Lincoln Younes takes up running challenge for mental health

He was working in the US when Covid hit last year so Aussie actor Lincoln Younes returned home and has been here ever since. But he’s making the most of it by taking up a new challenge for a good cause.

Australian actor Lincoln Younes was hours away from shooting the gig of a lifetime before it was abruptly cut short due to Covid-19.

Months after wrapping up Grand Hotel alongside Eva Longoria, the 29-year-old actor landed a lead role in cult classic The Lost Boys.

However, the global pandemic saw the US production shut down and resulted in him jetting back to Australia where he has remained ever since.

“At the start of 2020 I flew to North Carolina to start filming the TV series The Lost Boys,” Younes told Saturday Confidential.

“We were in pre-production for about a month, then 10 hours before my first day of shooting, Covid stopped us.

“It was an incredibly amazing opportunity and it was quite a tough gig to get because it was a world search, but there were a lot worse things happening in the world so I had to keep that perspective about things.

“I have got my health and can still work and those close to me were safe – but yes, it was incredibly tough.”

Aussie actor Lincoln Younes has taken up the The 10 Challenge, to help raise money for mental health awareness. Picture: Tim Hunter

In a bittersweet twist, Younes, who previously played Summer Bay heart-throb Casey Braxton in Home And Away, decided to fly home in July and has since been cast in a number of Aussie productions.

“I was only meant to come home for a few months then Doctor Doctor came up,” Younes said.

“Then I stayed over Christmas and the show which I just finished filming – Barons, on the ABC – happened.

“It has been kind of really serendipitous and wonderful being able to remain in Australia and do some really good work here.”

Constantly hustling for gigs in recent years meant Younes put any other passions he had to the side. However the forced downtime due to Covid-19 has meant the mental health advocate could focus on the other big hobby in his life – cooking.

“Last year was such a rare moment in time because for the first time ever there were no acting jobs around the world,” he said.

“It gave me time to focus on re-engaging with old hobbies like cooking. Being half Lebanese, food is a cultural and soulful experience. I actually have dreams of opening a restaurant in Sydney one day.”

Younes has also used his downtime to create The 10 Challenge, an initiative raising money for mental health awareness with funds going to Beyond Blue and Lifeline.

“I had a few friends get Covid and they found they were short of breath and quite down so I started this workout group for them last year and it grew and went from three people to 40 people,” he said.

“From it, I decided to do The 10 Challenge. I am running 10km every day during the 10th month to raise $10,000 for mental health and suicide prevention.

“It is a brave new world and we need to combat languishing with legs, monotony with momentum, and anxiety with action.”

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Originally published as Lincoln Younes takes up running challenge for mental health