Joshua "Josh" Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Harley Bonner. The actor was cast in the role after being persuaded to attend the audition by his agent. He began filming his first scenes in early February 2013. Bonner's character and his family were created and introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units within the show. He made his first screen appearance during "Episode 6646", which was first broadcast on 20 May 2013. Bonner left Neighbours to pursue new acting opportunities, and Josh was killed off during the episode broadcast on 5 April 2016.
Josh is portrayed as being driven, "self-motivated", charismatic and having "a real fight in him". Bonner thought viewers would empathise with his character and relate to his "inner conflict." Josh gets on well with his parents and shares a love-hate relationship with his twin sister Imogen (Ariel Kaplan). Josh's storylines have often revolved around his swimming career and his on-off relationship with Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow). Josh's competitive swimming career later ended when he suffered a shoulder injury as a result of an abseiling accident. He also embarked on a casual relationship with his older neighbour Naomi Canning (Morgana O'Reilly) and was part of a storyline focusing on the consequences of a coward punch he inflicted on Chris Pappas (James Mason), which earned the TV Week Soap Extra Award for Most Topical Storyline of 2015.
Creation and casting On 7 February 2013, it was announced that the four-strong Willis family would be introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units. News of the Willis family's introduction came shortly after producers decided to also bring in the five-strong Turner family. Executive producer Richard Jasek commented "As viewers will find out shortly, the Turners are a family of secrets, and the unique backstory of the Willis family is just as compelling." The character of Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) was reintroduced to the show, along with his wife Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and teenage twins Imogen (Ariel Kaplan) and Joshua.
Actor Harley Bonner was cast as Imogen's twin brother Joshua. His casting was confirmed on 18 February. Bonner's mother, Carla, previously appeared in Neighbours as Stephanie Scully. Bonner explained that he received a call from his agent who told him about the role and asked him to audition for it. Bonner admitted to being hesitant about auditioning, as he was aware that it might look like he was following in his mother's footsteps, while he wanted to be seen as his own person. His agent convinced him to pursue the role and he was then shortlisted for the part. Bonner acted out a scene with the casting director, but did not think he had done a good enough job, until he was offered the role. Bonner said it had been a "smooth process", adding that he was "super excited" about being cast. He and the other actors began filming their first scenes two weeks after the family's casting announcement. Bonner made his first screen appearance as Josh on 20 May 2013.
Development
Characterisation Before his introduction, Bonner described Josh as being driven, having set goals and not liking things that get in his way. Bonner told Thomas Mitchell from TV Week that people who are "super driven" would relate to Josh. He explained that Josh has "a real fight in him" and he strives for what he believes in. Bonner added that while Josh does tend to have a one-track mind, he thought viewers would empathise with him and relate to his "inner conflict." A writer for the show's official website agreed with Bonner's assessment of the character, calling Josh "highly self-motivated" and "a natural born competitor". The writer pointed out that Josh inherited his charisma from his father and his drive from his mother. Bonner said Josh got on well with his parents and called the Willises "a great family unit". He added "We've clicked really well as actors as well as characters. It was funny when we first met, as the family dynamic of the Willises was quite similar to the way we were in person." Bonner stated that Josh and Imogen have "a sort of love-hate relationship". Josh loves his sister, but he does not like it when she tells him how to do things.
In May 2014, Josh was diagnosed with alcohol intolerance after collapsing during his 18th birthday party. Bonner said Josh was feeling excited ahead of the party, explaining "I guess it's a rite of passage for him, and he sees it as a chance to spread his wings." While Josh was playing around, he suddenly collapsed and his family assumed that he had drunk too much alcohol. However, after undergoing some tests, Josh was given his diagnosis. Bonner said Josh was disappointed, but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to take some inspiration from his grandfather, Doug (Terence Donovan), and focus on his future. The following year, Bonner admitted that he would probably be friends with Josh in real life. He pointed out that Josh had no friends within the show and he liked to support the underdog. Bonner said there would be some big drama coming up for Josh and he hoped he would make friends with someone he could have light hearted conversations with.
