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What does it really look like to keep going as an actor when the industry keeps shifting under your feet?

This week I had the enormous honour of sitting down with one of Australia’s most respected and recognisable actors, Erik Thomson.

Erik’s been a constant on Australian screens for decades. You’ll know him from All Saints, Packed to the Rafters, 800 Words, Aftertaste, and from way back as Hades in Xena: Warrior Princess. His film work includes The Black Balloon, Somersault, The Boys Are Back, and more recently Kangaroo Island. It’s a seriously impressive body of work, but he talks about it all with zero ego.

We chat about what it actually means to stay in the work. Moving where the jobs are, adapting to self tapes and shorter runs, letting go of entitlement, and coming back again and again to the basics of the craft. There’s a lot here about auditions, perspective, mental health, identity outside of acting, and how to keep yourself steady without losing curiosity or love for the job.

This isn’t a big dramatic breakdown of the industry. It’s just a really generous, honest conversation with someone who’s been around long enough to have seen the cycles come and go, and who’s still very much in it.

If you’re an actor, filmmaker, or creative trying to work out how to build something that lasts, I reckon you’ll get a lot out of this one.

Thanks for coming on Erik! It was a true honour.

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Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts
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Luca’s IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6619960/

Happy New Year! Let this chat be the creative inspiration you need to kick off your year. This week I sat down with the incredible Luca Sardelis!

Luca Sardelis is a Greek-Cypriot-Australian actor, writer, and all-around maker, working across film, TV, and theatre. You might know her from lead roles in The Hunting (SBS), Nowhere Boys (ABC), and Deadlock (ABC), or from A Perfect Pairing (Netflix), The Tourist (HBO Max), and RFDS S3 (Channel 7). She trained in Shakespeare and Jacobean theatre at LAMDA in London and has performed in sell-out shows like Parlour Games (Adelaide Fringe) and her self-devised piece The Fish Rots from the Head(CRAM Collective), which is headed for screen production in 2026 with Mercury.

In 2023, she scored a Carclew grant to write and direct her first short, Nothing Gold Can Stay (We Made A Thing), and in 2024 she wrote, produced, and performed in the video art piece Aurora at Adelaide’s Household Gallery. Her work has also been featured in BAFTA- and Academy-qualifying festivals, including SXSW (I’m The Most Racist Person I Know) and Flickerfest (Spite, Cordelia, Daughter of the Sea).

She’s constantly pushing herself, telling bold stories across stage and screen, and has a stacked slate of indie features coming up, River, Love, Tea and Epiphany, Diabolic, Ruby Ruby, and Haven’t You Heard? Everyone Hates Me.

She’s a total inspiration and it was an honour to have her on the show!

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Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod

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Grab some tickets to his show: https://arttheplay.com.au/

This week on the podcast, I sat down with multi-award-winning actor Damon Herriman, an Australian icon who’s managed to do the unthinkable: break Hollywood and build a career that’s lasted from childhood television all the way through to Quentin Tarantino, and some of the biggest shows and movies on the planet. Damon’s one of those rare performers who’s not only been around forever, but has somehow kept getting better, sharper, and more interesting with every decade.

We dive into the long game behind that kind of career: the patience, the timing, the doubt, the breakthroughs, the craft, and the strange little decisions that end up changing everything. From the years where nothing was landing, to the moments that opened doors in the US, to the roles that reshaped his trajectory, it’s a look at how a multi-award-winning career is actually built. Slowly, quietly, and with a ridiculous amount of persistence.

This was such an honour.

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🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun

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Follow Frazer on Instagram:

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@fromage.frazer

Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9090098/

This week I sat down with fellow Better Man actor Frazer Hadfield, who played Robbie Williams’ best mate in the film, and honestly, one of the real beating hearts of the story. We get into everything from the craft, the career stuff, and what it actually feels like being on the inside of a big film like Better Man.

We talk about Michael Gracie’s rehearsal style, long-take filmmaking, iPhone run-throughs, reshoots, industry myths, self-tapes that may or may not get watched, and how to stay grounded when the work goes a bit quiet. Frazer’s got this calm, honest perspective on the industry that’s genuinely refreshing, and there’s so much actors can take from the way he approaches the job.

I loved this chat. Thanks for coming in, Frazer.

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Get your tickets to The Glass Menagerie here: https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/the-glass-menagerie/

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Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6278415/

This week I sit down with the insanely talented Laurence Boxhall, an actor who has genuinely done it all. From playing Gollum in Lord of the Rings: The Musical to tackling Tennessee Williams in The Glass Menagerie, Laurence has one of the most versatile and seriously impressive CVs going around.

But what really sets him apart is the way he thinks about the work. He’s sharp, curious, funny as hell and full of the kind of hard-earned insight you only get from years of actually doing the thing theatre, TV, musicals, comedy, drama, all of it.

We talk about growing up in Adelaide, studying at NIDA, carving out your identity as an actor, refusing to take yourself too seriously, and how to hold onto play, joy and perspective in an industry that can drain all three. It’s thoughtful, chaotic, honest and full of proper wisdom.

If you’re an actor or creative of any kind, this one’s going to light you up.

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🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts
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Follow Dave on Instagram:

@daviddaradan

Get tickets to the SASA Nominations Screenings: https://themercury.org.au/sasa2025/

Get tickets to A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Dave: https://butterflytheatre.net/next-production/

Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9621041/

This week I’m joined by actor, writer and director David Daradan. Yes, that David Daradan. We talk about how a ridiculous HBO credit, the Vigorous Hand Job Guy, unexpectedly turned him into a viral meme, and how he’s since gone on to create Liability, a hilarious and heartfelt short film premiering at the Adelaide Film Festival.

It’s a chat full of laughs, behind the scenes stories and sharp insights about acting, directing and collaboration. David’s one of those people who somehow balances humour, humility and hard work, and it really shines through here.

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🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun

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Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts
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@core_film

@noasis_official

Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9621041/

This week I’m joined by actor, writer, musician and all-round legend, Tom Spiby, who somehow shares my very specific claim to fame: we’ve both played Noel Gallagher. Tom’s the lead guitarist in the Oasis tribute band Noasis, while I played Noel in Michael Gracey’s Better Man. So yeah, this episode was always going to get a bit nostalgic.

We talk about acting, songwriting, filmmaking, and his upcoming short film Core, a dark, character-driven drama about a young drummer chasing opportunity at any cost. Tom shares what he’s learned from writing and producing his own work, studying at Flinders Drama Centre, and balancing his love of music and film.

It’s a fun, genuine chat about creativity, collaboration, and staying true to your artistic voice. And of course, plenty of talk about Oasis, growing up on 90s music. Just two dudes being dudes.

Check him out on all his socials! This guy does not stop!

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Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of loss, mental health & alcoholism.

Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts
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Follow Benji on Instagram: @benji_gee

Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm3760023/

This week I sat down with my good mate, the unbelievably talented and down-to-earth Benji Groenewegen. We kick off chatting about his upcoming films Into The Earth (dir. Lucy Campbell) and Liability (dir. David Daradan), and from there Benji shares some really sharp insights into acting. Things like keeping self-tapes simple, navigating an acting career as a father of two young boys, and the idea of “travelling light” so the work can actually breathe.

About halfway through, the chat shifts. Benji opens up about losing his brother, and we talk honestly about the unexpected weight of grief, the guilt of moving forward, and how those experiences shape both life and art.

It’s one of the most raw and generous conversations I’ve had on this podcast, and I’m hugely grateful to Benji for his honesty and courage in sharing it.

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