| Matt Page | |||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Alec Snow | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2013–2017 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 21 October 2013 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 21 March 2017 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||||
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Matt Page is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Alec Snow. The character made his first screen appearance on 21 October 2013. Snow won the role after auditioning in early 2013. Originally contracted for a three-month guest role, producers signed him permanently. Matt's backstory detailed him leading a tough life growing up in the Mangrove River area. He arrives to study at Summer Bay High following the school burning down. Matt is characterised as a troublemaker who lacks self-belief because of his upbringing. No one had ever given him the attention he needed to better his life. He also has a keen interest in music which is explored during his tenure. Initially bullying other characters, writers paired him romantically with Sasha Bezmel (Demi Harman) and provided a home for the character with Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou). Alongside these characters Matt is depicted on a journey trying to turn his life around.
His relationship with Sasha was developed with many problems. His father Gray Page (Craig Ball) was written into the series only for him to use and manipulate Matt. Snow has singled out the storyline for developing Matt into a more "three-dimensional" character. Sasha and Matt briefly became estranged while Gray was in the series, but the duo later reconciled. They continued try to make their relationship successful, but when Harman quit the series writers were tasked with separating them. Following her departure, Matt's dark-side was revisited which culminated in an ATM robbery, arrest and a storyline focused on alcoholism. Producers then lined up a controversial relationship story for the character. Matt has sex with Charlotte King (Erika Heynatz), who turns out to be his new biology teacher. The two decide to carry on their affair regardless. Snow has said the storyline helped his character finally mature. Matt's behaviour has drawn attention from various television critics. A writer from the South Wales Echo branded him a "troubled soul" and a Sunday Mail reporter suggested that Matt was incapable of making a sensible decision. The character made his final appearance on 21 March 2017, following Snow's decision to leave the show.