Who is Julian Curtis?
I am an actor (who also writes and directs) who will be appearing on stage in Afterglow throughout Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a play about a polyamorous relationship. It is pretty steamy stuff and it gets pretty juicy as the inevitable complications start to reveal cracks.
My career has always been split between Australia and the USA. In fact I was in New York, when the Afterglow audition came my way and I was able to circumvent a Zoom audition and actually meet in person the incredible American creatives who are spearheading this tour.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I feel a little grandfathered in at this point so changing careers would be exhausting! When I was in high school, though, I had my sights set on being a lawyer. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on work flow, the year I graduated high school the academic level for law was unusually higher than normal so I tried out for NIDA instead.
It feels like a cruel cosmic joke at this point that after acting for two decades, I’m still waiting for my Dylan McDermott/David E. Kelly ‘The Practice’ moment to happen. If you are reading this interview and prepping a legal drama, say hi!
Who inspires you and why?
I’m pretty into the work that Sean Baker is doing right now. He does these small human stories yet they are so emotionally expansive and somehow also hilarious. He is a great benchmark in terms of what I want to create and also appear in.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
In this divided world, I feel like just minding my own business is making a difference! Maybe making people laugh? Or finding humour in life’s humourless moments. That’s a guiding principle to the choices I make in my work and in life too.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
You know, I travel around so much for work that my favourite destination is a local one. Currumbin Beach in Queensland was such a special spot for me growing up and for whatever reason, brings me instant calm and relaxation as an adult. I find it hard to turn off generally but something about that place just gives me an instant recharge.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
In Sydney, Icebergs overlooking Bondi is just magic. Now, if my friend and I are on a budget, a great cheat is to get the exact same view directly downstairs at the Lifesavers for half the price. Food and alcohol is my jam. It’s like, when people ask me my hobbies I always draw a blank – do you mean like stamp collecting or puzzles…? For me it’s a great happy hour.
What are you currently reading?
I have been commissioned to write a play by the Brisbane City Council via the Sparks program that dives into the not-politically-at-all world of cancellation. So I am currently reading Jon Ronson’s So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed.
I’m really fascinated by what happens directly after society has thrown you in the trash. What does that realization look like? How do you come back from that? Or more pointedly, can you? The play I’m writing has the working title of The Cobra Effect. The subject I am basing it on was famously cancelled and I have visited her a few time in Austin, Texas for insight.
What are you currently listening to?
I listen to a lot of frivolous podcasts. I feel like I know a lot about celebrity feuds featuring people I probably couldn’t pick out of a line-up. I wish I was more into music to be honest. Nothing embarrasses me more than when someone asks me have I heard of a singer or a band that has been in the charts in the last five years.
I think the freelance life – at least for me – makes it hard to turn off. There is always something to organise, pitch or get on top of when you are a freelancer. Yet, right now at least, a deep dive analysis about whether or not Meredith Marks yelled at Brittany on a plane trip back from Barbados, does give me some respite however lame that is.
Happiness is?
This is a very deep Q&A! Trust. That’s what comes to mind in this moment. Being around people you trust, trusting your gut and trusting the choices you’ve made in shaping the life you are living.
What does the future hold for you?
This tour is my immediate future. It is a three hander and is very demanding physically of all of us. Beyond that, my year is bookended with a role in an original Playlab production – a Brisbane based theatre company and publishing house – which is yet to be publicly announced.
Then I have a creative development for my own play in April. Big theatre year this year! Last year was all filming. I’m also thinking Greece for my birthday! I have to be naked in Afterglow, so once we close in Sydney I will be laser focused on vodka martinis and gyro!
Julian stars as Alex in the Australian premiere of S. Asher Gelman’s international hit play, Afterglow – which will be presented at Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran, from 30 January – 21 February, before playing at the Eternity Playhouse, Sydney, from 26 February – 22 March 2026. For more information, visit: www.afterglowplay.com for details.
Image: Julian Curtis (supplied)