Love On The Spectrum star Michael Theo has landed his first big acting role in ABC’s new comedy series Austin.
The reality star, who rose to fame after starring in the ABC series about neurodivergent singles who find love, plays the lead role of Austin, a Canberra forklift driver with autism.
Austin enters the life of the main character, British children’s author Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller), whom he believes is his father after the pair meet briefly in London.
Speaking to ABC about his new role, Michael applauded the producers for casting someone with autism to play a neurodivergent character.
“I think (the script) was pretty spot on and I’m really impressed that they cast an actor on the spectrum to play someone on the spectrum,” he told Lindsay McDougall on ABC Illawarra Drive.
Love On The Spectrum star Michael Theo (pictured) has landed his first big acting role in ABC’s new comedy series Austin.
Theo, who has always dreamed of becoming an actor, said he was excited to land such an incredible role a few years after Love on The Spectrum was filmed.
He also revealed that Austin’s character was inspired by him, while his on-screen mother Mel (played by Gia Carides) was also inspired by his own mother.
“I’m used to saying phrases like that because I don’t have a filter either, like Austin doesn’t,” he said.
The reality star, who rose to fame after starring in the ABC series about neurodivergent singles who find love, plays the lead role of Austin, a Canberra forklift driver with autism.
“There are some actors who play deadpan characters on my favorite shows and they always make me laugh.”
Love on the Spectrum followed seven young adults on the autism spectrum as they explore dating and relationships in the modern world.
Although Michael was unlucky in finding a girlfriend on the show, he gained many fans and publicity opportunities.
Austin enters the life of the main character, British children’s author Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller), whom he believes is his father after the pair meet briefly in London.
In 2021 he appeared on the Ellen show and a month later he launched a podcast called Mr A+, in which he discusses topics such as mental health, fitness, and dating.
He also enjoyed a small cameo in the television series Hardball in 2019.
Austin airs Sundays at 8 pm on ABC.
Michael stole viewers’ hearts in seasons one and two of the four-part documentary Love on the Spectrum. The series originally aired on ABC before being picked up by Netflix.