really helped me with presence, all sorts of things. In real life heâs pretty much a mentor for me. Itâs a fantastic opportunity for me.


*Have you made friends with anyone else in Home and Away?*
Yeah pretty much the whole cast, they are so friendly, and cool and relaxed. They are really good at what they do. Iâd like to get to know them a bit more.


*What can we see happen with Jai the character in the Bay, does he form any close friendships with anyone?*
There are a few dramas surrounding him, but Miles is out to prove that he can build his life up again, and that people arenât so bad. He is going to teach Jai to trust again.

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## Abbie

> Well confirmed today, in the Oz episode as Ji


Im still a little confused  :Embarrassment: , how do you pronounce that?

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## CrazyLea

J-eye.. ..................

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Abbie (16-05-2008)

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## Abbie

> J-eye.. ..................


Thanks, Im still ot sure if Im saying it right, so I'll have to wait till he appears on screen  :Stick Out Tongue:

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## Abigail

10mins 14sec

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDTWarjktAw"]YouTube - Home &amp; Away 4639[/ame]

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