Podcast | Luke Arnold (Scrublands: Silver) – With the highly anticipated second season of Scrublands premiering on Stan April 17, we’re joined by one of Australia’s most compelling actors, Luke Arnold, for a deep dive into the new chapter of this critically acclaimed series.
Titled Scrublands: Silver, the new season continues the journey of investigative journalist Martin Scarsden, played with nuance and depth by Arnold. After the first season’s stunning debut on Stan in November 2023—and its successful run on the Nine Network, reaching over 1.5 million viewers—this next instalment brings a more intimate and emotionally charged mystery to the forefront.
Luke Arnold, whose resume spans roles as Michael Hutchence (INXS: Never Tear Us Apart), John Silver (Black Sails), and a string of standout performances both in Australia and abroad, joins Aaron Ryan at TV Central to unpack the evolution of Scrublands, his career, and the man behind the roles.
🔹 In this episode, we chat about:
- What initially drew Luke to Scrublands: was it the script, the cast, or those breathtaking rural landscapes?
- How Scrublands: Silver dives deeper into Martin’s past with childhood flashbacks and emotional stakes
- The challenges and rewards of playing such a layered, conflicted character
- A spoiler-free tease of what viewers can expect in Season 2
- Working alongside iconic Australian actors like Debra Lawrence, Tasma Walton, and Luke Carroll
- Filming in Western Australia: the impact of location on performance and headspace
- Why more productions should be shot in WA’s stunning and underutilized regions
- How the Australian setting enhances the series’ tone and visual storytelling
- Luke’s life journey across the country—Adelaide to Sydney, QLD to WAAPA—and how that shaped his identity
- Is Luke selective with his roles, or just lucky? Reflecting on Black Sails, The End, and INXS
- Dream roles and creative goals still on the horizon
- A humorous nod to a live-action Mighty Morphin Power Rangers… maybe?
- A fascinating family tale: the story of his great-great-grandmother, Jane or Jean
- Insights from an SMH interview about the strong women in Luke’s life, and the zigzag paths people take
- A candid conversation about public perception vs. personal truth—who is the real Luke Arnold?
- Misconceptions people have about him—and what they often get wrong
- How acting has shaped his understanding of relationships and emotional complexity
- Personal growth: what Luke is still working on within himself
- His passions beyond acting: writing, creativity, and a unique TikTok habit involving pajamas and literature
- Upcoming projects outside of Scrublands: Silver
Scrublands: Silver premieres April 17 with all episodes dropping at once on Stan.
TV Central Stan content HERE
Link to Luke Arnold Instagram HERE
Link to Luke Arnold website HERE
Podcast | Luke Arnold (Scrublands: Silver)
Thank you to Jessica Seaborn at Stan for organising this podcast
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Luke Arnold Bio
Luke Arnold is the award-winning actor from projects such as Black Sails, Glitch and Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS as well as the author of The Fetch Phillips Archives; a series of fantastical detective stories that has just released its third instalment.
James leads the company’s strategic direction as it looks to further expand and fulfil the potential of the region. He has spearheaded several transformative partnerships to drive increased revenues and scale including the launch of MAX in 10 APAC markets, including Australia.
Prior to the merger, James helmed Discovery’s UK and Nordics business, where he launched discovery+. He previously led the company’s Emerging Markets group across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Credit: www.lukearnold.net
Rising star Luke Arnold is a graduate from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He began his acting career with Australian television, staring in the series McLeod’s Daughters, Rush, Rescue: Special Ops, City Homicide, and Steven Spielberg’s The Pacific.
His first feature film role was the lead in Broken Hill, in which he had the opportunity to work with Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton, Spy Kids star Alexa Vega, and fellow Aussie Rhys Wakefield. The film was produced by Chris Wyatt (Napoleon Dynamite) and Julie Ryan (Ten Canoes, Red Dog). Broken Hill, a film about an Australian high school boy with big dreams of leaving the remote outback and becoming a classical musician, won a collection of international festival awards, including Best Feature 13+ at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy.
Following Broken Hill, Arnold stared in “The Tunnel”, a thriller set in the dark tunnels of the Australian subway system.
Luke Arnold was also the lead in the 2011 Australian comedy “Dealing with Destiny” and returned to Italy to star in the thriller “Murder in the Dark.”
Credit: IMDb
Scrublands: Silver
Stan and the 9Network today announced that the brand new season of the Stan Original Series Scrublands: Silver will premiere April 17, all episodes at once and only on Stan. Filmed in Augusta, Western Australia, Scrublands: Silver sees Luke Arnold (Black Sails, Last King of the Cross) and Bella Heathcote (Stan Original Series C*A*U*G*H*T, The Family Next Door, Pieces of Her) reprise their roles after a critically acclaimed, smash-hit first season.
In the brand new season, it’s been a year since the life changing events of Scrublands and award-winning investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold) has returned to his coastal hometown, Port Silver, to set up a new life with partner Mandy Bond (Heathcote). When he arrives to find his childhood friend Jasper brutally murdered and Mandy the prime suspect, Martin struggles with doubts – about Mandy and about his own ability to recognise the truth.
As he pushes forward to find the real murderer and absolve Mandy, Martin confronts secrets about Port Silver and his long-buried past.
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Based on the best-selling novel Silver by Chris Hammer, the sequel to Scrublands, the second season will also star Luke Carroll (The Artful Dodger), Debra Lawrance (Please Like Me), David Roberts (Please Like Me), Tasma Walton (The Twelve), Luke Pegler (Hacksaw Ridge), Caroline Brazier (Stan Original Series Year Of), Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door), Toby Truslove (La Brea), Sarah Roberts (Home and Away), Hamish Michael (The Twelve), Radek Jonak (Stan Original Film The Surfer) and Damian De Montemas (Hounds of Love).
The Stan Original Series Scrublands: Silver is an Easy Tiger production in association with Third Act Stories co-commissioned by Stan and the 9Network.
Produced by Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, Martha Coleman and Felicity Packard. Directed by Ben Young, written by Felicity Packard, Fiona Kelly and Jock Serong, with Executive Producers Michael Healy and Andy Ryan from the 9Network and Cailah Scobie and Alicia Brown for Stan. Major production investment from Screenwest, Lotterywest and the WA Regional Screen Fund. Developed with the assistance of Screenwest and Lotterywest. International sales are handled by Sphere Abacus.
The brand new season of the Stan Original Series Scrublands: Silver premieres April 17, all episodes at once and only on Stan. Every episode of season one is now streaming.
Luke Arnold in Pictures
