Home and Away's Matt Evans addresses mixed reaction to Theo

Home and Away fans have not had the best response to newcomer Theo, but actor Matt Evans believes that means he is doing a good job.

Theo was only introduced last September when he turned up in Summer Bay seeking refuge with his Aunt Leah (Ada Nicodemou) after his father kicked him out from his home for defrauding customers at the family's car dealership, selling them dodgy insurance policies.

But while Leah was keen to give the youngster a second chance, he didn't seem to be looking for a fresh start and has been doing his best to come between Ryder (Lukas Radovich) and his girlfriend Chloe (Sam Barrett).

theo poulos and justin morgan in home and away

Endemol Shine//Channel 5

Speaking about playing the bad boy and the fans' reaction to his character, Evans explained: "Shane Withington (who plays John Palmer) said to me yesterday that I played the role just a little bit too well.

"I guess I've always been a bit of a clown, a smart alec, so that sort of stuff kind of comes naturally to me," he told New Zealand publication Stuff. "It has been interesting playing the bad boy because the fans don’t necessarily like that, especially when you first come on and you stir up everybody."

However, he has been thoroughly enjoying his experience, saying: "Theo is a really fun character to play and it gives you an excuse to do things that you would never do in real life."

The actor appeared on The Voice Australia last year, which gave him the tough skin needed to deal with negative backlash about his character.

"They're angry at the character; they're not angry at me. I have to separate the two and a lot of the team on the show say, 'If they're not liking you, it means you're doing your job' because they're not supposed to like you straight away."

cash newman and theo poulos in home and away

Jeremy Greive//Channel 5

Teasing what's to come for his character, Evans explained that he believes fans will soon start to like him.

"There are still secrets to come out. There's more to his relationship with his father and he's trying to hide some things that have happened."

He continued: "There's something that he needs to sort out and, once he does, he will be a much different person."

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR (UK) and Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 (Australia). Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.