GQ’s TV Actor of The Year Sam Corlett moves on to even bigger projects in Australia

He’s just an Aussie surfer at heart, but The Territory actor Sam Corlett is increasing delighting global audiences and will this week be crowded GQ’s television actor of the year.

Sam Corlett has been named GQ’s TV Actor of The Year ahead of this year’s Men of the Year Awards, which will be held on Wednesday.

Insider can reveal the Territory and Vikings: Valhalla star as an early winner from the glamorous awards night, which honours a host of men and women who have shaped the sporting, cultural, and style world this year in Australia, and around the world.

To be held at the newly converted White Bay Power Station in Sydney’s inner west, the awards, in partnership with Defender, have long been one of the most star-studded nights on the calendar, with last year’s ceremony welcoming singer Troye Sivan, rugby league star Nathan Cleary, and Robert Irwin to Bondi for the ceremony.

Past years have seen everyone from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and homegrown stars like Chris Hemsworth and Jacob Elordi to global names including Zendaya, Austin Butler and Jeff Goldblum – and Corlett can’t wait.

After taking over our screens in the hugely popular Netflix series Territory this year, the Central Coast actor loves a surf – and in a new project he was born for, is set to star in Kevin Costner’s new surf exploration flick Headhunters.

He’s also continued his fine run of television performances, which started with a breakout in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and was cemented when he played famed Viking Leif Erikson in the Vikings: Valhalla spin-off.

Corlett is a rightly-deserving winner of the award as he moves on to even bigger projects in Australian television.

Sam Corlett at the 2023 GQ Australia Men Of The Year Award. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

“It’s cool that something so Australian has been received well,” Corlett says of Territory in an upcoming feature that will be included in GQ’s special Men of the Year edition, available exclusively in The Australian on Friday, December 13.

The show, set in the world of Northern Territory cattle stations, peaked at the number two spot in the most popular shows in the world, according to Netflix.

Sam Corlett at a Netflix special screening of Territory at Entertainment Quarter, Sydney, in October. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

“You never have that expectation when it comes to an ‘Australian’ thing, but I think it’s a testament to everyone that was involved creatively that saw the power of it,” the 26-year-old adds.

Despite his global experience, Corlett is determined to keep telling the stories we know all too well back at home. Returning to do that, Corlett says that being home has introduced him to something he hasn’t quite experienced before: recognition.

“Obviously I never really got recognised during Vikings because of the beard,” he says.

In that project, Corlett wears his hair down to his shoulders, and sports a shaggy beard, whereas in Territory, where he plays the vagabond Marshall Lawson, he’s more similar to his day-to-day look.

“A couple of people have come up and congratulated me or said they’re watching the show.”

As for what’s next for the in-demand actor?

Sam Corlett is an active learner. Picture: Edward Mulvihill

“Variety excites my soul.” Picture: Edward Mulvihill

“Variety excites my soul,” he says, hinting at a range of projects on the horizon, and not just in television.

An active learner, Corlett has enlisted a suite of acting coaches to challenge him, including the famed Gerry Grennell, who counts Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and the late Heath Ledger among his growing list of students.

Corlett has recently played a harrowing, but commanding role as a drug addict in the Australian film He Ain’t Heavy, where he stars alongside Leila George. Beyond acting, Corlett is an avid painter and also writes poetry and music.

But it’s among these productions he feels he has the most to say, and he’s gunning for the Australian film industry with ideas.

“I’d love to foster some of Marshall’s youthful rebellion in the Australian industry here,” he says with a bit of extra passion.

“I’d love to contribute somehow to the tapestry of Australian film and cinema more.”

Follow all the action from the 2024 GQ MOTY awards at GQ.com.au/MOTY

Originally published as GQ’s TV Actor of The Year Sam Corlett moves on to even bigger projects in Australia