Swimming career Following his arrival, it was established that Josh was an elite swimmer training for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His father was his coach and Gamblin said Josh was "sort of" Brad's protégé. Bonner admitted that he had to overcome his fear of deep water to film Josh's training scenes in a real-life Olympic pool. Bonner explained that he did not like going underwater or getting his head wet, so he initially did not swim too far away from the side of the pool. Bonner eventually overcame his fears to become a confident swimmer. Hudson Walsh (Remy Hii) was later introduced to the show as a love interest for another character and a rival for Josh. Hii told Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that Hudson and Josh would clash, as they were both elite sportspeople trying to win the same medal. Hii continued, "However, I guess the difference with them is they know what each other is going through, which helps them understand each other." Hii did not think Hudson was as competitive as Josh, but believed he was more confident because he had a natural ability.
When Josh became frustrated with his father's coaching methods, he asked a rival coach, Don Cotter (John Adam), for advice. Don invited Josh to join his squad and Josh agreed, devastating Brad. A few weeks later, Josh learned that Don was forcing Hudson to take performance-enhancing drugs, while holding Josh back. Josh decided to sack Don as his coach and resumed training with Brad. In January 2014, Brad resigned as Josh's coach after becoming fed up of Josh's lack of focus. Josh allowed himself to be distracted when his public profile started to grow. Instead of spending his time training, he started focusing on fame. When Josh refused to take responsibility for his poor performance in the pool, Brad lost patience and fired his son a week before the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games began.
Relationship with Amber Turner
Following Josh's arrival, promotional pictures of him with Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow) were released. When asked if a romance would develop between the two characters, Bonner said "Hmmm, there's not a lot I can say now but there is a bit of a connection, but I'm not sure where it will go!" Amber immediately developed a crush on Josh, but he kept missing her "subtle attempts at flirtation". Amber resorted to following Josh to the local pool to watch him train, but he was too busy to notice her. Amber later told Josh that she had been watching him, but he did not seem to mind. When an embarrassed Amber asked then him out on a date, Josh had to turn her down as he had a meeting with the school principal. Amber jumped to the conclusion that she had messed things up and assumed Josh was not romantically interested in her.
Josh and Amber eventually grew close when she helped him with his homework and after sharing a kiss, they began dating. The couple later broke up and when Amber saw Josh chatting to another girl at a party, she decided to get even. After being introduced to Clay Blair (Charlie Terrier), Amber kissed him. At the same time, Josh was looking for Amber and Rosenow explained "Josh was trying to get away from the girl. When he finally does, he goes to find Amber." Josh eventually found Amber and witnessed the kiss, leaving him devastated. While Amber was unaware that Josh had seen her with Clay, Imogen did and found herself stuck in the middle of her best friend and brother. Rosenow commented that Imogen was all too aware that Josh did not have a good track record and she did not want Amber to get hurt. Amber later agreed to go on a date with Clay, leaving Josh convinced that they would not get back together.
After Amber admitted to having sex with her ex-boyfriend, she and Josh struggled to get things back to normal. They were then banned from seeing each other by their respective parents, who believed they were spending too much time together. Realising that they needed to fix their relationship, Amber and Josh began sneaking around. They were soon caught by neighbour Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) who told their parents. Susan also revealed that Josh was in danger of failing the school year, causing Josh to make "a strong stand for independence" by quitting school and making Amber and his training his priorities. Amber and Josh were divided by their different hopes for their relationship, especially when Josh thought they were ready to have sex. He was then surprised when Amber asked him to wait at least six months before they had sex. A Soap World columnist questioned whether a "lovestruck and sex-starved" Josh could stay celibate. While Bonner did not think Josh and Amber made a good couple, he believed they genuinely loved each other.
Josh broke up with Amber following an argument over her new job. Josh struggled to deal with the break up, but he was soon distracted when local journalist Ruby Knox (Maggie Naouri) came to interview him. Ruby made it clear that she was interested in Josh and they shared a kiss. Bonner explained that Josh was scared by Ruby's strong advances towards him, but he was flattered as she was older than him. The actor believed the kiss was nothing more than a rebound thing and that Josh did want anything more to happen. Bonner admitted that he thought there was a real connection between Josh and Ruby, but realised that she was just using his character to get a story. He said Ruby kissed Josh to get him close and Bonner branded her "a tactical journalist." Despite not being in a relationship at the time, Josh felt guilty about the kiss and chose not to tell Amber when they got back together. He assured Amber that she was the one for him and they finally consummated their relationship.
Abseiling accident