Why actor Ben O’Toole is moving back to Brisbane
After heading overseas to make a name for himself in Hollywood, Brisbane actor Ben O’Toole has revealed he’s making an unexpected U-turn, but not for the reasons many might expect.
After 15 years of building a successful international career, Ben O’Toole is making a grand return to his hometown of Brisbane.
The 35-year-old actor, best known for his roles in Boy Swallows Universe, The Water Diviner, and C*A*U*G*H*T has announced he’s coming home — not to retreat, but to embrace a new chapter in both his personal and professional lives.
O’Toole left Brisbane in 2009 to study at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), a launch pad for his acting career that saw him move to Sydney and eventually Los Angeles.
Yet, despite his success, the actor said his heart never left Brisbane.
“Why am I back? I consider myself very fortunate. I’m at a point in my career now where I can be based wherever I want, and I want to be in Brisbane and close to my family,” O’Toole said.
“My brother just had a daughter, and I want to be around for that — uncle duties.”
O’Toole’s decision to return isn’t a sign of slowing down, assuring fans that his move back to Queensland is more about quality of life than career necessity.
“I’m absolutely not retiring – I wouldn’t know what I would do with myself if I wasn’t acting,” he said.
“But for the past couple of years, I’ve been travelling for work anyway, Sydney’s just been where I’ve storing my stuff.
“So, it’s kind of a question I had to ask myself this year, ‘if I could live anywhere, where do I want to be?’ and that’s here, in Brisbane”.
One of the key drivers of his return is Queensland’s rapidly growing arts and film scene.
With new studios being developed on the Gold Coast and in Cairns, the state is becoming a hub for international film productions.
O’Toole experienced this first-hand while filming the Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe in Brisbane, where he took on the role of Teddy Callis.
O’Toole acknowledged the transformation, saying, “twelve years ago, pretty much everything went through Sydney, nowadays pretty much since Covid the landscape changed, and so everybody’s kind of changed with it”.
“There are so many things shooting up here, there are so many international projects in Queensland so the idea of having to live in Sydney when you’re first starting out, I don’t think that’s necessarily true anymore”.
O’Toole also revealed that while based in Brisbane, he plans to focus on personal projects, hinting at ventures he’s developing but can’t yet disclose.
“There are a couple of things in the pipeline I am developing as well,” he said.
“I’m really taking the time to give these opportunities that I have in front of me right now the best chance they can, it’ scary creating your own work – but I’m really excited to give it ago”.
As he settles back into his hometown, O’Toole reflected on the warmth and culture Brisbane offers.
“I’m sitting at Howard Smith Wharves right now, and I’m asking myself, ‘Why did it take me so long to come back?’” he said with a laugh.
“If this was the Brisbane I left all those years ago, I would have found it much harder to leave.”
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