Penelope Cruz

From Summer Bay to World War III, Lincoln Lewis, son of Rugby League legend Wally Lewis, is taking no prisoners. When Lewis first got the role of Geoff on iconic Aussie soap Home and Away and had to uproot from his Queensland base to Sydney in 2015, he was not leaving without his books. They weren't just any books, however, they were the best-selling Tomorrow series by John Marsden.

``I started reading them when I was younger, whenever I had spare time,'' he says.
``I loved the books, always did, and when people would ask me in interviews `what would be your dream role?' I would always say after reading those books, if it was ever made into a TV show or a movie, that would be it.''

Lewis' mother Jacqui says she was `shocked' to find him packing up the books with the rest of belongings to take to Sydney.

``They were the only books he took because he said he wanted to read the series again.
``He was always very into them.
``We had no idea there would be a movie years later or that he would be in it.''

The dream came true when Lewis auditioned for, and got, the role of Kevin in the film adaptation of the first book - Tomorrow, When The War Began. The series follows a group of country teenagers who decide to become guerrilla soldiers after Australia is invaded by a foreign power. Written and directed by Stuart Beattie, the Aussie screenwriter behind hits such as Collateral, Pirates Of The Caribbean and G.I Joe: Rise Of The Cobra, Lewis soon found himself making the transition from small screen to silver screen in the biggest Australian blockbuster of the year.

``I'm trying to find the words, there are so many . . .honoured I guess,'' says the 22-year-old.
``It's an amazing honour because the books are so well loved by everyone and then you have Stuart Beattie at the helm.
``I was honoured that I was lucky enough to even get to audition, let alone get the part.''

The role of Kevin, Lewis says, was especially fun as `he's the guy you love to hate'.

``As Stuart said, he's a complete 180 from Geoff,'' he says.
``Geoff likes to make sure everyone's okay whereas Kevin is all for himself.
``He's just one of the dudes, one of the fellas in the group and he likes to put himself before other people.
``If he's put out he will let you know about it and when things are completely upside down and he has no control, he freaks out.''

Most actors would have been freaking out too about all of the dangerous stunts they were required to do during the shoot, but Lewis says he embraced the opportunity.

``All the big action stuff I made sure I was able to do,'' he says.
``Things are on such a grander level - the explosions, the gun fights and the action sequences.''
Although potential sequels are dependant on the success of the first film, Lewis said he would definitely be keen to revisit the role.

In the mean time though, he has just finished shooting his next film Mei Mei alongside Guy Pearce and Claudia Karvan. But it is no secret this Queensland boy is planning an assault on Hollywood.

``Ultimately I'd love to do what Hugh Jackman has done,'' he says.
``He did a lot of jobs throughout Australia, went over to America, made a name for himself and then brought the industry here to make it bigger.
``But I'm not really too picky and say `I don't want to do this' because in Australia you can't afford to.
``I'm not going to say no to any jobs. I know what it was like driving down to the Gold Coast every few days for auditions when I was 16 and 17.
``I know how long it takes for you to get a job and then when you finally get one, you appreciate it so much more.''

P.S. Since it is less than two days until the release of Tomorrow, When The War Began I figure it’s time to start getting you all majorly excited. That is, if you aren’t already. Which you should be. Therefore, I’m officially declaring this as Tomorrow, When The War Began day and prepare yourself for a swag of related stories. Starting with the lovely Phoebe Tonkin (below), who plays Fi in the film.I interviewed her at the Queensland premiere last fortnight and the next day over breakfast in Southport. As well as talking about the movie and future projects, all the usual stuff, we broached the big one - Phoebe Tonkin’s favourite movies.

“I’ve always loved Pretty Woman, that’s probably my favourite. I saw Shutter Island recently which was really good. Princess Bride, oh and Girl Interrupted is also amazing. I love Julia Roberts so anything with her in it really.”