Sam Corlett has pushed back at claims that Territory is Australia’s Yellowstone – assuring viewers its “Aussie script” puts it in a league of its own.
“I watched a couple of episodes of Yellowstone and the only things that are similar are the cattle farm and that it’s about a family,” Sam, 28, tells TV WEEK with a grin. “This [Territory] is so richly Aussie – it taps into our culture, the way we speak, the way we perceive the world and relationships.”
Territory is an eight-part Netflix series about the world’s largest cattle ranch, Marianne Station, that is left without a clear successor when Daniel Lawson (Jake Ryan) dies in mysterious circumstances.
Sam, who plays Marshall Lawson, had run away from his tumultuous family and alcoholic father Graham (Michael Dorman). However, when he returns for his uncle’s funeral, he’s thrust back into the messy dynasty in decline, pressured by his grandfather, Colin (Robert Taylor), to take over the business he loathes so deeply.
The Vikings: Valhalla star said it was refreshing to return from Hollywood to work on an Aussie production filmed in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park – with special permission from the traditional owners – and Tipperary Station, a real-life working cattle station that’s so large it has its own airfield and school.
Also, being in the Northern Territory gave Sam an opportunity to explore his own family roots.
“My dad was a jackaroo, so I’d heard beautiful, whimsical stories about living on country,” he explains. “It’s hard to live on, but there’s a romance to the harshness. The locals love that they can endure whatever nature throws at them.”
Sam’s a passionate vegan, so some might assume it would have been hard to live and work on a cattle station, but the actor declares he was open to the experience.
“The best way to understand something is to immerse yourself in it,” he explains. “I appreciate how anyone has to go about their life to live, but there were moments that were humbling, where I had to check my judgement.”
Sam can relate to the rebellious nature of his character and his tumultuous relationships, and it was something he was looking forward to honouring in the role.
“Hereditary alcoholism runs in my family, and I never met my grandfather or my uncle for that reason,” Sam says. “In terms of exploring the frustrations of what it’s like to be a family member when someone’s gone through that, that was very accessible.
“Marshall doesn’t know where he’s going, he just knows he has to go. I’m not sure if that’s specifically related to me, but I definitely resonated with that kind of wondrous curiosity, rebelling against tradition and diverging from the path.”
He was also eager to break down generational issues and the stigma around men needing to be seen as “tough” and “hard”.
“There were scenes with Michael where we were really close with the cameramen and there were lots of tears,” he reveals. “Everyone was crying, which was quite special, because everyone knows the tough father-son relationship we were acting – it’s a tale as old as time.”
