Entertainment

TREADING

He is the country boy from Karratha, Western Australia, and with his rugged good looks and brilliant acting chops Joel Jackson is tipped to be the next Hugh Jackman.

After graduating from NIDA, Joel scored a breakthrough role in the miniseries Deadline Gallipoli, alongside Sam Worthington and Rachel Griffiths. But it was his stellar performance as Peter Allen in the two-part miniseries Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door that really got him noticed.

And now, Joel stars in the exciting new psychological thriller Safe Harbour.

A group of friends from Brisbane embark on the holiday of a lifetime sailing to Indonesia, but they cross paths with a fishing boat full of asylum seekers en route to Australia. The friends are forced to make a choice that will alter their lives forever. Do they assist the asylum seekers or sail away? Five years down the track, they are struggling to come to terms with the effects of their choice.

‘It’s such a cliffhanger right up until the end,’ Joel tells New Idea. ‘I think it’s going to be a drama that really shakes Australia and people’s points of view and their understanding of the issue [of asylum seekers]. I hope it sparks people to want to investigate more or understand more or look at the situation a little differently.’

Safe Harbour boasts an amazing ensemble cast including Ewen Leslie, Jacqueline Mckenzie and Phoebe Tonkin, who has made a name for herself in LA starring in the hit series The Originals.

And Joel loved every minute of working alongside such talented actors. ‘Even if I wasn’t working, I’d drive to set and wear a big hoodie and a hat, and hide in the background and watch because it was a blessing to be around that script and the ensemble,’ he reveals.

The hunky actor is going from strength to strength in his career, and with his dreamy eyes he is sure to catch the attention of women everywhere. And they’re in luck, because Joel, who previously dated Ella Brichta for several years, tells New Idea he is currently single.

Like so many before him, Joel is making the leap across the pond to Hollywood and splitting his time between LA and Oz.

‘I’ve been living out of a suitcase,’ he jokes. ‘But I’m kind of used to it now and I really enjoy it. You’re always meeting new people and there are new opportunities. I’m having a blast and wouldn’t change a thing.’

In fact, Joel scored a role alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the film Jungle, which tells the true story of several strangers who become stranded in the Amazon rainforest.

It was a dream come true for the country boy. ‘Running around the bush and getting dirty is my element,’ he says of filming Jungle. ‘It was a big adventure, something I will always remember really fondly.’

But, while the cast did all their own stunts for the film, Joel isn’t sure he could cope in the actual jungle. ‘I would enjoy the challenge, but I wouldn’t put money on myself,’ he laughs.

While he might be making it big in LA, Joel will always be an Aussie boy at heart. ‘There are more opportunities here in America, which is why we come here, but there’s always going to be a great Aussie drama that gets us home.’