When learning his exit story lines from Shortland Street, Ido Drent says he was reduced to tears. Saying goodbye to Daniel, the character that Ido has played on the show for three and a half years was difficult because Daniel’s journey resembles his own. While on the show, Daniel left Ferndale to travel to Brazil on his OE.
In real life, Ido (25) is also embarking on an exciting adventure as he and his wife Mandy head to Sydney so he can pursue acting work. But although his Shorty character leaves the country with nearly a million dollars in his pocket after winning at a casino, Ido’s future is much more uncertain with no secure acting work lined up.
“For me, broadening myself as an actor, it was imperative that I move on, even if it meant losing a bit of security and taking a big risk,” says Ido. “I’m not a worrier and we work together well for that reason,” adds Mandy, who recently turned 25. “I think if I was worried about this situation then he’d still be on Shortland Street, but we’re about the bigger picture and taking risks,” she adds.
After settling down into their new life as a married couple, Mandy and Ido are ready for a new adventure.
Since saying goodbye to his Shorty castmates, Ido and Mandy have made several trips to Sydney. He has signed with prestigious agency RGM, which represents stars such as Cate Blanchett and True Blood actor Ryan Kwanten. Ido wants to flesh out his acting career with more dynamic parts and the couple aim to jump the ditch permanently by the end of the year.
“I need to get some decent roles under my belt so by the time I’m 28, 29, I’ll have enough experience to play a leading man,” says Ido, who says he’s always thinking ahead. This has been a year filled with change for Ido and Mandy.
Since tying the knot in a church ceremony last December, the couple, who did not live together before they were married, admit that life together has been a bit of an adjustment. “The first three months – it was like, ‘Holy moly, what have I done?’” says Ido.
The newlyweds cut the cake at their wedding in December, 2011.
“I was thinking, ‘Who is this person I’m waking up next to and who the flip am I?’ “Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, you’re just so annoying in my space,’ and I’m sure I annoy Mandy sometimes – I’m an intense person and that’s got to get on her nerves. “Then you learn to actually respect the ‘otherness’ in them and you begin to realise that’s why you married them.”
After nine months, the couple have found a routine and love their life together. They have discovered they balance each other out, with Ido’s driven nature complemented by Mandy’s relaxed disposition. “I am definitely quite visionary by nature and I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, but I like dreaming, I like planning big-picture stuff,” says Ido. “Mandy is a bit more in the moment, and now thanks to her I can be reminded to live for now rather than always casting my eyes forward.”
In their wedding vows, Ido said, “I commit to leading you when I need to lead, and also being led when I need to be led,” and Mandy replied, “I promise to respect you and acknowledge you as leader of our home.” Ido says that even with the uncertainties of his job, he hopes to fulfil his promises to his wife to take care of her.
“For me, my vows were about taking a role as a protector, but equally being humble enough to acknowledge when I’m stuffing up,” says Ido. “But we’re totally a team, and when we move to Sydney I’m not going to be sensitive about being the provider. “As a man you want to be, but in this industry work can be patchy. However, I’ve got a small property business and that supports us as well.”
Australia will love Ido’s boyish good looks.
“He can earn the money and I can spend it,” jokes Mandy who works part time at MAC as a makeup artist and will look for similar work in Australia. The pair are not planning to have children in the near future, following a similar path to Ido’s sisters Rini Corbett and Ilda Van den Engel, who waited 10 and seven years after being married before having children.
“At this stage we are enjoying getting to know each other, with it being just us two,” says Ido. “We’d love to be parents at some point but I think it’s really important that, before we bring kids into our little unit, we are solid as a couple so we make better parents,” adds Mandy.
