Zac MacGuire is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Charlie Clausen. The actor successfully auditioned for the role in 2012 and was told he had won the role on his birthday. Clausen began filming almost immediately and was initially contracted for three years. Clausen had to give up recording his podcast TOFOP at Seven Network's request, as it was deemed a conflict of interest. He made his first screen appearance on 22 January 2013.
Zac is portrayed as being honest, strong, non-judgmental and someone who lives his life to the fullest. Clausen said he and Zac shared some similarities, which he liked. Zac was introduced as Natalie Davison's (Catherine Mack) former boyfriend. As he was the local prison's education officer, Natalie asked Zac to watch out for new inmate Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes). This brought Zac and Natalie back together and they rekindled their relationship, which had ended when Zac was sent to prison in his twenties.
After he started teaching at the high school, Zac almost lost his job when student Holly Chapman (Sacha Vivian-Riding) developed an intense crush on him and then accused him of trying to start an inappropriate relationship with her. Clausen said the storyline was the most interesting that he had ever worked on. Exploration of the character's background began when his family were introduced in late 2013 and Zac briefly became romantically involved with his sister-in-law Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth). Zac later married Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) and learned that he had fathered a son. After the breakdown of his marriage, Zac departed the Bay on 25 May 2017.
Casting Actor Charlie Clausen successfully auditioned for the role of Zac in 2012 and started filming almost immediately. He was initially contracted with the show for three years. Clausen was forced to stop recording his comedy podcast TOFOP at the request of Seven Network, as it was a conflict of interest. A TV Week reporter noted that the role of Zac marked something of a return to acting for Clausen. The character and Clausen's casting was announced on 13 January 2013. Of joining the show, Clausen commented "I'm very excited to join the cast of Home and Away. I found out I got the role on my birthday and I couldn't think of a better gift. It's a fantastic opportunity for any actor and I've been made to feel really welcome by the cast, crew and production team. I'm looking forward to 2013 and beyond."
Development
Backstory and introduction In his fictional backstory, Zac was convicted and sent to prison for cultivating and selling marijuana in his twenties. Zac's stint in prison cost him his university girlfriend and "the love of his life" Natalie Davison (Catherine Mack). Mack commented that Zac and Natalie were really in love and thought they would be together forever, until Zac was convicted and they broke up. They had not seen each other since university, until Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes) was sent to prison, and Natalie contacted Zac, the prison's education officer, and asked him to look out for Casey. Casey was surprised to learn of Zac's connection to Natalie, but overlooked it when he received a beating from a fellow inmate. Younes said that Casey realises that having a friend on the inside was not a bad thing. Zac tried to help Casey out by placing him in the kitchen, but this brought him into contact with his bully Courtney Freeman (Joshua Brennan) and Casey ended up getting attacked for refusing to help deliver drugs. When Casey's brother and Natalie's ex-boyfriend Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke) learned about the beating, he confronted Zac demanding to know why he did not prevent it.
Characterisation Clausen said that Zac had "a lot of integrity" despite his past. He continued, "he's a really sort of stand-up guy but he's someone who's had a bit of a shady past and come through that so the benefit of that life experience is he's very non-judgemental, he feels like he can talk to anyone." Clausen also called Zac "a good guy" and said that his mistake ended up dictating every choice he had made since. A writer for the official Home and Away website described Zac as living his life "to the fullest" and loving "deeply and without hesitation." Clausen later branded Zac "an everyman" and thought he was good at providing a contrast to the Braxton family. Clausen also liked that his character was strong and enjoyed the friction between him and other characters. He added that Zac was similar to himself, which he liked and thought it was a challenge to play.
Love triangle Shortly after Zac's introduction, he became part of a love triangle with Natalie and Brax. Clausen joked, "the whole Brax, Nat thing, Zac is definitely coming in as that third point of a love triangle. It's my speciality to be honest; I've done quite a few shows where I get brought in as the third point of a love triangle." Following Natalie's decision to end her relationship with Brax, she and Zac shared a kiss. Mack explained that her character was ready to move on and she was curious about Zac, especially as her feelings for him had resurfaced. Mack thought Natalie was better suited to Zac, as she knew everything about him, while Brax was "the bad boy". When Natalie witnessed Brax taking his anger out on Zac, she realised that she wanted to make things work with Zac. Mack said "he's such a great guy, he's a really good human being and she wants to try it. She's still attracted to him." When Zac noticed that Natalie was still involved with Brax and his family, he accused her of "being fixated on her ex". Seeing how upset Natalie was after an argument with Brax, Zac confronted his rival and learned that Natalie was constantly interfering in his problems. Zac was convinced that Natalie was trying to keep Brax in her life, which made Natalie see that she needed to cut ties with the Braxtons. Mack left the show in June 2013 and Natalie departed Summer Bay to sort out "some unfinished business with her family".
