‘I’ve never laughed harder.’
For Tai Hara, working on Australian comedy Colin From Accounts has been a stand-out job for him – purely for the laughs.
“I’ve got to tell you, as soon as ‘cut’ was called on set, most days it was just tears and laughter,” Tai, 34, tells TV WEEK.
“I think Harry [Harriet Dyer] and Pat [Patrick Brammall] have done such a beautiful job writing such a funny, quirky and heartfelt show.”
When Tai first read the script for season one back in 2021, he says he “completely fell in love with it”. Then, as the show progressed from table reads to actually shooting, his love for the show only intensified, even more so as a viewer.
“To be able to sit back and watch it was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of it,” Tai notes.
“[My wife] Fely [Irvine] and I binged [season one] once it came out, and I think I laughed even more. It was such a delight to see the show be as good as it is.”
Returning for season two as James, the toxic ex of Harriet’s character, Ashley, the actor says there was “such a buzz around set” given how well-received the first season had been.
“I think everyone just feels so fortunate to be able to do what we love,” he adds. “But when you have such a beautiful [work] family, all you want to do is come back and work with everyone that little bit more. So to have that opportunity to go again was just such a treat.”
Noting how inspired he is by the series’ creators, Harriet and Patrick, Tai reveals he too is developing his own work.
“I have a writing partner who I work with and we have quite a few different ideas in development – some further along than others,” he says, adding that they’ve been focusing on one genre in particular: “Comedy excites me and that’s what I want to keep doing for as long as I possibly can.”
Tai admits that while it’s a “huge undertaking” working as an actor, developing his own projects and being a father to daughter Chi, three, and one-year-old son Soleil, he credits his wife of seven years, former Hi-5 member Fely, for helping him through.
“It’s been the most beautiful, fulfilling, rewarding thing, to be honest,” he shares. “I think Fely and I are really fortunate that we are both artists. We’re both creative and so we get each other’s world, but we’re also wildly supportive of each other.
“And I think, if anything, it just enriches the kids’ lives – the people that they’re surrounded by all the time, the places we get to go. I just feel incredibly grateful for the life that we’re able to give them.”
On top of his already stacked schedule, Tai says he still has dreams of pursuing acting in Hollywood – he’d love to score a role in Emmy-winning HBO drama White Lotus – but also hasn’t ruled out a return to the show that started it all: Home And Away.
“I’d never say never,” he says. “I’ll always have such fond memories of my time on the show. It was such a dream.
“While I was on the show, I always used to take that in. I’d just sink my feet into the sand, close my eyes and pinch myself because it really is such an amazing job.
“It’s launched so many careers, it’s so iconic. And the cast family that you have is forever. It truly is something that just continues on.”
Stream Colin From Accounts on BINGE from $10/mth, with a 7-day free trial.