Shortland Street’s Jack Hannah might have navigated tumultuous relationships as a gay man, but for the actor who played him, Reuben Milner, the past three years have seen his life follow a different script.
After leaving the hit soap, the 30-year-old moved back to Whangārei, fell in love and is now preparing to welcome his first baby in March with partner Rhiana Bates.
When Woman’s Day catches up with the couple, they’re just weeks out from an eagerly anticipated gender-reveal scan and are busily preparing for their new arrival.
“I’m a boy’s boy, so I’m always going to want a boy,” smiles Reuben. “But as long as it’s a healthy baby, I’m going to be over the moon.”
After discovering they were expecting in July, primary school teacher Rhiana, 27, has moved in with her parents while Reuben finishes renovating a small dwelling
on his mum’s property, where they will live with the baby and his beloved dog Melo.
Their love story
The two first met when Reuben moved north after Shorty to take up a job delivering early-intervention mental health programmes in schools. First bumping into each other at the gym where Rhiana worked, 18 months later, their paths crossed again at a school where Reuben was mentoring youth and she was a trainee teacher.
“We were talking online, then started hanging out together and one thing led to another,” recalls Reuben.
“We clicked,” adds Rhiana. “We had the same values and cultures, and we just felt comfortable with each other.”
Both are delighted to be raising their tamariki in the town they love. While Reuben was born in Auckland, he moved to Whangārei – where both his parents are from – at the age of 10.
How it all started
It was at Whangaārei Boys’ High School that his love of acting began, although he says he’d long had a passion for performance.
“My mum always called me a drama queen! When I was about six, she got me a duvet cover that said ‘drama queen’ on it.”
Taken under the wing of his “amazing” drama teacher – and studying alongside his classmate and distant cousin Louis Davis, now New Zealand’s top influencer – Reuben was encouraged to take part in workshops and school holiday programmes, which eventually led to him auditioning for Shorty.
Lessons learnt from playing a gay character
Originally arriving on set in a guest role, the self-described “gentle giant” quickly became a core cast member before the decision was made to bring Jack out as gay.
“At the time, I was about 18, so I was a bit against the idea, but I said yes because I really loved doing that job and wanted to continue being an actor,” says Reuben, adding that late Shorty actor Pua Magasiva helped him realise what a gift his character was.
“Pua was a big role model for me. He used to say, ‘Bro, who cares? I’ve done so many auditions where I’ve had to kiss boys and stuff.’ Because he was such a well-known person and I was so young, I took that to heart and eventually I just didn’t care what anyone thought.”
Over time, Reuben came to appreciate the perspective his Shorty role gave him.
“I’m a connection person who avoids conflict, but some of the stuff Jack went through opened my eyes.”
Theo Dāvid.
What’s next
Being an actor has also prepared Reuben for his new career as a real estate agent with Bayleys Whangārei. He says being a familiar face helps.
“I still get recognised as Jack. My mum and other people say, ‘It’s been four years now!’ but I’m like, ‘I would’ve been in people’s living rooms for eight years at peak times while they were growing up.’ When people come up to me now, I’ll turn it into a conversation to let them know what I’m doing. I’m just happy to be back home and part of my community.”
Acting, meanwhile, remains in his heart. Whether it’s local theatre or a possible return to the screen, Reuben isn’t ruling anything out.
“I love it with everything I’ve got. I’ll always take it throughout my life and have a passion for it.”
However, for Reuben – who has five nieces and nephews – and Rhiana, their focus is now firmly on first-time parenthood.
“Seeing Reuben with kids solidified that we were ready for the next step,” says Rhiana.
Reuben adds, “I want to be a supportive dad who’s there for every part of my child’s life. I want them to be happy and to feel comfortable to come to me whenever they have problems.”
