Zac Burgess

LA is a stranger who Zac is still getting to know, but he believes the city’s people are the hidden gems that give it its possessive magic. We discuss his journey from the rugged landscapes of rural Australia (one of the more important parts of home being his 100-year-old Nan) to the fast-paced world of Los Angeles in all its endless traffic. Lots of brown noise is needed. He is an actor, a writer, and someone who prioritises the relationships that have formed him. He is incredibly grateful, poetic, kind, and intellectual - a mix of old-soul wisdom and youthful curiosity. He pauses often before answering each question as if weighing each word carefully, but when he speaks, it’s with a sincerity that feels rare.

In the middle of our conversation, my uncle walks in delivering my take-out order for dinner. Zac doesn’t mind the interruption, smiling warmly as I fumble through an apology. He understands that a girl’s gotta eat. The moment is a testament to his easy-going nature, a stark contrast to the intensity of the character he’s most recently brought to life. Onscreen, Zac embodies Lucien, a dangerously ambitious figure who manipulates everyone around him with calculated charm in Amazon Prime’s Cruel Intentions. This contrast only speaks to his talent. He steps into the shoes of a character riddled with a seemingly incurable darkness, bringing depth and complexity to Lucien, layering charm with menace, and vulnerability with a chilling ruthlessness.

The more we talk, the clearer it becomes: Zac is more than an actor or writer. He’s a storyteller at heart, driven by the need to explore the human condition in all its messy, beautiful, and heartbreaking forms.

Cruel Intentions is now streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video.

I have a huge question to start with, so I hope you are ready.
Yeah, let's do this!

Who is Zac Burgess?
Who is Zac Burgess? That’s a great question, he’s an entity! I don’t know. [laughs] Um no, I am a country boy from Australia, and I grew up with a lot of girls in my family, I went to boarding school for six years. I have a big passion for the outdoors and appreciate friendships and relationships.

We love that, that’s great. How would the people closest to you in your life describe you? Would they agree with your statement?
I hope so! Yeah, I feel like they would! [laughs]

I have always wanted to visit Australia. In Australia, there is something called the “tall poppy syndrome” which is culturally prevalent which I find so interesting. It’s the idea to not be the tallest poppy in the field or you’ll get cut down. Do you feel you relate to this culturally or agree with its sentiment?
I absolutely do. It can be hard growing up in a culture where you want to pursue acting, but you are also fearful of standing out. If you do stand out, it is made very obvious that people don’t like it. On the one hand, I like to look at things from multiple perspectives, and the one thing I do appreciate about it is that it keeps you somewhat humble. I really do appreciate that. I think the acting environment can be very insulated. It’s easy to get an ego and to miss the little things. Australian culture allows you to appreciate many aspects of life.

I totally agree with that, and it’s nice to see how Australia has continued to shape you as a person. Are there any childhood stories that you would be open to sharing?
I just love the simplicity of being a child, that endless innocence we all had! I have had a very tumultuous life and many different experiences, but I am very grateful to have had my great-grandmother as an influence in my life and my Godfather. They both shaped a big part of me. My Nan taught me how to use a hammer, and my Godfather taught me a lot of patience, and these are the things I have really come to cherish. I am a very hands-on kind of guy; I love working on cars and working on farms. Hopefully, that answers your question! [laughs]

I so wish my grandmother taught me how to use a hammer, that’s so edgy. Speaking of edgy I think we have to address Cruel Intentions…
Yes!

Every time something happened I was gasping and saying “Oh my God! What’s going to happen next? So I am very curious to find out what drew you to the character of Lucien Belmont. I’m not gonna lie, he was my favourite because he brought a sense of humour that the show needed, but he is a more multifaceted character.
Aww, thank you! That is so incredibly kind of you and I appreciate that. It makes my day as an actor to know that someone appreciates my work, so thank you. Lucien is so far from anything I have ever had to do before. I have played more innocent roles in the past and obviously more Australian characters [who felt] closer to home. It was a big challenge diving into him. The writing was amazing. I really appreciate Sara [Goodman], and Phoebe [Fisher’s] visions. Given how crazy the concept and story is, The accent was a huge part of it. That was my first time doing a US accent. And playing into that evilness- that's gold as an actor - to be able to be a little bit Machiavellian.

Honestly, when I first watched it, I had NO idea you were Australian. I was shocked when I found out!
Ah, thank you! I was pretty stressed going into the accent, but I felt like I found a groove and it was very fun to jump in and out of.

