Todd Lasance found nostalgia in the NCIS: Sydney set. The former Home and Away actor finds himself back where his acting career started—on Sydney’s northern beaches—after ten years of living and working in Hollywood.
“I took [his NCIS: Sydney co-stars] Sean [Sagar] and Olivia [Swann] to Palm Beach [where H&A is filmed],” Todd, who is 38 years old, told TV WEEK. “We snapped pictures in front of the set. That was interesting to me, and I always look forward to returning there because that’s the show that got me started in life.”
Todd made his acting debut on teen drama series Blue Water High in 2006, but it was the following year, when he played bad boy Aden Jefferies in H&A, that he became nationally recognised.
In the hugely successful NCIS franchise’s latest series, NCIS: Sydney, Todd plays AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey, described as a humble country boy with a knack for interrogation and a dry sense of humour.
“The beauty of NCIS is that it always has that light, beautiful humour,” the actor says.
“It also allowed us to grab these lines and make it our own. The cultural differences between the American and the Australian crew – NCIS versus AFP – in themselves were comedy, about who has better coffee and who drives on the ‘right’ side of the road.”
The writing wasn’t the end of the humor. On his final day of filming, Todd claims that his British co-star Olivia, who plays US special agent Michelle Mackey, gave him an incredible send-off.
“Olivia dressed up as JD, in his exact clothes, RM Williams boots and her hair pinned up short,” Todd laughs. “Everyone assumed she was my stunt double since she resembled me so much. I was rather grateful for that. The famous locations they used for filming and the genuineness of the “extras” they worked with were further highlights.
“I’ve lived in Sydney, but I saw places I didn’t even know existed,” Todd says.
“We worked closely with the Australian Navy, with sailors on the battleships, the aircraft carriers, the Seahawk helicopters. It was the real deal. Oh, and the extras on the base? Not extras – they were actual Navy crew.”
Todd recalls how the cast all shared stories about the roles that led them to be in NCIS: Sydney together. “All of us getting the gig was serendipitous,” he says. “So many things had to align in the process – our chemistry reads, and having that personal connection with the characters straight away that we could bring to the roles. It’s been one of the greatest career experiences of my life.”
Todd’s favourite NCIS franchise (aside from Sydney, for obvious reasons), is NCIS: Los Angeles, thanks to its “grittiness”. It could also be because Todd called the Californian city home for a decade after packing his bags in 2009 to pursue a career in the US. The roles he landed included Julius Caesar in Spartacus: War Of The Damned and Julian in The Vampire Diaries.
“Spartacus was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” he claims. “We bonded as a family, much like we do on NCIS. Though I consider myself lucky to have had a profession and the industry’s support here, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to pursue a career abroad.”
But Todd and his partner Jordan Wilcox had other ideas for the future, so Hollywood was never going to be their permanent home. He claims that “LA is another planet.” It’s a creature unto itself. Although the industry is quite intense there, having a family there was never going to be a sustainable arrangement.”
Todd met Jordan in 2015 when he was based in the US. The couple welcomed a daughter, Charlie Rose, in 2016 and, after returning to Australia in 2019, made Queensland’s Gold Coast home. They married in the NSW Hunter Valley, two hours north of Sydney, in 2020, with Charlie as their adorable flower girl.
In May this year, their family grew with the birth of their son, Beau – right before filming for NCIS: Sydney began. “My heart has been in two places,” Todd says. “I haven’t been able to be home as much as I would have liked. I’ve loved having the opportunity to work, but I’m missing them deeply. I’m excited to get back home and soak up that family time again.”
Although he was away from his loved ones for most of the filming, the star was lucky enough to have Jordan and Charlie visit him on set. He calls the entire NCIS: Sydney journey, and filming a blockbuster US series in Australia, “the achievement of a lifetime”.
“Little Charlie didn’t want to leave [the set],” he says. “That was special for me. This whole experience has been a dream.”