What Most People Don't Know About Luke Bracey

Luke Bracey came from the land Down Under to deliver his good looks and charming accent to the big screen. This heartthrob made his acting debut in 2009 in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, a long-running series with a list of alums that includes Heath Ledger, Guy Pearce, Naomi Watts, Dannii Minogue, and Chris Hemsworth. The actor transitioned into the Hollywood scene, starring in feature films and sparking dating rumors with multiple celebrities. And the acting range is impressive, whether it's playing an Australian hunk alongside Emma Roberts in a romantic-comedy, to playing Elvis Presley's friend and member of the "Memphis Mafia" Jerry Schilling in the Baz Luhrmann Elvis biopic.

Surprisingly, this actor almost went down a different path in life if it weren't for a fortunate turn of events. And did you know he got to role-play one of his childhood dreams on screen? Plus, you'll be heart warmed to learn how the Holidate actor spends his real-life holidays.

When did your crush on this Aussie begin? Brace yourself, because it's time to get into what many people may not know about Luke Bracey.

Though Luke Bracey is from Australia — like many other famous actors — the United States holds a special place in his heart. Bracey told Collider he lived with an American family for "many years" and has remained "so close" to them. And while he has been in the States "for a number of years now," he said he is still getting used to the country's version of Halloween, which he called a "good time" but "very morbid with death and skeletons but for little kids." Even so, Bracey's all for it. "If I grew up in America, I might be a little scared of it," he shared. "But no, it's a fun thing."

Many people enjoy the Australian accent, but to get into character, it can be necessary to switch up his vocal sound. "I practiced my accent a lot after I got my first acting job," he told Interview about sounding like an American on screen. "The problem is that there are so many different kinds of American accents. A guy from Boston is gonna sound much different than a guy from Utah or New Orleans." He finds that to be part of what makes the country and his job as an actor "interesting."  When asked about American accents in an interview for Ralph Lauren, Bracey threw on a Boston accent and called it a "wicked hard" dialect. "But it's nice," the actor added. "I like it because it's kind of rough."

It seemed inevitable that once Luke Bracey appeared in feature films that other industries would want a part of the handsome Aussie. For Bracey's first modeling campaign, he linked up with the famous American designer Ralph Lauren. As reported by WWD, in 2017 Bracey became the next "face of Ralph Lauren Fragrances' Polo Red." In an interview with Buro 24/7, the actor talked about exploring a new frontier outside of making movies. "It's a little nerve wracking, to let yourself go that way, and try and be open, and try and really give yourself to the camera without that safety net of a character," he shared about working on the fragrance campaign. But Bracey nailed the challenge. "It was exciting to try this thing that I'd never tried before," he said.

Even though Bracey enjoyed the experience, he admitted the role as a pretty face can be odd at times. "There are those moments when you are asked to take your shirt off, and you realize why you are doing it," he confessed to Interview. And even this handsome actor is guilty of self-doubt. "I wake up every day and look at my own ugly mug in the mirror and don't think twice about it," Bracey revealed. "The fact that other people might want to look at me still feels funny. It's flattering, but funny."

If Luke Bracey never became an actor, where would he be? "I thought I'd be a professional rugby player or go to university and get some degree in construction," he revealed to Interview. That all changed when Bracey was invited to audition for Home and Away, the long-running, Australian TV soap opera. At the time, Bracey had no acting experience. "I had no idea what I was doing; I just tried to sound like a human being," Bracey confessed. And he ended up not needing that university experience when he landed the role. According to Bracey, his character "was never intended to be on the show for longer than a few months" but his devious role ended up being so good that he "ended up being on the show for about six months."

It didn't take long for the young actor to realize that his life would be totally different than just a few months before. Bracey realized a few days into filming, "I'm getting paid for this!" And outside of work, people started to recognize the actor. Though, in unexpected ways. As Bracey explained, "I'd have moments where I'd be out at a bar and a girl would come up to me and say, 'I want to punch you in the face!'" Luckily, fans realized Bracey only played a bad guy on screen and "in the end they'd go away with just taking a photo. It was crazy," he said.

While filming Monte Carlo, the Aussie found himself in France with his fellow costars. In an interview for Buro 24/7, Bracey remembered his experience in Paris. The actor "went to lunch in this beautiful restaurant" with the stars of the film, Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, Leighton Meester and others. In addition to the picturesque meal, Bracey quickly learned about the lifestyle of the rich and famous. "I remember coming out, and it was the first time I'd seen paparazzi," he recalled.

