Johnny Austen to Star in Upcoming Comedy Pilot

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Acclaimed Australian actor Johnny Austen stars in the upcoming comedy pilot “Broke AF,” from producers Maegan McConnell and Heather Wood.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this project from these two very talented producer/creators,” Austen said. “I will be playing Drew, an unemployed mall Santa with big ambitions to be a professional gamer, although he is too lazy to make that happen, he’s a very fun character to play.”

The pilot, now in pre-production and set to be shot in the spring, follows the story of Molly and Addy, as they try to tackle the challenges of love, work and the uniqueness of simply living in Los Angeles. In order to play the lovable loser Drew, Austen draws on his stage experience where he played a variety of dramatic and sometimes quirky characters with a penchant for drama and occasional humor.

“But the sad truth is, Drew and I have more in common than I am proud to admit,” Austen quipped. “But, converting to television as a stage actor means having a more ‘internal’ performance. I have the same intentions. I just have to keep most of it a secret. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was being told you were ‘too big’ and had to ‘tone it down’ which was the sort of feedback you want. Because the camera picks up so much detail, I have to be more understated and more internal than if I was on a large stage.”

Although additional casting announcements are pending, Austen is looking forward to the new pilot which will mark a decisive shift in his usual work as a dramatic leading man in a number of stage productions and occasional films.

Born in London, but having grown up in Australia, Austen was exposed to the arts early on when he became enthralled by films and television shows, ultimately becoming involved in drama classes and school plays. “When I was 4, I started saying that I wanted to be an actor. It was something that I always have been drawn to. If anything, it’s the reason I was put here. It’s also bloody fun,” he recalled. “While my father is good at music, my parents have never been involved formally in the arts. My mother is a high school math teacher and my father is an entrepreneur. My extended family are mathematicians, business people and engineers. I’m the only artist in my family.”

His passion for performing also extended to sports where he excelled at rugby before he decided to pursue acting full time. He would go on to perform in such plays as “What the Hell?” “Macbeth,” and many others in his native Australia, Austen realized he needed to come to America to fulfill his acting ambitions.

After attending American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles and honing his craft with a number of acting courses, Austen would go on to play Percinet, the lead in the play “The Romantics,” described by producers as a comedic love letter to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet." He later appeared in a touring production of “Richard III,” and “Twelfth Night,” as well as others. He is currently cast in another production of “Twelfth Night” by Hyperactive Studios.

As for his future plans, Austin is working on some scripts of his own while continuing to audition, with dreams of someday returning home to perform there once again.

“I think every Australian who heads overseas for acting wishes and hopes to perform in their own country,” he said. “A goal in my career is to perform on the main stage of the Sydney Opera House. I have worked for shows at the Opera House, but never as the star of a play. In a perfect world, I would love to be able to do that.”

For more information, follow Austen on IMDB, Facebook and Instagram.