Love him, hate him
Hayden Bradley is the kind of guy people gravitate to. He's charming, cute, persuasive; people just want to be his friend. He's also going to be a total pain in the butt when the Rescue Special Ops team return for the new season tonight. Bradley has seen a hole in the market in selling traditionally government services back to the government - and that means rescues - so he's going to get in the team's way.
Who more appropriate to lay on the charm without the snake oil than Craig McLachlan, an experienced actor, theatre performer and musician. He has returned from England to spend the next year at home in Sydney playing Bradley with the cast of Rescue Special Ops.
From the first episode, McLachlan has already positioned Bradley as a character you're unsure of - whether he's someone you want to kiss or slap.
"That was exactly what I'm aiming for," McLachlan says. "He's a smart ass. Peter Phelps' opening line about him is perfect - wanker.
"Bradley started as a fireman and ended up being like Red Adair, capping oil fires in the Middle East and then starts a private rescue operation. You're not sure if he's just a really confident person or a real prick. It has been nice to present a character which keeps people guessing.
"There will be episodes where you figure he's OK and times when you don't think so. That's the fun of playing the character."
While McLachlan, 47, has snuck back home regularly to film episodes of shows such as City Homicide and Packed to the Rafters, he's relished the opportunity to sink his teeth into a regular, recurring screen character again.
The Gold Logie recipient has spent much of the past decade living in England and working mainly in theatre but has now turned his eye back towards film and television.
McLachlan is a Neighbours and Home & Away alumnus who followed Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan into music - remember Mona? - but found bigger success on the stage and screen landing leads in Chicago, the Rocky Horror Show and Grease, appearing in movies such as Catherine the Great, Superfire and Hating Alison Ashley and the TV shows Bugs and McLeod's Daughters.
Since he's been back in Australia, McLachlan has scored a few other screen jobs, so expect to see him pop up. In between he's also spending time in the studio writing music for film and television and working as a session multi-instrumentalist.
"There's nothing quite like stepping out on stage, which is full of adrenaline, but at the same time you can't but thrive on the pressure of getting the call sheet each day to find out what you're shooting," he says.
"As I spy the grey hairs, I'm reminded how much I love the process. In the studio I love the fact that I can be working on a scary movie and then be asked to do something really country, so I'll dig out the banjo."
As the Rescue series progresses, Bradley makes his presence felt and starts making decisions which profit his company, Lifeblood, potentially to the team's detriment. "That's when it's going to really get interesting," he says. "Plus, he sets his sights on Michelle (Libby Tanner) pretty early too."
McLachlan's interest in the show was piqued by seeing a billboard for season one and thinking that "their approach was really cool".
"That rarely happens to me," he says. "So I started to fantasise that if I could come back and work in an Aussie cop drama this would be the kind of thing I would love a crack at. Somehow it happened."
Rescue Special Ops airs today at 8.30pm on Nine and WIN.
