Home and Away has gained another Hemsworth in the form of Luke Van Os – the cousin of Hollywood heavyweights Chris and Luke Hemsworth.
Long-time fans of the Channel Seven soap will remember Chris’ stint as Kim Hyde from 2004 to 2007, and now it’s his cousin Luke who will be joining the cast.
“I’m so excited to finally announce that I will be joining the @homeandaway team,” Luke took to Instagram to share.
“My character Xander has a close tie with one of the Summer Bay favourites. I can’t thank the amazing cast, crew and @channel7 for making me feel so welcomed into this long running family.”
Luke is related to Liam and his brothers through his father, who is the brother of their mother Leonie.
(Image: Instagram)Luke also thanked his friends, family and team who have supported him over this “long journey”, and that this is where the work starts.
“Look out for Xander on screens in 2022,” he added.
His character Xander is said to be “a mysterious individual who arrives in the Bay searching for answers”.
Xander has also been teased to be a relative of a Summer Bay favourite, with details on who exactly that may be yet to be revealed.
Luke is related to Chris and his brothers through his father, who is the brother of their mother Leonie. He revealed to The Daily Telegraph how his famous cousin helped him for his Home and Away audition.
“When I was asked for a callback for the chemistry test, I actually zoomed with Chris the night before and we ran it (the scene) and kind of just got into a good headspace,” he told the publication.
“His advice was be nice, put in the work and the work doesn’t end now, if anything this is when you need to work hard.”
The 24-year-old, who has appeared in films Banana Split, Dancer, Dirt Blood, and Ominous, also admitted that while he has been auditioning and acting for eight years, this is where the hard work starts.
The 24-year-old has appeared in films Banana Split, Dancer, Dirt Blood, and Ominous.
(Image: Instagram)“Acting has been my passion for such a long time and for me to be able to make a living, pay my bills and do this every day is a dream,” Luke said.
“Endless people have come and done this show and gone on to have extremely long careers and I am just hoping that is what I can do, acting and making a living for as long as I can.”
He also added that his cousins have “paved the way” for him as he can rely on them for insights and help throughout his career.
“I am fortunate,” he said.
His character Xander is said to be “a mysterious individual who arrives in the Bay searching for answers”.
(Image: Seven)The actor has already begun filming scenes for the series, and seems to have made fast friends with his co-stars.
Over the weekend, Luke celebrated his birthday with some of the Home and Away cast, including Nicholas Cartwright, Jacqui Purvis, Kawakawa Fox-Reo, Matt Evans, and Courtney Ally.
“Epic birthday dinner last night #teppanya,” he captioned the post, which featured a series of snaps with everyone.
Along with the support of his new Summer Bay family, Luke will have the support of his real-life family and his girlfriend Tonia Miragliotta.
This article was originally published on our sister site New Idea.
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