Olivia Deeble, the former star of Home and Away, has shown her acting abilities three years after leaving Summer Bay for good.
Olivia is also creating a reputation for herself behind the camera in her most recent effort.
More Than This, a groundbreaking six-part series on Paramount+ that chronicles the real and often painful narrative of five 17-year-old students and their teacher whose various worlds clash when they are forced together in a Year 12 English class, was co-created by the 19-year-old and starring him.
The series delves at the specific issues that Australian teens face as they grow up, including peer pressure, family and school pressures, bullying, body image, relationships, and sexuality.
Luka Gracie, an 18-year-old trans non-binary actress and filmmaker, assisted Olivia in the development of the show, which starred Kamil Ellis, Ellmir Asipi, Josh Heuston, Oisin O’Leary, and newcomer Selena Brincat, as well as Bert Labonte, a veteran of theatre and television.
Olivia, who is best known for her appearances in Little Lunch and the Disney feature film The Secret Society of Second Born Royals (as well as, of course, Home and Away), started writing the series when she was 17 and in the midst of Melbourne’s lockdown.
“I’d auditioned for and seen hundreds of high school productions, and they were all the same to me. I wanted to develop something genuine because none of them were telling anything close to my reality or experience “she stated
“When I asked my friends what they wanted to see on TV, they said genuine teenagers, not shiny, photoshopped replicas played by 25-year-olds with adult bodies and adult confidence.”
“I am quite pleased with More Than This. I feel that the characters, words, and plot are our own, and it’s a truthful portrayal of how Australian kids feel while still being a terrific series with a tonne of characters to adore.”
Olivia’s exciting new TV endeavour comes two years after she departed her three-role on Home and Away as Raffy Morgan.
Olivia was barely 14 years old when she debuted as the lively Raffy on our screens and right into our hearts.
In 2019, Olivia told TV WEEK, “It was really emotional and quite sad, but you just kind of know when it’s time [to leave the programme].”
Olivia’s choice not to sign on for future seasons coincided with her obtaining the dream part of Roxana in Disney+’s Secret Society Of Second Born Royals, as if it were fate.
“I was aware that my contract was coming to an end, so I started applying for stuff,” Olivia explained at the time. “Then the Disney audition came through, and I really liked the job.”
“I left for Canada two weeks after [finishing] shooting Home And Away.”
In early 2022, More Than This will premiere on Paramount+.
