Like his parents, Greg Benson and Amanda Newman, Australian actor Dylan Benson is launching his career on TV soap Home & Away.
indieactivity: When did you begin acting, sir?
Dylan Benson (DB): I did my first TV commercial when I was 15 years old. However, I didn’t properly give acting a go until I was around 20. Since then, I’ve been very dedicated to acting. Doing film and tv audition classes, improv and even giving stand up comedy a crack.
And what was the first paid gig? Frame that check?
Dylan Benson (DB): My first paid gig was a government ad against minors drinking. I think I got paid $150 or $250. I almost didn’t take the speaking role too as I was cripplingly shy back then. My mum kind of pressured me to do it and it’s one of the best things I ever did. Didn’t get the chance to frame it unfortunately!
Did you have a mentor who helped you brush up on the skills or got you in the door at meetings?
Dylan Benson (DB): You bet I have. Les Chantery is the man who has been the reason for most of my success. Words can’t describe how good he is. After one class I was hooked. He leaves me inspired, curious and with an insatiable hunger for more in the acting world. I’ve been seeing him for four years and I look back at old tapes and laugh at the improvement over time. I still keep learning a lot after each class, which is part of the fun.
Watch the 2019 season finale promo for Home and Away
And while auditioning, or testing for parts, did you have to work other jobs?
Dylan Benson (DB): I’m lucky I get to work as a model but I’ve also had to work in a nightclub and in restaurants. I’ve been doing that since I was 18. Life in Sydney is very expensive and so are acting classes. I haven’t been lucky enough to live off my acting but hope to one day!
How different did you find acting than modelling?
Dylan Benson (DB): While modelling helps you be comfortable in front of the camera, the similarities end there. Acting is a whole other ball game. Modelling it’s all about staying in incredible shape by training at the gym and eating right. Acting there’s a lot of mental work. You’ve gotta work on being unblocked, learning how to digest a script, learn what works for you in front of the camera and keeping that ball rolling with classes.
Is one more exhausting than the other – I imagine there’s a lot of ‘standing up’ with modelling? And it’d be a bit more stressful because the focus is on you and completely you?
DB: Modelling can be hard but it’s a different difficulty. You have to be disciplined to no end and continue to train in the gym. A few weeks slacking off and eating poorly can really set you back. It’s more of a lifestyle if that makes sense. It’s 24/7. It can be tiring shooting all day but it isn’t too bad.
Acting is hard in the sense that there’s a lot to discover in terms of technique and pushing boundaries while doing scenes. The learning never ends and there’s a lot of personal work to do. Plus, the rejection is harder to deal with in acting because you may even get through a few call backs of a job you really want and then hearing nothing. All you can do is move on and not take personally, which can be very very hard at times.
And you’re joining the soap Home & Away?
DB: Just for one episode. My character’s name is Jack and he’s a cocky, arrogant guy. The ring leader of his posse really stirs things up. It was an amazing experience and fun to finally feature on the series where both my parents meet. They were both previously on the show many years ago.
Who do you work with on the series?
DB: I did a scene with Mia Morrissey and Courtney Miller. They were amazing to work with and I had so much fun on and off set. We chatted for ages before shooting the scene. Couldn’t have asked for a better first experience on Home and Away.
What kind of character do you play?
DB: My character is called Jack. He’s the ringleader of his posse and a real arrogant person. He’s cocky and doesn’t hesitate to stir things up.
Do the producers encourage any suggestions from the actors? Let you bring something to the character that wasn’t necessarily on the page?
DB: You kind of do that in the audition room by adding parts of ‘you’ to the scene when you do it. That carries through when you do it on the day in front of the camera. In terms of improvising the scene or doing something completely off the page, I didn’t get to do that. I think with TV it’s quite quick and doesn’t allow for that. A film that shoots one scene, ten times or more, may let you. But TV is shot so fast there’s not much time to experiment.
I imagine it’s a great showreel – does Home & Away help get you in the door on big films and other series? Does it have some pull in Hollywood?
DB: A lot of Aussie actors who have become stars started on Home and Away. So there’s definitely that nice resume boosting factor when heading over to Hollywood. It definitely helps get you on the radars of casting directors and producers too. However, you still have to deliver in the audition room and on set. Hollywood is extremely competitive and you have to work hard no matter what credits you have.
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