Oh my God, of course! Obviously, Lucien is not the perfect person…
No!! [laughs]

I do think there is an inherent quality that he possesses that is a reminder that people can have multiple sides to them, he is not the monster that he pretends to be for his step-sister, Caroline. That’s how I see it. I’m an optimist, but how did this character teach you more about the depth of people?
You are inherently right, I think. A lot of Lucien’s behaviour is a defence mechanism. He has a super traumatic past, which only gets explored a little bit in this season, and fingers crossed we get another season - I would love to explore the depths of him! It was difficult for me to jump into that side of things because he is such a larger-than-life character with wild personality traits, crazy clothes, a disregard for others, and such a devious smile. But growing from that into a man with a very soft side, he gains a real soft spot for Annie and somewhat loves her. Also, the demise of his relationship with Caroline pulls him apart. One of the conversations I shared with Sara and Phoebe was regarding how Lucien loses his mother pretty early on in his life, and especially the way he loses her really shapes him. He feels that if his own mother can do that to him, why should he trust another person, let alone another woman again? So it was beautiful being able to navigate that world and understand him.

I totally agree, like I said I am an optimist. I am ready to continue to root for Lucien into the next season and watch him prove to everyone that he’s grown, and he is such a cool person he will do it in a fabulous outfit, of course.
Yes, Michael Ground is an amazing man, he is the head of costume. He has the coolest concepts when it comes to clothes and it was great to play around with that as well.

How did you feel wearing those clothes?
They were definitely not what I normally wear. I had a bit of a panic, I was like, “I don’t know if I could wear these! I don’t know if I could pull this off, I don’t know if I have the confidence for this!” But after a little bit of fine-tuning and talking with Michael, Sara, and Phoebe we found this really cool sweet spot. The shoes were a big part of stepping into Lucien because they allowed me to find his swagger, his posture, and that little mischievous twinkle in his step.

So true! I loved how he was always wearing those colourful sweaters too!
Yes! And there’s the background to that - he steals the sweaters of all of the lovely ladies he’s spent the night with.

Yes, that was so genius, and they caught him wearing them which is so funny. You gotta rock it. So after playing Lucien, you are now living briefly in LA, which I am sure is an adjustment from Australia. How has being in the city influenced you?
Yeah, I am in LA for an extended period for a lot of the press, meetings and photoshoots. It has been an adjustment. It is the longest time I have been away from home for a little while now, but it’s been cool. I have met a lot of wonderful people, I am definitely learning a lot about the hustle and bustle that this city holds! And the TRAFFIC!

No, the traffic is crazy, I wouldn’t be able to survive there. I don’t even have my driver's license.
Everyone keeps calling me crazy because I keep walking everywhere! They’re like, “This isn't a walking city.” But I’m like, “There are cool things to see, and I’ve got time to kill now and then.”

Exactly and who needs a car? You can jump on the bandwagon of supporting me not having a license.
Oh, I support that through and through! [laughs]

Okay, loving that you are having fun in LA, I am curious about your creative interests beyond acting. Do you have a nerdy obsession or something that you really geek out over?
Damn! [laughs] I geek out a lot with music. I have a singing background. I was in a choir in high school for up to six years. I was in a couple of musicals before I jumped into film. And I do write a lot. I write a lot about monologues and scripts for films. It wasn’t until I started doing Cruel Intentions that I started getting more into fashion a little bit.

Really?
Yeah! I’m getting into fashion a little bit, I haven’t customised my wardrobe too much, it’s still a little bland, but [I’m loving] every opportunity I get to play around with clothes during photoshoots.

You were talking about writing, screenwriting and monologues. I am curious to know more about your interest in storytelling and the characters you are drawn to in writing.
Yeah! I love adapting relationships in my own life, not just romantically but drawing inspiration from friends and family, and their lives. Everyone around me has had such crazy lives. And there is something so beautiful and raw about being able to take what they’ve experienced and relive it through storytelling. So I love being able to incorporate those anecdotes in my work.

Everyone’s stories are so interesting, and it’s so great to learn more about how their own experiences shaped the person they’ve become. Now, I need to know, if your house was on fire what would be the one thing you save?
[big exhale] Nothing, let insurance take care of everything. [both laugh] There's nothing materialistic I cherish that much…I’m gonna go with nothing!

I mean we love a non-materialistic person, it is very anti-Lucien.
Thank you!

What do you never leave the house without? I know you talked about music before, so do you always bring a pair of headphones with you? Or how about your hat? Is that your go-to hat?
I have been wearing it lately because it’s been so difficult to control my hair with all the products in it from the last few days, so now more than ever I have been wearing it. I never leave the house without noise-cancelling headphones. If I find myself ending up in a place with so much going on, I have to zone out.

