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He up and left Summer Bay for pastures greener Stateside and has already landed himself in a major movie role alongside some stellar A-listers, such as Tina Fey, Margot Robbie and Billy Bob Thornton, but Hollywood has yet to go to Steve Peacocke's head.
The 34-year-old from Dubbo is humble about his part on dramedy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF, get it?), which he landed about a month after he left his role as Brax on Home and Away.
"It was a matter of timing, I guess. I just finished up on Home and Away in October [2014] and this came up in November or December and then by February we were in New Mexico shooting it," Peacocke told Fairfax Media while on his press run for the film in Sydney on Tuesday.
Peacocke plays Fey's security guard in war-torn Afghanistan, with a bad-boy twist complete with six-pack and tattoos that is not a million miles away from bad boy Brax.
"They needed someone from Down Under. I was supposed to be a Kiwi but they said, 'No one can tell the difference over here [US]', so just make it Aussie," he laughed.
"The first thing I said to my wife after I walked out of the first screening at Paramount in America is 'Crikey, I'm actually part of something that is really good' ... I just thought, 'Wow this is something to be proud of'... It is a pinch-yourself moment."
He credited his "hundreds and hundreds of hours spent in front of the camera" on the Channel Seven hit for helping him land the role and believes the success rate of Australian soap stars who make it big in LA (including Robbie, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Isla Fisher, Guy Pearce, and the late Heath Ledger, to name but a few) is because they tend to "work hard on the acting rather than trying to be famous".
"You see Chris Hemsworth, he's such a top bloke. He obviously looks extraordinary and is a great actor but he's a hard worker," he explained.
Peacocke added that Robbie has the attention of all the right people. "You feel kind of proud being over there on a film set and hearing another Aussie accent and especially Margot, she is the real deal. You hear the important people talking about her and they are so happy to have her around," he said.
Meanwhile, Fey, who typically slays everything she manages to put her hands to, including Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and Mean Girls, was a source of inspiration for Peacocke on the set.
"She is a naturally witty person but she doesn't just make gags all day. She's very nice and really organised and as someone leading the production she set a very good standard. She created a really good energy on the set," he added.
"Women particularly lose their minds [when you mention Fey], because she is such an inspirational person, she has done exceptional things with her career and then you meet her and she is a top lady as well."
Peacocke will next star in Me Before You alongside Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, but he insists he has not yet been inundated by other offers.
"I wish," he laughed. "No one is banging down my doors just yet. You are auditioning for things all of the time. A few things are looking promising, but unless you see the contract with your name on it, you wouldn't get too excited.
"I've come close to things and you think you've got it and I never tell anyone because things can change at the last minute. People can pull out.
"You are only setting yourself up for a fall if you get too ahead of yourself."
He will be jetting back to LA alongside his actor wife Bridgette Sneddon in around three weeks after he stars in independent Australian film Cooped Up, and although he says it's not a place he wants to live in forever, they are enjoying it for now.
"Everyone warned us that we would hate [LA]. I grew up in Dubbo with big open spaces and LA is very different," he said.
"We are really liking it. There is nothing to attach us here [Australia]. But as long as we can be together, my wife and I, we are happy wherever we are.
"Ideally I would like to work in America and live in Australia, I don't mind sitting on a plane for 13 hours."
They are staying well clear of the Hollywood scene, in particular the Kardashians. "No, I'm not interested," he laughed when asked about the famous reality TV family.
"We don't get caught up with the nonsense that comes with this industry."
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is in cinemas from May 12.