Holly Chapman When Zac took a job at Summer Bay High, student Holly Chapman (Sacha Vivian-Riding) developed a crush on him, which almost cost him his job when he rejected her advances. Zac was initially "unfazed" by Holly's obvious flirting towards him and put it down to normal teenage girl behaviour. Clausen explained to Erin Miller of TV Week reporter that Zac thought it was harmless, while Holly believed herself to be more suited to Zac than boys her own age. As Zac was not secure in his new job, he did not want to be seen creating trouble and tried to handle the situation on his own. However, Holly became more forward in her advances towards him, forcing Zac to tell her that he was not interested and her actions were inappropriate. Clausen said "he blindly goes into this thinking he can handle it, but he underestimates the strength of where she is coming from. She is so committed to making this work, and this becomes a very tough situation for him." At first Holly was embarrassed, but her behaviour became more manic and Clausen called her "delusional". Clausen said the storyline was the most interesting that he had worked on because of the twists.
When Holly was confronted by Bianca Scott (Lisa Gormley) about a graphic essay she handed in to Zac, she admitted that she had feelings for Zac and he felt the same about her. Zac later found Holly in tears on the beach and tried to comfort her, but she took it to mean something more and tried to kiss him. Clausen called it "a real wake-up call" for Zac and he quickly backed off. Hurt at being rejected, Holly then told Bianca that Zac had tried to initiate an inappropriate relationship with her. Bianca then suspended Zac from his job and an investigation was started. The situation was made worse when the local newspaper printed a story about Holly's allegations. The storyline came to an end when Holly threatened to throw herself off a cliff, unless Zac declared his love for her. Clausen likened the situation to defusing a bomb, stating that Zac was aware that Holly was fragile and that he had to tread carefully. He was also under pressure to say the right thing, as one wrong move could have seen Holly jump. Clausen said, "Prior to this, Holly has shown she will go to extreme lengths to get his attention. He can't afford to treat it lightly." Clausen believed that Zac saying the words Holly wanted to hear would help in the short term, as it got her way from the cliff, but may have done "more harm than good" in the long term.
Introduction of family
In August 2013, further exploration of Zac's background began when his family were introduced. His sister-in-law Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth) came to Zac to ask for his help in rescuing their niece and nephew, Evelyn (Philippa Northeast) and Oscar (Jake Speer), from a cult that they have been inducted into by Zac's brother Ethan (Matt Minto). Howarth told TV Week's Jessica Grubb that Hannah and Zac had not seen each other in years, as Zac was estranged from his brother. Hannah had been helping to look after the twins following their mother's death. Zac initially thought Hannah was overreacting, but accompanied her on a visit to see his brother. Howarth observed that Zac did not see the cult for what it was straight away, as Ethan passed it off as a group enlightenment camp.
When Zac finally realised that Ethan was a member of a cult, he decided to team up with the Braxton brothers to help rescue Oscar and Evelyn. Zac knew that the lifestyle of the cult was not healthy for the twins and that they were not happy being there anymore. Nic Westaway, who plays Kyle Braxton, commented "Over the time they have known Zac, the Braxtons have learned to trust his judgement. If he says his brother is bad news, they are going to go with that and try and get the kids out." Zac and the Braxtons had to fight their way out of the camp, but managed to rescue the twins and brought them to Summer Bay. Ethan later followed them to the Bay and was killed during a bomb explosion at the local hospital. Following his funeral, his secret daughter, Denny (Jessica Grace Smith) arrived in town to get to know her family.
After a few months living with Hannah and the twins, Zac developed feelings for his sister-in-law and they tried to start a relationship. However, they decided to put it on hold for the sake of the twins. While Hannah was able to move on, Zac struggled to be around her and watch as she developed a romance with Andy Barrett (Tai Hara). Clausen said, "Zac never thought Hannah would be looking elsewhere for romance or that anyone else had come on the scene. It's a blow to his ego!" When Zac and Hannah stopped communicating, Zac looked through her phone and Hannah caught him. Clausen tried to defend his character's actions, saying that he did not mean to snoop, but Hannah had a right to be angry. While he was cooling off, Zac became depressed and regretful about what had happened, as he still had feelings for Hannah. After running into Bianca, Zac shared a "serious flirtation" with her and they ended up having a one-night stand.
Relationship with Leah Patterson-Baker