For his role as the male lead in the rom-com movie Holidate, Bracey explained that his experience with Emma Roberts, his onscreen love interest, was amazing. "It was like Emma and I had been old friends for a long time," he told Insider. While filming the movie, Bracey remembered long days on set, between 12 and 14 hours every day. With the grueling schedule, he considered it "a blessing" to get along so well with Roberts. "There was such an ease to it" and "We really didn't have to work on getting to know each other or chemistry" he said. And the good times continued with the other actors on set. "We were all having so much fun. And I think that shows in the film," explained Bracey. "If there's life when the cameras are off, that pulse comes through."

The breakout role for Luke Bracey came with his small role in the 2011 movie Monte Carlo. And while it helped launch a successful acting career, Bracey also remembered the joy in filming the project. With the title referencing the luxurious city in Monaco, it's no surprise that production took place in some spectacular European locations. "It was a pretty 'whoa' moment," Bracey shared in an interview for Buro 24/7. "We started in Budapest for a few weeks, then we went to Paris. I remember one day where we were filming on the Eiffel Tower at sunrise. There was no one there. It was just amazing." Sure sounds like it. 

Bracey's filming activities have not always consisted of croissants and sunrises, à la Emily in Paris. As a star in the extreme sports and action movie Point Break, the role took a physical toll on the actor. Filming required stunt work and around-the-world travel in a short six-month time frame. "Bracey had to make sure he was doing everything as healthy as possible because of all the extremes in locations and shooting schedule," The Fresno Bee reported. In one particularly scary moment on set, Bracey "was hanging off the side of the real Angel Falls in Venezuela." And in the high octane moment, the actor thought about what his mom would think about this risky business. "She would kill me, if I didn't get killed first," Bracey said.

Even though he's from Australia, life hasn't been just sunshine and surfing for Luke Bracey. He's faced a few personal and professional challenges. As the actor told Interview, he boldly moved to Los Angeles after his soap opera role in Australia on Home and Away to "just make that leap to see what would happen." According to Deadline, multiple studios pursued Bracey for TV pilots and he landed his first project in America on "ABC's Romeo and Juliet-esque pilot Westside." Sadly, like many TV pilots, Westside never made it past the pilot episode stage. Even after picking up a few film roles, Bracey confessed to Variety, "I still don't feel like I've done much."

Despite the challenges, Bracey stays positive and considers himself an optimist. "It's nice when humanity comes through in the end. I still have a lot of faith in people," he told Interview. Bracey recalled a specific story of being stuck in an airport in the early morning hours, tired, but afraid to fall asleep and miss his flight. "So I took a Sharpie and wrote a note — 'I'm flying out on flight number XYZ. Please wake me up if it looks like I am missing my flight.' A few hours later some big dude shook me and said, 'Hey, man, I think your flight is boarding now,'" Bracey shared. And as far as his outlook on the world, he said, "I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy." That optimism sure seems to be working out for him. 

"I grew up surfing," Luke Bracey told Variety. "My dad probably put me on a surfboard before I could walk." In addition to a childhood full of sports, a young Bracey loved watching movies. "I remember seeing Gladiator when I was 10 and being blown away by it," he recounted to Interview. "I watched a lot of movies. I'm really into the idea of telling stories," Bracey explained and added that these stories provide an escape. The actor also confessed, with some embarrassment, that he was all about the 1994 film Forrest Gump, adding, "I used to quote that movie all the time when I was a kid. I still love that movie."

As a professional actor, Bracey earned the chance to combine two of the things he loved most as a kid: movies and surfing. His childhood dreams came true when he got to star in a remake of one of his favorite movies, Point Break — a film that is all about surfing. "I watched Point Break many times growing up," he explained to Variety. In the remake, Bracey played Johnny Utah, "the role created by Keanu Reeves in the 1991 original." Radical. 

At first, Luke Bracey was a normal guy in Australia. But after securing a role in the movie Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez and Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester, he set his sights on the land of movie stars. At the young age of 20, Bracey "took the exciting movie offer as an initiative to pack up his belongings and relocate to Hollywood," Daily Mail recounted. Bracey remembered moving to Los Angeles all by himself at the young age. "It was exciting," he told Interview. "I had this moment when I felt like I needed to put on my big-boy pants and just make that leap to see what would happen." Despite not knowing anyone, he "just approached it as a big adventure" and considered himself "one of the luckiest blokes" for getting paid to act.

"For me, I took those first few years there as my university," he told Buro 24/7 about taking in all the sights, sounds, and people in Los Angeles. And part of that wide-eyed excitement stayed with the actor well after his relocation. "After being here for a few years, you still have these moments driving along Sunset Boulevard in the late afternoon as the sun's setting behind a palm tree," he shared with Variety. Tinsel Town has yet to lose its luster.

