The new star of Home and Away is attractive, and he’s even been labelled “hot cop,” but there’s more to him than his chiselled jaw.
On Monday night, Nicholas Cartwright will make his soap debut, but the actor’s journey to Summer Bay hasn’t been easy.
The 33-year-old actor, who will portray Senior Constable Cash Newman, spent six years in the Australian Army as a rifleman, serving in East Timor and Afghanistan before deciding to pursue acting.
So, how does a soldier become an actor?
Nicholas felt compelled to change things up after quitting the army, and he told Perth Now that he needed to fill the hole left by the defence force.
“When you leave the military, you can feel a little lost, and no one wants to do a regular job.”
Nicolas told the publication, “So I thought, what’s the craziest thing I can do, and I decided to go to NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art).”
Even though he has no experience performing on television, he will act besides James Stewart, whose character, Justin Morgan, will have a run-in with Nicolas as a body washes up and throws Summer Bay into a frenzy.
Despite his inexperience, the actor thinks that his military experience has prepared him for his play.
“I believe having a military experience and knowing of rank and things like that is incredibly beneficial to going into a position like this,” he added.
Nicolas had already struck up a connection with Ethan Brown of Home and Away, whom he met at NIDA, before landing his job on the serial.
Nicolas told PerthNow, “I remember having a chuckle with Ethan when he first went on the programme because as soon as you start working, they toss you out topless.”
Given that this is Nicholas’ first job since graduating from theatre school, we may anticipate big things from the veteran, who certainly has more to offer than the audience realises.
