Keiynan Lonsdale, Australian actor known for Love, Simon and The Flash, has made a confession about the obstacles he faced breaking into the industry in his home country.
Ahead of starring in the new SBS crime drama Swift Street, Lonsdale revealed he was at times barred from attending red carpet premieres, even for projects he was a lead in.
“Before I moved overseas, I was at times not let onto carpets, even when I was a key talent for the event,” the 32-year-old Sydney native told news.com.au. “I felt like a nuisance and it was as if I was in the way of other lighter stars.”
While he had some early supporters, he said Australian media showed little interest in his career until he found major success abroad in projects like Love, Simon.
“It’s a classic Aussie tale,” Keiynan Lonsdale said of Australia’s delayed embrace after he made it big internationally. “Reality is we wouldn’t have been allowed to have Swift Street on the air nor supported to be made back then.”
The critically acclaimed Swift Street, which premieres today, April 24, on SBS, represents the positive change the actor believes is happening in Australian entertainment. The crime drama centers on a broke father-daughter duo drawn into a life of crime.
“There’s never been a show like this in Australia,” Lonsdale insisted. “I could not turn down the opportunity to be part of a project that I knew without a doubt, would shift our industry’s perceived landscape for the better.”
Keiynan Lonsdale hopes the media will celebrate the groundbreaking series, which allowed him to take on the role of Tom, a boxer working security for the lead character.
“I am praying that the media will also help uplift and celebrate our little big show for what it is, f***ing good drama!” he stated.
