| Ben Astoni | |||||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Rohan Nichol | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2017–2020 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 20 June 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 14 July 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||||||
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Ben Astoni is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Rohan Nichol. The actor felt the offer of the role was good timing, as he was approaching his 40th birthday and feeling unconnected to anything. He previously appeared in the serial as Stafford McRae in 2004. Nichol relocated from Melbourne to Sydney to accommodate his filming commitments, and he began filming alongside his on-screen family in early 2017. Nichol expressed an interest in staying with the show for a long time. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 June 2017. Ben is introduced along with his wife Maggie Astoni (Kestie Morassi) and two daughters Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman) and Coco Astoni (Anna Cocquerel), making them the first nuclear family to be introduced to Home and Away in 17 years.
Ben is portrayed as a laidback, loyal, hotheaded family man. He is a carpenter and former professional surfer. Nichol thought Ben was the type of man he shares a beer with, and he felt he could relate to his "daggy" side. The Astoni family relocate to the town of Summer Bay for a fresh start, which Nichol could identify with following his own move. The introduction of the family was a return to parent-child storylines that had not been featured in recent years. The Astoni's closeness and loyalty have been tested numerous times, with issues ranging from Coco's eating disorder, Ben's temper, and the introduction of Maggie's overbearing mother Diana Walford (Sarah Chadwick) ahead of Ben and Maggie's vow renewal. The biggest test for the family was an issue-led storyline focusing on Maggie's battle with cancer. Nichol found the emotional scenes easy to play out due to his close friendship with Morassi.
Ben was central to a male depression storyline, which began airing from late 2019, that sought to raise awareness of the disorder and the impact it has on suffers and their loved ones. The storyline was filmed over six months, and Nichol admitted that he was left exhausted by the end of the plot. Ben's depression is triggered by an arrest for drug trafficking, and he is seen continuously rejecting help from Maggie and Ziggy. The character's estranged brother Marco Astoni (Tim Walter) was introduced during 2020, which helped further explore Ben's fictional backstory. Writers used Marco's arrival to test Ben and Maggie's marriage, as it emerges that they once had a one-night stand. The revelation raises questions about Ziggy's paternity and leads to the couple separating. During this time, producers explored a potential romance between Ben and Gemma Parata (Bree Peters). After airing a reconciliation between Ben and Maggie, both characters departed Home and Away on 14 July 2020. The character has been called "one of the town's favourite residents" by a writer for New Idea,[1] but The West Australian' Stephanie McKenna was critical of his persona saying he "displays no emotion" and "rarely expresses an opinion".[2]