Is it just me or does anyone else feel that young actors just use Home and Away as a stepping stone just to further their careers and get into Hollywood?

The reason why I think this is because they don't seem to be loyal to the show because they arrive and then leave 2 or 3 years later to try bigger things. But the likes of Alf, Leah and Irene have stuck to the show and have been around for years and without them the show would have a completely different cast of characters every few years.

I think Brax, John and Gina will be around for a long time but yeah I agree most of the young Home and Away actors couldn't give a damn about it and leave when they think their career is ready to take off.

Atleast in the UK soap actors young and old stick around for years.

Or could it be that the show has 'let go' of the teen at the end of their first contract and they have to go looking for work elsewhere ?

Various other things can interrupt/terminate a teen actors stay on a soap.

A desire to get an education.
A scandal.
They realise they don't like being in a soap.

If I recall correctly H&A's co creator Bevan Lee told backtothebay.net a few years back that in in the first 15 years or so there were only 5 or 6 actors who left when the show really wanted them to stay- and 2 of them would have been Norman Coburn (Fisher) and Debra Lawrance (Pippa).

The teen characters have a clear lifespan that the show has pretty much always stuck to.

Its undeniable that a few actors on the show seem to do well in the US career wise but I've never really seen any of the teens last for a very long time, a long term character is a rarity theses days.

Quite a few do go on to better things in Hollywood, and with ost of the cast hired when they are teens they are clearly at the age where they want to try new things and a regular age and settling down aren't really a huge priorty. Of the current cast most of the newer characters (ie thse who have only been there 3 years or so) are under 25, so can't see many of them wanting to stay. Its the same with neighbours, only Kate has hung about and Toadie is the last teen I can think of that made it through to adulthood. Bianca and Brax might stay long term but the rest I can't see hanging around

And of course you also have the issue of Channel 7 trying to make stars out of the Home and Away cast e.g. any presenting gigs that are going almost always go to a Home and Away actor eg. Angelo dooes the X Factor and Hugo does Beauty and the Beast. Leah did Please Marry my boy (yes it is as bad as it sounds), Liam does the World's strictest parents.Often this gives them the option to leave

I am sure the younger actors often do treat H&A as a stepping stone to Hollywood, but why not? Being in a soap isn't that glamorous and they are sharing the limelight across a big cast. Also, I imagine H&A isn't paying the novices top pay rates.

As others have said H&A generally sees the teens as having a clear end date and writes them out when that is reached.

The producers of the show, I am sure, are thrilled when a youngster leaves and continues to gain high profile roles elsewhere.

It's exactly this. Australian and New Zealand soaps don't pay much at all, so if they can go onto bigger and better things then why the hell not.

I think H&A producers are very well aware of that, and use it to attract new talent as well.
I think it's pretty normal for any actor to try an move on to new roles and new things. For young actor's resume 19 years playing the same character does not look so good, either. You have to be able to show different roles, different characters, not just one teen character on a soap.

I should think that you could add Bobby and Ailsa to the list of people that they didn't want to leave as well? I would have said Pippa's first husband, Tom too but I think I read that he was axed, which surprised me. Was Pippa's second husband, Michael axed too?

The teen that I can recall staying well into adulthood is Kate Ritchie (Sally).

Unless you are Alf Stewart. He makes half a million a year.

For many actors it's not only about money. Many want to get better at the craft, get more experience, more challenge. Also, these days it is hard to build an iconic character like Alf Steward, and trying it would be a risk on its own.

I think there's more opportunity for young Aussie actors to make it in Hollywood which is why both Neighbours and Home and Away have such a large cast turnover. I think Steve Peacocke who plays Brax said that his ultimate goal is to make it into the US, so I don't think he'll stick around for longer than a year or two.

What annoys me about the Aussie soaps, especially Home and Away rather than Neighbours, is that they spend years revolving the whole shows around teens and younger characters, to the detriment of the older more established cast, only for these actors to leave in a year or two. Anyone remember Martyr from H&A and Bridget from Neighbours?