SAM CORLETT HIT IT BIG WHEN HE LANDED THE ROLE OF HOT PRINCE CALIBAN IN THE NETFLIX SERIES THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, WHICH MADE HIM AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS, AND A CERTIFIED HEARTTHROB. THEN, IN A CHANCE TO FLEX HIS RANGE (AND MUSCLES) AS AN ACTOR, HE RAISED TEMPERATURES AGAIN, THIS TIME AS THE COURAGEOUS AND ENIGMATIC EXPLORER, LEIF ERIKSON, IN THE EPIC HISTORICAL SAGA, VIKINGS: VAHALLA, WHICH HAS REACHED ITS FINAL JOURNEY WITH THE THIRD SEASON. NEXT UP, WITH CHAMELEONIC ABILITY, HE ALCHEMISES INTO THE SKIN OF AN ADDICT, STRUGGLING WITH COMPLEX TRAUMA ISSUES, IN THE GRITTY INDIE DRAMA, HE AIN’T HEAVY, AND AS WARRING SIBLING MARSHALL LAWSON, EMBROILED IN A BATTLE FOR LAND AND LEGACY IN NETFLIX’S NEO-WESTERN OUTBACK-SET SERIES, TERRITORY. WE GOT ON A ZOOM CALL WITH THE ACTOR OF THE AUSTRALIAN PERSUASION TO UNPACK HIS PROCESS, COMPARE POETIC AWAKENINGS AND SHINE A LIGHT ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRULY HUMAN.

Left Polo **Alix Higgin**s, jeans **Acne Studios**
Right Jacket and shirt **Acne Studios**, tie **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

All epic sagas must come to an end, of course, we’re talking about Vikings: Valhalla. Was the overall journey on that show a ride that will forever leave an impact on you, particularly the mythology and the spirituality of it all?

So much. It did take a while to shake Leif off. It was good to be able to jump into another project quite soon after, as I think being pushed into another world helps you to shed your last skin, however, there is so much to be grateful for the experience I had on Vikings. The relationship with Jeb Stuart was so sincere, we really hit it off from the start and he allowed me to come along for the journey and pitch a lot of ideas and weave lots of threads, getting involved in all departments working with make-up designing tattoos, re-shaping and redesigning costumes as we travelled through different lands, and the many visionary directors who were involved. Soulfully, Leif has been so in touch with his integrity, and that’s something I appreciated exploring.

What are the challenges of playing historical characters in a way that feels realistic? How much of yourself can you put into the character?

I think that’s why historical, or fantasy stories are going to continuously be told, because it allows us distance to watch and receive ideas, wisdom, thoughts and feelings that are so relevant. I didn’t really need to think about the history aspect so much, as that was all in the writing, and I suppose we see the same story in a different dressing all the time, and this dressing happened to be so primal and got in touch with nature and spirituality. At the core of all of it was a human just trying to find his way and that’s relatable for everyone.

I read that you’ve always had a keen interest in photography as a creative outlet, and you’ve often taken your digital camera on set. Did you capture many behind-the-scenes moments this last season, for posterity’s sake?

Absolutely, and I’ve been going through all the photos. I have a lot of film photography as well as the iPhone shots I take on set because I try to come in with my camera when I’m not working or in a particular scene, and shoot. I was very excited to share all the behind-the-scenes photos for the final season!

Left Top **Zegna**
Right Top and pants **Giorgio Armani**, sneakers **Nike**

Well, now you've gone from one epic drama to another, in the Neo-Western action series, Territory. Tell me about your character Marshall Lawson (great surname, by the way), who is part of a family dynasty in decline, and how you immersed yourself in the role. Did you read about Australian frontier life, read any 19th-century journals, dig into archives, hike old trails, or visit cattle ranches?

I feel very lucky to be part of projects with such cinematic scope. This one is really special to me. Being able to come home and work with some of the greats of the Australian industry, I feel very lucky. As far as research goes, for me, Marshall feels like Australia’s son. He very much represents a youthful rebellion against tradition, which comes in the form of cheek, charm, and grit. I spoke with Timothy Lee, our writer, and we would discuss themes that have had a profound impact on culture throughout history, from Shakespeare’s Henry IV to the Arthurian stories, and how we can ground those epic sagas in Australia’s rugged outback.

For Marshall, the loss of his mother and the relationship with his alcoholic father are traumas he is seeking to heal from, and he knows he isn’t going to get that at the station. I thought of his many attempts to try to fix or forgive his father, all the while searching for a true role model he could follow. Like Prince Hal in Henry IV, he leaves the ‘kingdom’ behind and finds family among the outcasts and rebels of society, which grants him a new outlook on life.

