Lincoln in his element
Currently starring in Nine’s crime-comedy series After the Verdict, Lincoln Younes reflects on the biggest roles of his career and what he has learnt along the way from the legends of the industry,
WHEN it comes to playing likeable bad boys, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone with as much experience and expertise as Lincoln Younes.
From the very first moment Younes took on his first major role – as the troubled teen Romeo in the 2009 Foxtel drama Tangle – it was clear he had the talent and charisma to make even the most obnoxious and flawed character appealing.
And even though he has played an array of characters over the years, Younes has become something of a go-to guy for TV bad guys; from
Tangle’s Romeo and Home and Away’s brooding Casey Braxton and
now After the Verdict’s smarmy real estate agent Ollie.
He’s also been tapped to star in the upcoming Last King of the Cross as real-life nightclub owner John Ibrahim. Due to the sensitive nature of the material, Younes has to remain tight-lipped on the Paramount+ miniseries, which is currently in production.
“It’s been a really exciting kind of adventure because it is a fictional retelling and based on true events in real life,” he says.
“It’s been a journey but I’m very excited for when it comes out.”
The thoughtful star hasn’t actively sought to play bad boys. Instead, Younes says he looks for roles that he can disappear behind and which offer him exciting challenges as an actor.
“I’ve always loved the idea of not being recognisable, which is which is quite funny having done a show like Home and Away where you are recognised for something,” he says, with a wry and self-aware laugh.
“But in any role, the biggest compliment would be someone not recognising me!
“Since [Home and Away] there has been a conscious decision to always choose fun, dynamic characters.
“The reality is, you are so exceptionally fortunate to be working as an actor because 99 per cent of actors can’t live off their wage.”
Younes’ ease in front of the camera has ensured that he has worked steadily since his breakout role on Tangle where, despite being just 13 years of age, he more than held his own among a talented and experienced cast that included
Ben Mendelsohn, Kat Stewart and Justine Clarke. He even netted an ASTRA Award for his performance.
“Tangle was ahead of its time,” he says.
“I think it was deeply human and it showed, in all [their] ugly glory, the flaws of humans. And that’s really that’s how you engage people nowadays. I was just so fortunate because the older actors that I was exposed to early on gave me a great respect for [their] work ethic.”
Then landing his role on Home and Away provided Younes with a different sort of learning curve; forcing him to adjust to the fast pace of a soap and the glare of the spotlight that comes with it.
“I learned a lot of consistent technical elements of what it is to make a show quickly,” he explains.
“Where there isn’t much time for the writers or creators behind the screen, and you learn to make the best of what you’re given in the time you’re allocated. I have a great respect for that. But in terms of the fame and the lack of anonymity that came from that, yeah, I wasn’t I wasn’t ready for it.”
Younes put his travelling plans on hold when he won the role of Casey, one of the trio of much-hyped
“River Boys”, which included Darryl (Stephen Peacocke) and Heath
(Dan Ewing).
“I think we hit a golden period with the dynamics in which we came into the show,” Younes says. “I don’t know what aligned, but it seems to have been quite a heightened situation where the audience really enjoyed the dynamic between these new characters, which was great.”
On his latest series, After the Verdict, Younes has once again found himself in a situation where the chemistry of the ensemble is a large part of what makes the series so engaging.
In the dark comedy about four jurors who reinvestigate the accused murderer they found not guilty, Younes stars alongside Michelle
Lim Davidson (The Newsreader), Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot) and comedy legend Magda Szubanski.
Younes says he developed a particularly close bond with Szubanski during filming.
“I have always admired Magda, not just for her comedy, but for her intellect,” he says.
“I think that she is one of the most articulate and intelligent people we have in Australia and that is why she’s such an Australian icon.
“I admire her work ethic and pioneering of underdogs in every way. I really respect her as a human but to work with [her] as well was such a pleasure. I looked forward to every day.”
Apart from the on-set camaraderie, another appeal of After the Verdict for Younes was the fact it is unlike a lot of the stereotypical Aussie crime dramas you’d see on TV.
Instead, After the Verdict follows the lead of shows like Only Murders in the Building (Disney+) and is a lighter take on the genre, with a clutch of quirky characters.
“I feel like we often deal with drama in quite a heavy-handed way [in Australia],” he reflects.
“And that is not terribly culturally accurate for us because I feel like we have this lighter side of us that is drawn to levity, especially in heavy situations.
“So, it’s quite exciting to be part of a drama that reflects that kind of mindset.”
After the Verdict, Wednesday, 8.45pm, Nine and streaming, 9Now