It cost Luis and Lynda a lot to get together

Season 3 Episode 26 (TX: 16/12/1999)

Looking back, is there a favourite storyline you were involved in? The infamous Wembley shooting and the long-running love story between Luis and Lynda (Alison King) still ranks pretty highly with viewers of the show.

I loved playing Luis, particularly in the second series, so most of the storylines are favourites. One storyline that springs to mind is when Ian Coates announced to the press that Luis was crocked and put him on the bench in the game against Arsenal. Luis stormed out and went to some random bar where he got drunk and woke up in bed with the middle-aged barmaid. There were plenty of laughs on set when we were filming all of that. Of course the whole Luis/Lynda storyline was great too and Alison was my girlfriend at the time, which was convenient. I loved the whole Fletch/Sean/Luis rivalry/camaraderie as well. Terry Kiely and Daymon Britton were and are good friends of mine so it was always a laugh. Sometimes I honestly couldn’t believe that I was getting paid as well!

The chance to act as an international star striker must be a childhood dream come true for many a male actor. How were your own skills in sport? Were you ever a decent player yourself?

Having grown up in London I played a lot of football as a kid but I was more of a defender and nowhere near the standard of a lot of the guys on the show. My skills did improve over the time I was on Dream Team because we spent so much time filming training sessions and games. Terry Kiely was the most skillful of the actors on the show, and a lot of the background team members were professional players. I learnt a lot from them.

We heard there were a couple of times later after departing where you very nearly put in another appearance as Luis? I suppose he was a character that lingered with you for a time after you originally left?

Yes, twice I nearly came back, in 2002 and then again in the final series. For various reasons I couldn’t make it work with my commitments in Australia and so on and I was gutted. I’m probably not supposed to reveal this but Luis was going to come back to get Lynda in the final series and they were going to ride off into the sunset together. I really wanted to see that happen but the timing just wasn’t right. I will always have a soft spot for Lynda and Luis. I think they were both good people.

It must be pleasing - even after so many years - that you are still remembered as Luis, especially online? Do you still get recognised in public for that role in particular if/when you're over in England (or even anywhere else in the world)?

I don’t really get recognized anymore, although for a time it was amazing the number of places around the world that someone would suddenly call out “Hey Rodriguez!” Dream Team was the number one show in Ireland for a while and I went there for a weekend with Ali. Everywhere we went we got mobbed. It was kind of fun for a minute. Although it’s surprising how quickly it gets boring. Then I was back there a couple of years ago and I didn’t get recognized once.

Did you make any long-lasting friends during your time on the show, that you maybe still see today or in recent years?

We were a pretty tight-knit family so even though I’m living back in Australia I stay in touch with some of the guys, like Terry, Alison, Daymon and Phil Barrantini, to name a few. As well as Jane Hewland of course, and some of the awesome crewmembers.

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And they were driven apart in the end

Season 3 Episode 62 (TX: 18/05/2000)

As Anthony in Series 2 of Daylight Robbery (2000)