It's all high stakes and fighting for power in the outback, which is a part of Australia you don’t often see on screen unless some poor unsuspecting American tourist is being killed in a movie because they got lost! It's creating a new visual genre for Australian TV and audiences, would you agree?

Actually, Greg McLean, our director, did Wolf Creek! But truly, I know when I read the scripts, it was the most grounded and honest view of Australian culture I’d come across. And with Simon Duggan on board, the legendary director of photography of films such as The Great Gatsby and Furiosa, I knew this was going to be a visceral experience to be part of.

How challenging was it to film in such a rough and remote landscape, even if you're used to it? I imagine nearly everything can kill you!

That country definitely breeds a certain kind of person, and you simply need to slip into that way of being. Chatting with the folks that live up there, they see such beauty in that harsh nature, and I loved that. The times when it was tough were toward the end of shooting when the heat was brutal. Shooting these huge action sequences, we had people fainting left and right, but as far as the animals go, there were plenty of snakes, which are always a shock to find, but we're all kind of used to it. The crocodiles are a different story, though!

Left Jeans, top, belt and boots **Acne Studios**, tank top **Charlton**
Right Top **Dior Men**

That wildness and untamed nature in the outback, its distinctiveness, has come to symbolize much about Australian culture and history. It's embedded in the national psyche. What book or film for you best summons the spirit of the outback and the mindset of those who live there?

I suppose the book/film The Dry first comes to mind, as I was lucky enough to have that as my first project out of drama school. I could point to some of the music and poetry that paint a very romantic view of the outback too, but mainly it’d be the stories my dad told me. He spent a lot of time in the Victorian outback, then left school at 16 and became a jackaroo in far North Queensland. The things he got up to, like rolling cars for fun, left an indelible mark on me as a kid. To experience that life firsthand was pretty awesome.

You mentioned how you prepared for this role, but would you say that you have an acting style or method? How do you physically and mentally transform for a role; do you sit and listen to music, podcasts, interviews, and accents, for character study?

Preparation is my favourite part, and my go-to is exploring the childhood of a character and diving into dreamwork and seeing what the subconscious has to say, exploring what resonates inside me about the character and attempting to close the gap in the differences.

I constantly read the greats, and listen to people like Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Terry Knickerbocker and I worked with a coach called Shelley Mitchell for this third season of Vikings and she’s done some incredible things working with people like Gerry Grennell who also worked with Heath Ledger. I’m a big advocate for coaching, as I loved the training and reading aspects of drama school and it all serves when you come to something like Vikings, where you can expand the domain to help serve the text that’s in front of you.

How did you get to the place you need to be in your latest project, playing an addict in the gritty indie movie He Ain’t Heavy? Your character Max has many complex trauma issues. How was it inhabiting a troubled persona as an actor, and do those sorts of characters live in you?

I feel a familial or ancestral connection with those types of people, and when it comes to Max, there were lines in the script that I had heard in my real life. So, rather than it being effortful, it was quite cathartic, a gift to explore those areas and shine a light where I would otherwise not have the opportunity to. Even with Leif and having so much distance between the Viking life and our lives today, I do see relations to similar experiences in my life, but I didn’t ritualise enough, and his headspace sometimes affected mine, in a not-so-positive way. With Max, he’s more troubled and wrapped in trauma but the core of him is such a playful, loving, bright light, which is the way I had always heard my uncle described by my mother, and he was also an addict like Max. My uncle has kind of been my spiritual guide in my artistic world and so there was really nothing I wasn’t willing to do for him with this project.

Left Full look **Prada**
Right Blazer, trousers, shirt and boots **Acne Studios**, belt **Harley Davidson**, tie **Giorgio Armani**

Do you feel in some way then this movie was meant to come to you, to allow that personal catharsis?

For sure, I really do believe that. With a lot of our generation, our consciousness is becoming a lot more aware of the circumstances that have gone before us to be where we are today. Many of us just want to see what the new path is for us and attempt to alchemise the generational trauma into something artistic that transcends and unites. A mantra I had in my head every day that I went to set was that this drama isn’t an answer, but an arm around those who have been through something similar.

He Ain’t Heavy is not really about drugs, it’s about the price we pay for love. That’s really the soul of the film, isn’t it?

You’re spot on. I really like looking at it in the sense of the frustration of love, in the beautiful way that you so want the light of that person to remain on, not shrouded in darkness, and you know what exists at the core. Max so wants to be free of that and be understood and he’s not, and he doesn’t know how to articulate that, and in the helplessness and hopelessness, he reaches for a substance that makes him feel free. That community often resonates with the same frustrations. It was easy to not pass judgement because of what I’ve been through personally in my family.

