Jobless actor gets his big break

Brenton Thwaites (right) with Jeff Bridges in a scene from The Giver. Photo / AP

Aussie Brenton Thwaites is a hot property after signing to star opposite Jeff Bridges.

Brenton Thwaites was an unemployed actor when he was offered the chance to star with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep in The Giver.

The 25-year-old didn't think twice about signing on for the science fiction film, based on Lois Lowry's 1993 novel.

"I was unemployed, looking for a job, and I got it," the laid-back Aussie says.

He was also drawn to the story, about a future society where pain, suffering and emotions don't exist - except in memories handed down to his chosen character, Jonas.

On top of that was the drawcard of working with Bridges and Australian director Phillip Noyce.

Life has changed. Earlier this year, you might have seen him playing Prince Phillip in Angelina Jolie's Maleficent. Now with The Giver, the former Home and Away star is close to becoming a household name and was even followed by paparazzi on his way to our interview in Sydney.

It's something he's still getting used to, particularly in Australia.

With major movies in the pipeline - including Son of a Gun with Ewan McGregor - Thwaites' star-power is only set to climb. But the Cairns-born Aussie hasn't let Hollywood go to his head. In fact, he still gets star-struck.

"All the time," he says. "I was a big Big Lebowski fan [so] meeting Jeff for the first time, I was pretty star-struck. "But it quickly fades because you have a job to do and you do your best work in a relaxed environment."

And if anyone is going to spread a chilled-out vibe on set, it's Bridges.

And it's his attitude that Thwaites tries to keep in mind.

"One minute you're auditioning and you're unemployed, the next minute you've booked a huge movie," he says. "I don't know how actors do it, man, [but you've] just got to relax, take it easy, wait for the next thing to come and don't freak out."

Movie profile
Who: Brenton Thwaites
What: The Giver
When and where: At cinemas now.