No, that's so fair! You have to lock in when you are in a city.
Yeah, it's too over-stimulating. This is a bit of a strange one but most of the time when I am on set, I listen to brown noise.

Wait! I LOVE brown noise, it is the most soothing of noises.
Yeah! It's almost as if you are sitting on a plane, and it’s really late at night and there’s no one else around. It’s such a soothing sound.

Yes! We are a rare breed. [laughs] Speaking of rare breeds, you’ve talked a bit about how the people in your life have influenced you. Who is someone that you admire for their character? And what have you learned from them by just being themselves?
Wow…I am going to have to say my great-grandmother again. She’s lived such an extraordinary life. She turned 100 this year!

Congratulations!
She got a letter from the King which is pretty amazing.

Oh my God! That’s so cool!
I know! She was pretty excited about that. She lost both her parents around the age of ten and had to raise twelve siblings and brought her family out to Australia. She has been a resilient woman her whole life. She has taught me always to stand up for myself, to know when to fight, and to know when to run, which is actually one of her favourite songs - it’s a Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler” isn’t it?

Ahhh! We can google it.
Yeah! Kenny Rogers!

You crushed it! [laughs] But she sounds amazing, and I hope you all partied hard for 100! You can go crazy with cake if she’s into sweets.
She is big into sweets, she has tea probably four to five times a day, and there are heaps of sugar in there, I’m like, “Nan whoa! You gotta hold up on that!”

Nan knows what she’s doing! I feel like I could talk about Nan forever because she seems so great. But back to you, I am curious how you handle vulnerability on and off screen, and what's your approach to opening it up to others.
Yeah, you know, it can be something I struggle with a little bit. I’ve had many experiences in my life that have shaped who I am, but it can make it tricky to dive into those deeper places on camera. Something I found quite easy though has been being able to jump in and out of character. I can goof around, and then when the cameras stop rolling I can snap out of it, and have been very fortunate to experience that. An important thing is constantly ensuring that you are looking after both your physical and mental health. Being on set can be very draining when you are shooting for twenty hours a day and you have little downtime. So scheduling little chill-out times to look after yourself is key, especially when handling vulnerability.

Yeah, I understand that, I am sure it’s a lot to always be on and act a certain way.
A wonderful friend of mine challenged me, and said, “How do you feel right now? Do you think of your character’s feelings in this moment?” 9/10 it’s always a yes! It can be great to play into that as well. Everything in life is perspective.

Thinking about perspective, if you could ask your older self for a piece of advice, what would you ask them?
Damn! I’m like blank? What would I ask my older self? I think I would ask them, “How do I worry less?” I catch myself worrying about things that are unnecessary to worry about. I feel like I am going through a nice transitional space that has allowed me to worry less now, but I’ll take any advice I can get!

So true! And if you could give your younger self a piece of advice, what would you tell them?
Worry less!

Worry Less!
I would also say, “Love yourself for all that you are.” Sometimes we can get caught up in this world and compare too much. Take other’s opinions with a grain of salt.

I wish someone told me that growing up too, especially now how everything is so accessible on screens it’s hard to block out the noise unless you use brown noise, obviously.
Oh of course! But yeah, I agree with you. It can be a real cluster to figure out who we are, and sometimes it leads us to care more about what others think than finding ourselves and understanding who we are.

That was beautiful, that was spoken like a true writer! Now, looking forward, what is a role that you would love to pursue in the future? This can be one that already exists or one that you get to drum up yourself.
I will give you a combination answer. I think my goal as an actor is to be as skilled as I possibly can be. For me, it means being a chameleon, being able to disappear within a role. Something I would like is to be in a Western, I have this romanticised idea of Westerns. I’d love to shave my head, put on a bunch of muscle, wear a bunch of fake tattoos and just BE the bad guy. [laughs]

Yes, THE bad guy.
Yeah! But I am very open to a lot of things, and I am excited to see where my career takes me.

How did you get into acting? Did anyone push you or inspire you?
Yeah, I definitely had a few people push me along the way. This is a business where you can question your choices every day. But I gave myself one year to give acting a go, and if it didn’t go anywhere in a year, I would do paramedicine because I got into a course in Australia. So I’ve been very fortunate to make it thus far, and can’t wait to see where it goes. But I also have been fortunate to have these experiences that make me realise I want this to be what I get to do forever.

Would you like to add anything else before we depart? I can’t stop hyping up Cruel Intentions enough, it was a crazy show full of plot twists! I need a second season.
Yeah, I would love to get a second season of Cruel Intentions. I can’t wait for people to watch. It’s quirky, it's cool, it’s sexy. Lucien is a devious ocelot. He’s got that playful energy with a pounce in him, and I will leave you with that.