Love on the Spectrum fan favourite Michael Theo is now the star of his own TV show, Austin — as he should be!
Michael, who is on the autism spectrum, rose to fame when he first appeared in the documentary series in 2019 in the hopes of finding a girlfriend.
While he’s yet to find everlasting love, the 30-year-old has since launched his own podcast and is now one of the lead roles in the ABC show Austin.
The eight-party dramedy follows a best-selling (although recently cancelled) children’s author named Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller), whose world is turned on its head when 20-something Austin, played by Michael, claims to be his son.
Chatting to PEDESTRIAN.TV about the role, Michael said it was important that his character was a genuine representation of neurodivergency.
“I made it very clear to the crew from the very beginning that Austin should be a true representation of people on the spectrum or neurodiverse people, as we should say,” Michael said.
“I’m very proud of the show itself. It’s the most important work that I’ve ever done in my life.”
Austin was written with Love on the Spectrum‘s Michael Theo in mind
According to Austin‘s director, Darren Ashton, he found Michael “incredibly charismatic” on Love on the Spectrum.
“I just thought there was something special about his screen presence,” he said.
As such, he wrote the new ABC series with Michael in mind.
“We did a chemistry test with Michael and Ben Miller almost four years ago — time flies — and they got on really well,” Darren explained.
“Working with Michael has changed my outlook on life a lot. His influence on the show has been so positive and life-affirming. He’s just a person that looks at life in a positive way.”
Austin airs at 8 pm on Sundays on ABC TV. Otherwise, all episodes are available to stream on ABC iView now.
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