December | 2020 | Tinsel Town News Now

A sit-down editorial profile of Australian actor Grant Lyndon reveals many things for our readers. In this story, sit back, relax and get an insight into the core of what motivates an acclaimed artist and family man.

Being able to effortlessly move between accents – American & British being his most called upon – award-winning Australian actor Grant Lyndon finds this opens up a wide range of opportunities to be the voice of many iconic brands, in addition to the father’s glittering on-screen career.

Grant Lyndon and wife Vanessa Gray on the red carpet. Lyndon recently won an award from the New York International Film Awards.

With a newly achieved award under his belt, Grant is quickly standing out more and more by the minute. The Aussie favourite was recently awarded a ‘Best Actor’ prize by the Grand Jury at the New York International Film Awards.

While this may have been for his on-screen work, Grant’s equally known as being the voice of a number of high-rating TV series, ensuring Australians viewers are very familiar with Lyndon’s talents.

It’s apparent to anyone watching the series Aussie Lobster Men that the whole tone and feel of the show would be far less ‘Aussie’ without Lyndon’s distinct narration.

With M&C Saatchi, Grant voiced a whole summer of fresh alcohol offers in their national radio campaign. The iconic and international advertising agency network, founded back in 1995, boasts a $200 million valuation and its success is something for which Lyndon continues to benefit. Once he was in with the fold of their ad execs, the work hasn’t stopped.

Suffice to say, he’s left an indelible mark on the portfolio of campaigns produced at M&C Saatchi and undoubtedly played an incredibly important role at the renowned company.

Ultimately, it’s clear that Lyndon has the power to make simple words sound much more meaningful than what’s on the page. There’s a belief & confidence in the messages he voices. This is a very strong card for a brand to play, when both building and maintaining a deep relationship with their audience.

As Lyndon’s colleagues reiterate, the ABC network wouldn’t be what it is, were it not for Lyndon’s contributions over the years – starting all the way back with Rogue Nation. Grant’s role in that series quintessentially encapsulated the great and formative time in Australian history portrayed by the show, and Grant’s role reinforced his reputation as one of the few go-to actors to accurately be able to portray historical figures on screen for iconic Australian historical chapters.

Indeed, Lyndon was irreplaceable in the highly-rating drama, ‘House of Bond’, which aired on Channel Nine.

Lyndon in the acclaimed Channel Nine drama series, ‘House of Bond.’

Grant’s deep connection to the role of Warren Jones (after much personal research) and his ability to display the truth of the way that he sees the world thoroughly upheld the artistic quality of Channel Nine’s acclaimed mini series.

This approach to work allows Grant to connect his acting to his real-life as well. He devotedly helps train beginner actors to reach their career potential.

When Grant is not playing roles on screen, his belonging to the top-tier of the industry is reflected in regular invitations to run voice-over masterclass final year actors at NIDA, one of the world’s leading drama schools (and where Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett also attended).

Lyndon’s also a VIP guest speaker at the International Screen Academy for graduates in getting industry ready, and a guest teacher at Toni Higginbothom casting.

Although Grant is inspired by many different facets in his life, the main motivator, as he says are his children. Such is reflected in how he dives deeper into fatherhood with his podcast ‘BusyDads’, where he explains how being a parent wholeheartedly is the center of his life.

“I’m super excited about what’s ahead for me. I’m at a stage of my life where I’m more comfortable in my skin than I’ve ever been, and most importantly, my family backs me 100%.”

Lyndon elaborates on the current industry landscape, as it recovers from COVID-19.

“There are so many great opportunities to play roles that are outside of the safe casting choices of the traditional media platforms. The diversity in storytelling that the streaming services allow for, really lights me up inside. Actors now have the opportunity to play characters outside of the known, and are collaborating to create and tell stories that are literally changing the world.”

While the films “All Lives Matter” and “86 Melrose Avenue” are completely different in scope and story, they do have two things in common– and that is Ukrainian siblings Viktoriia and Kostiantyn Vlasenko behind the scenes. As the costume designer on both films, Viktoriia designed the extensive wardrobe for each project all under the direction of her brother Kostiantyn, who worked as an actor and production manager.

**“86 Melrose Avenue” includes costumes inspired by the past and present**

A spectacular thriller directed by Lili Matta, “86 Melrose Avenue” also features Kostiantyn Vlasenko in the role of one of Marine. A dramatic film that never ceases to keep the viewer in suspense, the plot of the film is centered around a former marine who suffers from PTSD, and breaks into an art gallery where he takes hostages and forces each of them to face their past and impending death.

As the costume designer, Viktoriia faced an interesting challenge in the way that each of the costumes had to not only correspond to the character’s image, but it also had to give viewers important insights into the character’s past– a difficult task, but one she achieved seamlessly.

With the wardrobe created according to Viktoriia’s sketches, and under the direct supervision of Kostiantyn as production manager, the costumes exceeded all expectations of the director, who especially emphasized this when talking about the film. In addition to serving as the costume designer, Viktoriia Vlasenko also played a key role as a make-up artist and special effects specialist for the film.

Viktoriia Vlasenko in “All Lives Matter”

Compared to the previously mentioned film, “All Lives Matter,” which was written and directed by Alonzo Dominguez, has a completely different dramatic tone. A sci-fi film featuring a cyberpunk boy from the future and his girlfriend, “All Lives Matter” offers a dramatic narrative built around a futuristic society’s rejection of the cyberpunk way of life, and the related twists and turns that ensue. The film develops the philosophical idea that even a futuristic society will not be ready to accept people who differ from the mainstream.

In this film, Kostiantyn Vlasenko again worked as an actor, as well as a production manager, while Viktoriia acted as the film’s costume designer, a familial collaboration which provided yet another film with truly spectacular chemistry behind the scenes. The tailoring of the costumes for the film was also carried out under the direction of Kostiantyn.

Kostiantyn Vlasenko during the filming of “All Lives Matter”

The creative collaboration of the Vlasenko siblings has already been seen repeatedly on set, with the brother and sister taking part in the filming of more than 30 films. Moreover, as a result of their natural energy and ability to multitask, both of them often combine several roles during filming. Viktoriia, in addition to working as the costume designer, acts as a make-up and special effects artist, where Kostiantyn, who is often acting in leading or supporting roles, also acts enthusiastically as a line producer and production manager, while also helping his sister to bring her creative ideas to life.

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