When Lincoln Younes arrives in the southern Sydney suburb of Taren Point for TV WEEK’s photo shoot, he does so with little fanfare.
In fact, there’s not much of anything: no publicist, no agent, no worries.
“G’day, guys,” he beams to the TV WEEK team, before taking in his surroundings.
The photo shoot is at a local marina, but with its strange mix of shipping containers and heavy machinery, there’s a certain Sopranos feel to it.
“You’re not going to knock me off, are you?” he says, laughing.
Of course, jokes about his mortality are still a little fresh for Home And Away fans, who continue to mourn the shooting death of Lincoln’s popular character, Casey Braxton, in 2014.
But since leaving Summer Bay, Lincoln’s star has continued to rise. And with two TV shows on the horizon – a high-profile gig in US drama Grand Hotel, plus a starring role in SBS miniseries Dead Lucky – things are only set to get better.
While Lincoln’s meteoric rise has been the result of hard work, it doesn’t hurt to have friends who can offer some helpful advice. Enter American actress and former Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.
Eva is the executive producer of Grand Hotel, and since casting Lincoln, the pair have struck up an unlikely friendship.
“Eva and I have become good friends, which is lovely and… weird,” Lincoln says, laughing. He recently watched Eva receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
“She’s passionate, driven and warm, which is a good combination.
“I’ve talked to her a lot about my career, and she’s shared advice. But it’s been more just hanging out, so she’s been helpful simply by being my friend.”
Lincoln, 26, will link back up with Eva and his Grand Hotel castmates in the next month, when he returns to LA to shoot the rest of the series.
“We shot the pilot and then it got picked up, which was the best phone call of my life,” he explains. “Now, we’ll be shooting the rest of the series between Miami and LA from now until the end of the year.”
Anytime a fan favourite leaves Home And Away – even if the character is killed off – it’s not long before rumours of a return begin to gather steam. But Lincoln is looking to set the record straight.
“The three-and-a-half years in Home And Away was the most perfect period for me,” he says. “So I wouldn’t want to do less or more.
“I thought Casey’s arc had finished, and although it was tragic the way he went out, it made the most sense.”
While the finality might be tough for Home And Away fans to handle, we haven’t lost Lincoln to the bright lights of Hollywood for good.
“My ideal situation would be working in America, Australia and the UK,” he says. “But I always love coming back home to work.”
For more from Lincoln’s interview about love, life and career, pick up a copy of this week’s issue of TV WEEK.