It was shot in Western Australia, and I wanted to ask how your Australian roots play a part in informing what you do. How does your culture fuel your work?

I love that you’ve asked that, because I’ve been writing some scripts… I live in a small coastal town in Australia, and very rarely do I see my Australia on screen, and so the recent projects I’ve done here have made me want to tell Aussie stories, as they mean so much. I feel there’s a new wave coming in Australia, of voices that have been held back a bit, and there’s a beautiful frustration that’s about to explode.

Blazer, trousers, shirt and boots **Acne Studios**, belt **Harley Davidson**, tie **Giorgio Armani**

Going back to your childhood, when was it you first decided you wanted to act, and were your family supportive?

My family were very supportive, and I started drama in high school because I used to have trouble speaking in front of people. Sport was my thing, and as captain of rugby and basketball, I had to give speeches in assembly, and I used to get nervous. So, my mum told me, “Why don’t you do drama, go and make a fool of yourself in front of people and get over that fear?” That’s when I fell in love with the idea of embodying empathy, and loving these characters to life.

So, what’s driven your inherent curiosity with the roles you choose, and is there a story or character you’re really craving to portray and elevate on screen, or dream directors you want to work with?

I feel like each character finds me at different points in my life. My preference is to pivot from what I’ve just done at any given time. There’s a cool Franz Kafka quote that says, “I never wish to be easily defined,” and that’s why I think I have such an affection for variety.I love a broad range of styles from fellow Aussies like Baz Lurhmann to Derek Cianfrance, but over the years, when you just miss out on things you go up for, with hindsight, you’re like, well that wasn’t meant to be. I lost out to one of your fellow countrymen for the Marvel universe [Laughs] but had I done that film or another project, I wouldn’t have been able to do He Ain’t Heavy, and that’s really where my soul is. It won’t be seen by nearly as many people as a Marvel film, but it’s a story that meant so much for me to be able to tell.

Jacket, jeans, shirt and boots **Acne Studios**, tie **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Speaking of where your soul is, you’ve been practising meditation for years. How has it helped you stay sane and steady in this business?

I’ve been practising meditation since I was younger, as my mum battled cancer three times when I was growing up, and the first time I meditated at 15 or 16, to help put myself in the right place in my mind, I had such a beautiful experience. I do it most mornings and evenings. I think what matters to me is when I’m on set, doing the work, and in terms of “the industry”, I don’t like the facade of the events side, or when work I’ve done finally comes out, I find it hard to celebrate it, and when your followers go up on Instagram, you’re not feeling that reception, because it’s not a personal thing. Being home with my friends who do a 9-to-5 job and playing basketball and hanging out just grounds me too and I love that.

I read that you also work with the jewellery brand Merchants of the Sun who create collections and donate profits to causes you care about, including cancer, mental health and homelessness. Do you have other passion projects?

I do, I release art, some of which was donated for the floods in the Northern rivers of Australia and in the Ukraine, and I want to release more prints. All the auxiliary things I do are done with giving to other things and projects at the same time.

What kind of art do you create?

I do one-line drawings, and I’ve been painting a lot recently too. There’s a bit of a Picasso influence because we have Picasso-esque sculptures and prints of him at home that we’ve had since I was a child.

Left Full look **Tods**
Right Top and pants **Giorgio Armani**, sneakers **Nike**

I read somewhere that you write poetry too, is there a particular poet or poem you always return to?

Yes, I got into it at drama school because I was a slow reader, and instead of reading entire plays or scripts, I would find myself reading poetry. I remember the satisfaction I felt because I had got through a page, I was so elevated as if I had read a whole script! I love T.S. Eliot, E.E. Cummings, and Carl Jung, I know he’s not a poet but his words insight a lot in me. I love the quote: “The human heart yearns for contact - above all it yearns for genuine dialogue - to be recognised in our uniqueness, our fullness and our vulnerability.” It’s about recognising that so many people’s behaviour is just an attempt to be seen, loved and accepted. But then there’s also a quote I like in T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock about the masks that we put on to try to receive love, but it’s only when we take them off that we fully feel it.

As an actor, you’re always wearing a mask of sorts, but as Oscar Wilde would say, “Give a man a mask and he’ll show you the truth.”

Exactly, it’s a bit of a contradiction! I do think there’s something about playing a character that really allows you to show through. I am happy being home here in Australia, but I think I’m also happiest when I feel like I’m being of service. I’ve only shown my writing and art to a select few, but I may eventually share it on a wider scale, to express myself more. Ultimately when they call “action” on set, it’s the best feeling, to just be present in that moment, creating something special with other people.