A joyful start to the year for a Home and Away favourite has sharply contrasted with the emotional turmoil unfolding in Summer Bay. While Ryan Bown celebrated a major life moment off screen, his character Sonny Baldwin now faces a painful identity crisis; one that leaves him questioning whether he can still be the man Dana needs.
Sonny’s Confidence Is Shattered After The Accident in Home and Away
Sonny has always relied on charm, confidence, and his carefree personality. According to Bown, that self-assurance is basically Sonny’s whole identity, the part of himself he enjoys the most. But the accident strips all of that away, leaving him feeling he cannot return to the same place of joy.
More importantly, Sonny fears he may no longer be capable of looking after Dana or being the partner he wants to be for her.
The storyline centers on a deeply personal dilemma: without his confidence, Sonny does not recognise himself anymore. To capture that confusion honestly, Bown avoided preparing for the physical side of the role.
The show’s scriptwriter told him she did not want him rehearsing wheelchair use beforehand. She explained she wanted the reactions to feel authentic, if the actor didn’t know what to do, Sonny wouldn’t either. Bown agreed the approach made sense and allowed viewers to watch the character experience everything for the first time.
The Actor’s Real Life Makes Sonny’s Struggle Even More Poignant
Ironically, while Sonny struggles emotionally, Bown began 2026 with happiness. He married British actor Natalie Spence in a Sydney Harbour ceremony on January 24. He recalled the wedding as beautiful and magical, though party boats celebrating Australia Day kept interrupting vows he had worked on for months. The couple had already moved to Australia in 2024 after Bown secured his permanent role on the soap.
Joining the show gave them an immediate social circle, but for Bown it also meant committing to a character now facing one of Summer Bay’s most vulnerable arcs. Bown describes Sonny as someone who normally “really knows how to enjoy life,” which makes his emotional collapse more dramatic. The character’s dilemma now drives the story, but whether he can rebuild his identity and reconnect with the happiness he once lived by.
The long-running drama allows Bown to move between tones, and this storyline pushes him into heavier emotional territory. He enjoys how a soap lets actors jump between genres, but Sonny’s arc demands something more grounded. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Home & Away spoilers.