With four projects now in development, Stephen Peacocke is leading Australia’s new television golden age after putting in a lot of work on Home and Away.
under 2023, there will be new seasons of Five Bedrooms, The Newsreader, and RFDS. The crime drama Human Error is presently under production.
It’s everyone’s dream, isn’t it? to be an actor getting some work,” chuckles Stephen, who earlier this year welcomed a daughter with his spouse Bridgette Sneddon. It’s excellent. I work with fantastic folks on all of these nice, enjoyable projects.”
The 41-year-old understands how difficult it can be to break into and stay in the profession, so he doesn’t take having multiple projects on the way for granted.
His words, “I’ve never taken any job for granted,” are telling. “There is no denying the difficulty in finding employment. It is always fresh. Never once have I experienced a dull day.”
Stephen is appreciative but acknowledges that some days are harder than others. He continues, “It’s always a bloody hard job.”
“In many ways, it’s fun because it’s what I love, but everything’s challenging and I’m very nervous before I do any of it.”
Stephen claims there has been a significant positive change in the TV industry when he first started. Moreover, additional jobs and worldwide exposure have resulted from streaming platforms.
“Streaming services mean that sometimes you do a show where previously it would only have been seen in Australia, but now it can be seen around the world,” he explains.
Since its premiere in 2021, RFDS—in which Stephen plays flight nurse Pete Emerson—has attracted viewers from all across the world, including this one in Aotearoa.
Growing up in rural New South Wales’ Dubbo, Stephen reports that the outback town of Broken Hill, where the tale is based, has benefited from increased tourism as a result of the series, and that donations to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the subject of the episode, have increased.
“Anything that brings people out here is worth it because it’s such a cool town,” he claims.
“When I was eighteen, just out of high school, I worked on a sheep station. It was a pretty remote location with vast, open spaces. I adore it. Therefore, it’s great to combine the two: acting and spending time in the bush with wonderful people doing amazing things.”
Even with his successful career, Stephen is always reminded of his River Boy origins—he portrayed Darryl “Brax” Braxton on Home and Away ten years ago.
“Any time you can play a character or do a job that finds a big audience and resonates with people, you should just be grateful,” he says. “It was a great, enjoyable job. I consider myself fortunate that fans have somewhat persisted with me; in fact, because I’m doing various things now, that audience has grown.”The main goal of acting is to please the audience. Count your blessings if you can draw an audience and they enjoy what you’re doing.”
Stephen thinks his strong work ethic has contributed to his success. “I figure that if you turn up with the right attitude – and it’s easy to because it’s a great job – and you put in the effort, which I always like to think I do, then hopefully stuff will lead from it.”
Stephen hints that he is working on some fascinating film and television projects.
The benefit of acting nowadays is that, in the past, doing television was a must for going into movies. Film is fantastic, and I hope to work on more of it in the future, but right now, television is fantastic. “The majority of us watch decent television these days, and it’s as good as it’s ever been, if not better.”
Thursdays at 8:55 p.m., RFDS airs on TVNZ 1.