Zachary Smith is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who has been portrayed by Mike Edward in multiple guest stints since mid 1995. The character returned in a more central role for the shows 20th anniversary in 2012.
Zac appeared in numerous stints throughout the show's first 20 years, initially debuting in May 1995 as a short term love interest for Grace Kwan (Lynette Forday). He was later involved in a high-profile revelation that he was the half brother of established character, James Thornton (Chris Dykzeul). Zac returned 6 years later as part of Rachel McKenna's (Angela Bloomfield) alcoholism storyline before his return in 2012 saw him take on a more antagonistic role. His storylines saw him have a heated affair despite being in a relationship and later, sexually assault Roimata Samuels (Shavaughn Ruakere) in a personal attack on her husband.
Zac has been labelled a "hottie" and his generally remembered for his good looks. His later storylines saw Zac branded as one of the best Shortland Street villains of all time, being praised by reviewers and stars of the soap itself.
Creation and casting
Mike Edward was just 21 when he cast in the role of Zac in 1995. Part of the role in which producers intended Shortland Street to participate in, was to accurately portray and convey real life community and everyday occurrences. The character of Zac was written as a builder so as to embody the role of the working class man. Edward maintained the role until mid 1996. Edward returned to the role on 23 November 2002 in a month-long recurring stint. Edward auditioned numerous times throughout the next few years but was constantly rejected due to producer's suspecting the audience would recognize him as Zac. In 2011 the role of "Jack" was created, a love interest for Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing) who would cheat on her in a high-profile love triangle. The character and storyline was decided to unfold over 6 months in a bid for slower paced story arcs. Producers soon realized they could fill the characters spot with that of Zac and Edward was hired.
In January 2012 it was announced that a previous character would be returning and "will get the hearts of many a Shortland Street pounding." In February it was confirmed that it was Zac who was returning. The character returned on 1 February 2012. Edward was happy that producers decided to reintroduce Zac instead of bringing in a new character, stating "He [Zac] keeps coming back which is kind of genius." Following the conclusion of the character's arc and the 6 months, producers decided to extend Edward's contract and have Zac undergo a storyline where he sexually assaulted Roimata Samuels (Shavaughn Ruakere). Edward enjoyed the challenge but acknowledged, "it's going to be the end because it's so irredeemable." Chris Tempest (who portrayed Dr. Josh Gallagher) stood in as Zac during the sexual assault scene to leave the assailant ambiguous. Zac made his last appearance on 6 February 2013 and Edward had no quarrels with leaving the role, "I'm happy to move on. The last few times Zac has left the show, his parting lines have been, 'I'm just going to sit on the beach and get my head together', so at least now it's done." Edward was not opposed to a return, but acknowledged it was up to the producers.
Storylines
Zac arrived as a builder on Lionel (John Leigh) and Kirsty's (Angela Dotchin) new house after being recommended by Julia (Elizabeth Hawthorne). Zac became the talk of the town due to his good looks and ended up leaving Ferndale after briefly dating Grace Kwan (Lynette Forday). Zac returned several months later and with the help of Julia's son James (Chris Dykzeul), managed to track down his father, Phillip, on the internet. However it soon turned out that James was the result of an affair between Julia and Phillip, thus making him Zac's half brother. When Julia's husband died, Zac slowly was welcomed into the Thornton family. In 1996 Zac dated Ana Fa'asolo (Mary Lose) but she soon realized that Zac had developed a mutual attraction to Julia. Zac was disgusted when he discovered this attraction and he fled Ferndale to rid himself of these feelings. He returned 6 years later and impressed many with his flashy apartment and his job at an upper class bar, none more so than Rachel McKenna (Angela Bloomfield). With her relationship on the rocks, a small spark between Rachel and Zac brewed potential romance but when her alcoholism lead her to nearly drown in his pool, Zac harshly dumped her and fled Ferndale.