Brody Morgan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Jackson Heywood. The actor had previously appeared in the show as Lachie Cladwell in 2009. During the audition process, Heywood was paired up with several different actors until the producers found the right combination for the Morgan family. Heywood began filming his first scenes in December 2015. He made his first appearance as Brody during the episode broadcast on 7 June 2016.
Brody was introduced to the show along with his three siblings; Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee), Justin Morgan (James Stewart) and Mason Morgan (Orpheus Pledger). The family received immediate comparisons to the show's popular Braxton brothers. Brody is a passionate and ambitious chef. He is also portrayed as being loyal, smart, and occasionally pessimistic. For the first few weeks after their arrival, Brody and his siblings concealed the fact that they were in witness protection. They were later held hostage by their parents' killer and involved in a plane crash, which left Brody badly injured. Brody was originally created to be a gay character but the storyline was blocked by Seven Network. Jeannie Woods (Anna Bamford) was introduced as a love interest for Brody in late 2016.
The character became the focus of the show's first storyline about ice addiction, which was a prevalent issue in Australia at the time. Series producer Lucy Addario implemented the storyline, as she felt the show could no longer ignore it. Heywood carried out extensive research, so his portrayal of Brody would be as accurate as possible. Brody uses ice to help him cope with the pressures of running a restaurant. He soon gets into debt with his dealer, leading to major consequences for himself and his family. While recovering from his addiction, Brody begins a relationship with Bay newcomer Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman), whom he later marries. The marriage ends when Brody begins an affair with Simone Bedford (Emily Eskell). The storyline led to the character's exit on 10 June 2019.
Casting
On 5 December 2015, Jonathon Moran from The Daily Telegraph reported actors Jackson Heywood, James Stewart and Orpheus Pledger had joined the cast of Home and Away as brothers Brody, Justin and Mason Morgan respectively. All three began filming their first scenes during the following week, ahead of their on-screen debut in 2016. During the audition process for the Morgans, Heywood was paired with several actors until the producers found the right combination. He formed an immediate connection with Stewart, Pledger and Penny McNamee, who plays their sister Tori Morgan, and commented "It was really nice to see the ones I had the most connection with were the ones that were given the job."
Heywood had previously appeared in Home and Away as recurring character Lachie Cladwell in 2009. He explained that his first appearance in the show was "overwhelming", as it was his first professional acting job, but rejoining the cast alongside three other actors, meant that there was less pressure on him the second time around. The family drew immediate comparisons to the show's Braxton brothers, who were introduced to the show in 2011, which Heywood expected. He stated, "I can definitely see that, but I think we have a very different dynamic. It will be exciting to tell the story and as it will be revealed, it will be a very different story." Brody made his first appearance on 7 June 2016, alongside Justin and Mason.
Development
Characterisation and introduction
Brody was originally created as the show's first regular gay male character. In 2022, the show's former script executive, Dan Bennett revealed that the storyline was blocked by Seven Network. Bennett also revealed that another character was supposed to be gay but they were forced to rewrite the scripts. He stated "one of the series regulars during my latest stint was designed to be gay, another to be larger set in frame... both were rebuked by the network."