Christopher Eugene "Chris" Harrington is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Johnny Ruffo. The character made his first screen appearance on 1 April 2013. He was introduced as the brother of Spencer Harrington (Andrew Morley). Ruffo is a well-known professional singer and had previously auditioned for two other roles in the show. He was initially a guest character, but Ruffo was later promoted to the regular cast. With some personality traits resembling his own, Ruffo believed the character was especially written for him. Chris is characterised as a "cheeky" traveler who comes from a wealthy family. He is not academically gifted and prefers to spend his time trying to impress the show's female characters. Ruffo requested that writers make his character "more in-depth" so he could show his emotional range. Producers also introduced a comedic pairing with long-running character Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger).
His first relationship storyline revolves around Indi Walker (Samara Weaving) and they face relationship problems because of her ex-partner's terminal illness and the arrival of Chris' ex-girlfriend Robyn Sullivan (Alexandra Park). He later goes onto share a romance with Denny Miller (Jessica Grace Smith), which writers developed into a "love-triangle" plot and resulted in Denny choosing to be with Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes). Another romantic entanglement was devised for the character when he was coupled with Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth). Other storylines include Chris' need to look after his brother Spencer. Despite Chris' attempts to help, Spencer causes a rift between them. The show also highlighted the dangers of eating wild mushrooms which resulted in Chris accidentally poisoning two fellow characters. In 2014, Ruffo's contribution to the show was recognised with a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent nomination. On 27 April 2016, it was announced Ruffo was to leave Home and Away and Chris made his final appearance on 22 September 2016.
Casting
The character and Ruffo's casting was announced on 19 October 2012. Ruffo told Christine Sams of The Sydney Morning Herald that he had asked his agent to check out what roles were available, when the Home and Away part came up. Ruffo had already auditioned for two separate characters but was unsuccessful. After his first audition for Chris, he received a callback for a second audition. Ruffo called himself "very fortunate" after learning he had won the role because quite a few people also tried out for it. Home and Away marks Ruffo's acting debut and he relocated from Perth to Sydney for filming. He was initially contracted to appear in about sixteen episodes and he began shooting his first scenes in September. Ruffo's contract was later extended. Of his casting, Ruffo stated "I'm thrilled to be joining Home and Away. The cast and crew have made me feel so welcome and can't wait for everyone to meet my character Chris next year." The character's first episode was broadcast 1 April 2013. While contracted to home and Away, Ruffo continued to work on his music career and remained signed to a major record label.
Development
Characterisation and introduction
Chris is Spencer Harrington's (Andrew Morley) older brother. He comes to Summer Bay to visit Spencer and convince him to return home and sort things out with his family. He also causes trouble and disrupts Spencer's relationship with Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi). Ruffo thought that the scriptwriters had written the character just for him and he described Chris as being "fun and cheeky, he's a bit of a ladies' man and a little bit cheesy like me. He's a traveller who has been around, much like myself." The actor also called him "a lover, not a fighter" and added that he likes to stir the pot. Sams wrote that Chris would become the "focal point" of a romantic storyline and some family dramas.
Chris is from a rich family and enjoys the perks that it brings. He does not like responsibility and is not characterised as being intelligent. Following his brother's birth, he was happy that his parents focused all their attention on Spencer being the successful sibling. Chris prefers trying to impress females, of this Ruffo said "he's a fun guy, he likes the ladies and he's confident." As Chris was initially a guest character his he was a "pretty straightforward, open character". Writers expanded the role when Ruffo became a more prominent cast member. Chris' personality was made "more in-depth" following a request made by Ruffo, at the time he stated, "I wanted to show a lot more emotion. That challenges me."
