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Behind the scenes

Go an exclusive tour with the Packed to the Rafter's cast

Meet Ben Rafter

We chat to the cheeky Hugh Sheridan

The gorgeous Hugh Sheridan reveals why he's becoming more like Ben and what it's like to kiss Zoe Ventoura.

Is this your first big break into acting? Yes, I feel very lucky to be working on such a successful show.

Have you always been a natural performer? As a kid I used to love singing and running around getting dressed up and performing. Then when I was five my older sister Zoe enrolled me in acting school, that’s when I decided I wanted to be an actor.

When did you join the Packed to the Rafters crew? I auditioned for the role of Ben in my final year of NIDA and couldn’t believe it when I got picked to play Ben Rafter!

Were you intimidated working with more experienced actors? When I met Rebecca Gibney and Michael Canton I was in awe. I remember gushing because they were such huge stars – I had to stop myself from asking for their autographs.

Who are you closest too on set? I was at NIDA with Jessica Marais so we are really close. When we auditioned for Packed to the Rafters we had to play brother and sister, which was great because she is like my sister in real life so when we had to go back to playing lovers it was a bit awkward!

Why do you think people like Ben Rafter so much? He is a down-to-earth, Aussie bloke who makes mistakes like everyone else but at the end of the day he is genuine, good guy.

How are you similar to Ben? I love my family; I am the second youngest of seven children so I’m very close and protective of my brothers and sisters like Ben.

Do you find yourself behaving as Ben would? When you pretend to be someone else you can’t help but take on some of their traits. My family often says I’m becoming more like Ben, basically that I’m idiot!

Ben and Carbo have great banter on camera, are you jokers off camera as well? I love hanging out with George, we often rehearse our lines together over dinner at his family restaurant and end up in hysterics.

Where did the thumbs up joke come from? We were messing around one day, impersonating someone I can’t mention and George and I started doing it off camera. Then when we were filming a scene for the show the script writers said think of something funny to do so we did that. It’s caught on ever since.

Was the hold up in the club a difficult scene to act? I have never been in that situation before but I could associate with how it would feel, Ben felt less of man after that.

What was it like kissing Zoe Ventoura? Great! She is a hot chick. Zoe loves to get a pashing scene in. She jokes you get 50 points if you are paid to go to work and get to kiss someone!

Where do you see Ben and Mel’s relationship heading? Well we are filming series two and I am still waiting for another pash! They have great chemistry and a long journey ahead of them.

What type of girls do you go for? Anyone who’s down to earth with a good personality.

Blondes or brunettes? Both. Although I’ve had lots of brunettes trying it on recently – I think that’s because Melissa has brown hair and girls immediately think I'm Ben Rafter.

Are you seeing anyone? No, most of the cast are single at the moment.

You’ve been voted one of the hottest guys on TV, how are you dealing with all the female attention? It’s great but sometimes the attention is for the wrong reasons. The other night a group of woman had a go at me for cheating on Mel. I was like, “I’m not actually Ben Rafter! It’s a TV show.”

What other projects do you have in the pipeline? I’m really excited about being a Playschool presenter I have five nieces who love the show and I love kids so it will be a lot of fun.

The Logie awards are coming up, are you excited? It would be amazing to win a Logie; I have my fingers crossed for the whole show to win.

Who do you see as your toughest competition? Probably Matt Lee and Dean Geyer, they are extremely talented.

What would be your dream gig? To keep working as an actor.

Any plans to break into Hollywood? At the moment I'm happy filming Packed to the Rafters, it’s a great series. But obviously I would love to do films in the future.

Which actor do you most admire? Johnny Depp. He does a lot of character work and has done some incredible films.

Are you enjoying showbiz life? I try to keep away from showbiz parties, they are fun every now and then but I prefer to hang out with my mates.

What do you do in your free time? I don’t have much to relax but when I do I like to get outside and get on my bike or go to the beach – Sydney has some great beaches.

What has been your proudest moment? I’ve just been made ambassador for Port Adelaide FC alongside Damien Richardson from City Homicide. I am a huge fan of the club so it’s a real honour.