It’s not every day that you’re nominated for a Logie Award by TV WEEK.
When Matt Evans of Home and Away learned he was nominated for the coveted Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent, the scenario felt “surreal.”
“I honestly didn’t see it coming at all. It was kind of something I always joked about when I first started acting on [Home and Away]. It kind of doesn’t feel real,” he tells TV WEEK.
“I just feel really honoured and I’m really happy to have been nominated.”
Despite his cult following for his portrayal of damaged bad boy Theo Poulos, Matt admits that winning the Graham Kennedy Award will be difficult – and he’s right!
MAFS expert Alessandra Rampolla, The Project co-host Tony Armstrong, comedian Melanie Bracewell, and fellow actors Will Lodder and Carlos Sanson Jr. are all fighting for the title of most popular new talent.
“A lot of the people who are nominated look like they’re going to have great careers. Like Tony Armstrong – especially with the ABC – everybody loves him, he’s brilliant,” Matt admits.
“I feel the competition and I feel a slight bit of ‘oh wow I’m in this category and it’s a bit scary’.”
The cast of Home and Away is often referred to as a family, so it’s no surprise that when news of his nomination leaked, Matt received an outpouring of support from his co-stars.
“I’m a class-clown type of person so they’ve taken the mickey out of me. But it’s all been really positive at the same time,” he says.
“You kind of have this feeling of ‘are people going to think differently of me?
Or do they think they should have been nominated?
‘But everyone, notably the show’s creators, was incredibly supportive, even those who were nominated in the same category.
“At the end of the day it doesn’t really just come down to me, it’s [for] us as a team. So anything that comes around is just really good for everybody.”
Matt has a devoted fanbase and a Logie Award nomination under his belt, indicating that he has a bright future in film and television.
His devotion, however, is not limited to acting. The 25-year-old can also sing very well, having competed on The Voice in 2020.
Matt says he’s pleased to continue both occupations at the same time for the time being, though he can’t say where he’ll finish up.
“I’m taking each day as it comes. I’m really enjoying acting since I’ve started it; it’s a new skill that I’m learning and I’m really in it for the ride and enjoying it but music at the same time was always my passion,” he says.
“I’ve always wanted to be a performer and a musician, so I believe I’m open to [pursuing] either.
Matt, on the other hand, confesses he’s not sold on the nomadic lifestyle that comes with a music career.
“I’m not sure how enthusiastic I am about the prospect of touring. I’m pretty unsure about everything, but I think there’s a certain beauty in being open-minded and accepting whatever comes my way “he declares
Matt also discusses his apprehensions about diving headfirst into a music career.
“It sounds really silly when I say it out loud but I always have this fear of the music industry where I think I’m getting too old to break through,” he says.
“I know I’m only 25 but it’s the thing that keeps eating at me in my own head. So I think that might be a fear as to why I kind of push [pursuing music] away.”
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