'The Secret Life of Us' - Where Are They Now?

I've recently picked up all 4 seasons of John Edwards' "The Secret Life of Us" and am absolutely loving it. I remember nearly 10 years ago how this was one of my mum's favorite shows which I was not allowed to watch because it was "adult TV" which makes me laugh watching it now. I was going to write this post at the end of all 4 seasons but its taking me so long to get through all the episodes that I decided to do it now. I've compiled a small description for each major character with where they are in their careers at the moment which I find fascinating to think of.

1. Claudia Karvan - "Alex Christensen"

Alex was one of the key three characters in the show right up until the third season. Since then, she has done extremely well to get many amazing roles within both film and TV. She has worked on a number of projects with John Edwards again including Love My Way and Spirited (pay TV) and recently completed work on the highly acclaimed "33 Postcards" which recently premiered at the Sydney Film Festival. Claudia was recently nominated for the ASTRA awards, pay TV's biggest night, with the awards being announced July 21.

2. Samuel Johnson - "Evan Wylde"

Evan's character of TSLOU was thoroughly enjoyed by many and it was his departure from the show which was believed to have cause its demise. After TSLOU, Sam went into a starring a series of short films, finally landing a larger gig with another John Edwards produced show, Rush. I am in love with this program and have followed it blindly since its inception and Sam's character in it, Leon is hilarious. Similar to Evan, he has a knack for playing cheeky characters who know they can get away with murder. Probably the reason for why he got picked up for Underbelly Season 2 and the newest addition to Australia's gritty crime drama work, Small Time Gangster. His voice has also been featured on a number of adverts over the years. All in all, he is doing extremely well with his career.

3. Deborah Mailman - "Kelly Lewis"

Deborah's commitment to the show saw her remain with the production until it wrapped in season 4. Her work in the industry has been revered as a shining example of the talents nestled amongst the indigenous community and she has been an inspiration ever since. Having completed great work on such films as "The Rabbit Proof Fence", her skills were quickly noticed by Edwards and she was selected to play Kelly in TSLOU. "Bran Nue Dae" shortly followed after the closing of TSLOU and soon after that, Deborah returned to the small screen for yet another brilliant John Edwards production as Cherie Butterfield in Offspring. Her character is much loved on the show and with ratings still going strong, her role seems secure.

4. Joel Edgerton - "Will McGill"

I was shocked after beginning season 2 of TSLOU to watch as Will abruptly said goodbye to the show and walked away after just one episode. It turns out he had bigger fish to fry. From TSLOU, Joel starred in "Ned Kelly", "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith", "Kinky Boots", and "Smokin Aces" whilst also developing "The Square", a feature film directed by his brother Nash. Joel has been extremely fortunate in his career, being awarded the AFI award for Best Supporting Actor for David Miçhod's "Animal Kingdom", probably my most favorite Aussie film. Next up? Joel is slated to star in "The Great Gatsby" and "Warrior", major roles which will enhance his reputation for sure.

5. Abi Tucker - "Miranda Lang"

Abi's role in TSLOU wasn't one-dimensional. Her beautiful singing can also be heard in some of the show's most popular songs (i.e "Everybody (Idiot Free)") and it was a sign for her future career. She left the show in 2003 and went onto tour for her first album, Dreamworld. Since then, Abi has been balancing her singing and acting careers, starring in "McLeod's Daughters" whilst writing her second album, One December Moon, which was released in 2008. In 2010, Abi joined "Playschool" but now has focused on her singing career, touring around Australia and internationally.

6. Sibylla Budd - "Gabrielle Kovich"

Sibylla's career began at the VCA which she attended until 1999. From there, she bypassed the usual route of most VCA graduates who enter into the short film laneway and instead found herself being offered a number of TV jobs such as "Something In the Air", one of the ABC's most successful dramas of the era in 2000. She landed the role of Gabrielle on TSLOU one year later and remained with the show until 2003. After this, she had a brief period of inactivity before being signed onto the highly popular "All Saints" series. Two roles in film (for "September" and "The Book of Revelation") most definitely helped her get onto "Sea Patrol" in 2007 and then the unfortunately unsuccessful "Canal Road" in 2008. Sibylla was last heard prepping for a Brisbane based play titled "Betrayal" in 2010.
7. Spencer McLaren - "Richie Blake"

Our favorite straight guy/closet gay came out in season 2 and it was probably the move that propelled Spencer into stardom. In between seasons and after the filming for TSLOU, Spencer performed in a number of theatrical works which helped him sustain his skills until his next role appeared on the British "Family Affairs" sitcom in 2005. Spencer went on to appear in a number of programs from "McLeod's Daughters" to "All Saints" between 2006 and 2010, finally landing a major role in the highly anticipated feature, "Surviving Georgia" which we are extremely excited to see him in. 

8. Damian De Montemas - "Jason Kennedy"

Finally (just because I have been writing this post for 2 days now and I really need to move on - sorry David), we now look at everyone's favorite DILF. Damian graduated from WAAPA in 1997 (which makes me like him even more for being a Perth boy) and from there after a long string of TV appearances in single episodes, he landed the role of Jason Kennedy in 2001. His resume after TSLOU ranges from short films to TV movies to features before he secured a stable on everyone's favorite Aussie soap "Home and Away". He left the show in 2008 and jumped straight into the role of Brian Alexander on "Underbelly" in 2009 which won him the AFI for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, Damian has been extremely lucky to be picked for the role of Brian in the hugely anticipated feature "Blame" and can also be seen on the less successful "Cops LAC" show. What next? Damian is set to appear on ABC "Crownies" later this year. Keep your eyes peeled.

So there you have it everyone! An (almost) complete account for everyone of The Secret Life of Us and there movements since the show up until now. I'll be giving you my account of Season 2 soon so keep reading.

(NB: All photos used in this post are NOT of my own work but can easily be found in a Google search. I thank the photographers for allowing me to use them)