It must be strange at times to play different characters on-screen for all the world to see. And it must be especially strange for relatives to watch some of those performances. When Luke Bracey went from a regular guy to an actor, he told Interview that his family was "a little apprehensive at first. No one in our family had ever done anything like that before, so they were worried." Even Bracey himself admitted that he didn't know anyone who transitioned from Sydney to Hollywood to be a movie star. "That would be considered delusions of grandeur," he confessed. Luckily, Bracey's family supported his decision and told him "to keep at it as long as I was having fun. They told me to go for it."

The move for Bracey worked out after landing big-time roles. But he admits that some parts of the job still make it awkward for his folks back home, especially his mother. According to the actor, when he lands a new role, she often asks, "Am I gonna have to watch you kiss someone again in this one?" Bracey said he usually responds, "You're probably gonna have to watch me kiss someone in most of them, Mom." He admitted that this doesn't bother him and even with her concern, he told ET, "I think she'll have a laugh. I hope she laughs, that's what I hope." 

In the 2020 film, Holidate, Luke Bracey and costar Emma Roberts become, as The New York Times put it, each other's "trusty holidate: someone who shines as a party plus one and evaporates after the revelry" for all holidays throughout the year. Of all the occasions depicted in the film, which does Bracey enjoy the most? "My favorite holiday is always Christmas Day because I get to be in Australia," he told ET. "Normally I always come home to Australia for it if I've been away, and we spend Christmas Day at my sister's place." And another bonus to enjoying Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere is the fact that it's during the peak of summer. Plus, it's a chance to spend time with extended family "and it's always a beautiful, beautiful day. We go swimming and it's this long lunch." Bracey called it his "favorite day of the year, always."

Since Netflix released Holidate in the midst of restrictions and lockdowns for much of the world, the actor confessed that the storyline seemed like a dream. But Bracey looked at the positive of enjoying a romantic-comedy in troubled times. "When you can't go on holiday and moments like this with the pandemic, I think it's really, really lovely that we can sit and laugh and think of our loved ones and think of the close relationships we have," Bracey told Insider.

As a model/actor with an irresistible Australian accent, finding love should be easy for Luke Bracey, right? His love life has been anything but smooth sailing. Take for example, when he was broken up with on Valentine's Day of all days. "That wasn't a good one," he recalled in an interview for Ralph Lauren. But he still found a positive in the situation. "It was nice of her to dump me before we went to dinner," he remembered.

As a star, Bracey has been linked to several celebs, causing many dating rumors and speculations. Like when he and Selena Gomez — Bracey's coworker in the film Monte Carlo — were spotted holding hands, via Us. And even juicier, this came closely after Gomez split with Justin Bieber. Later, Bracey reportedly dated Mexican actor Eiza González. Photos surfaced of the two getting cozy together in Mexico prior to attending a Dior fashion show together, via Daily Mail. But then, the pair appeared to be no more, especially when she was spotted with Timothée Chalamet, ET reported.

In support of his movie Holidate, Bracey joined his costars in a virtual speed-dating event. He posted a video on his Instagram asking for single fans around the world to compete for a chance to "participate in a virtual speed dating event" with him. Hey, as long as it isn't on Valentine's Day.

Since Luke Bracey's first feature film in 2011, the actor quickly found success in Hollywood. He starred alongside some of the biggest names in the business like Dwayne Johnson and Pierce Brosnan, via IMDb. Plus, one of the most famous American fashion brands, Ralph Lauren, used Bracey as the face of its fragrances. With all these jobs, Bracey earned himself healthy paychecks along the way. According to Net Worth Celebrities, Bracey was worth an estimated $3 million in 2020.

With his free time and all that money, Bracey enjoys the simple things in life, like coffee. And not the fancy stuff. In an interview for Ralph Lauren, Bracey admitted that he used to love drinking cappuccinos. But as he prepared for a movie role, his physical trainer only let the actor drink black coffee. At first, he thought the drink was "rubbish" but by day three of drinking the simple caffeinated beverage, Bracey became hooked. He woke up and remembered, "it was the first time coffee was a drug for me."

Outside of sipping coffee, Bracey loves action sports. "I grew up surfing and snowboarding and skateboarding," the actor told The Fresno Bee. And the actor admitted how he would love to spend some free time. "If I could do anything else than what I'm doing now, it would be to travel the world surfing beautiful waves," Bracey said. As far as backup plans go, that one's not too shabby.