Stephen Peacocke is becoming a recognised Hollywood star in the US

FOR most of his working life, Stephen Peacocke has been recognised as the bad boy from Home and Away. But recently, he was recognised in New York for something different.

• Peacocke’s Hollywood WTF moment at private screening
• Peacocke happy to help mates out, filming ONE scene as a favour

FOR most of his working life Stephen Peacocke has been recognised for his role as bad boy Brax in long-running soap Home And Away.

But just recently the Australian-born, now Los Angeles-based, actor was recognised for something different: his supporting role alongside Emilia Clarke in heartbreaking 2016 Hollywood drama Me Before You.

“I was in New York and a girl and her mum came up when I was in this book shop and said, ‘You were in Me Before You?’ It’s the first time someone hasn’t come up and said, ‘Why are you wearing a shirt?’” he joked.

Stephen Peacocke left Home and Away to pursue a career in Hollywood. Picture: Richard Dobson

It is his role as male nurse Nathan in the film about the relationship between a carer and wealthy paralysed banker that is starting to turn the Dubbo-born boy into a more recognisable Hollywood actor. And brought out his softer side.

“I remember reading that script and cried reading it. It doesn’t take much to make me cry. But then I was trying to explain the story to my wife and couldn’t do it without crying. It was appalling. Lucky no one could see me,” he said.

The down-to-earth Aussie still makes time to come home and will reprise his role of no-nonsense Detective Josh Levine in Channel 7’s Wanted on Monday night.

“It’s nice to think that people want you to come back,” Peacocke, 35, said, adding that creator and star Rebecca Gibney was incredibly flexible with working around his US opportunities.

“We didn’t think it was going to work initially but Bec is so bloody great about it. I was coming back at the end of the year for Christmas and I just got this nice little bonus trip to film in NZ.”

Peacocke still returns back to Australia for commitments such as Rebecca Gibney’s TV show Wanted. Picture: Channel 7

Peacocke has no plans to reprise his role in Home And Away despite still being in regular contact with cast members.

While he and actor wife Bridgette Sneddon are focusing on overseas opportunities, and dreaming of one day getting the opportunity to work with Mel Gibson, Peacocke will always call
Australia home.

“I miss country Australia. There is something completely unique about a place like Dubbo, where I grew up, and Bourke, that you can’t find anywhere else in the world,” he said.

“But I’ve got some illegal set up on my computer where I can watch all the rugby from America, as depressing as that is. So we’ve settled into LA.”