After playing the key role of determined Detective Josh Levine in season one of Wanted, Rebecca was keen for him to reprise his part.
But getting the guy who cut his teeth on Brax in Home And Away was no easy task. With Stephen now living in Los Angeles with his wife, Bridgette, Rebecca knew she had to pull out all the stops to get him back on this side of the world.
Fortunately, Stephen liked his character arc in season two.
“We were very lucky that he agreed to come back,” Rebecca says. “And he had a ball.
“He said he’d never been treated as well on a set as he was when he got to New Zealand. So that’s good.”
Importantly, Stephen is committed to playing Josh, possibly into the future.
“He’s very open to coming back for season three, if we want to,” Rebecca reveals. “That’s great.”
Stephen clearly enjoys working with Rebecca, telling TV WEEK it’s good to work with the “captain of the Wanted ship”.
Rebecca Gibney as Lola Buckley in Wanted.
“There’s a good reason she has a huge following,” Stephen, 35, says. “She’s pulled off something pretty extraordinary with that show.”
Stephen is trying to forge a career in Hollywood. But if the work is good, Stephen is happy to come back home.
“You always want to be where quality stuff is being made,” he says. “And if it’s good quality, you’ll work anywhere.”
Steve Peacocke in Wanted.
As far as Wanted goes, Rebecca knows what it takes to keep actors she wants on board.
“You feed them really well,” she says. “You put them in a nice place, and you let them film in some of the most stunning places in the world.”
