Dominique Tillman
TV Soap
11 November 2009

Now happily at the helm of the Hammersley, Ian Stenlake’s fans don’t know how close they came to losing him to a UK soap !! -

These days he’s lighting up the small screen as kind-hearted Sea Patrol captain Mike Flynn, but had the chips fallen differently, Ian Stenlake could easily have been the UK’s hottest soap star right now.

Having kicked off his acting career with a role in the 1997 movie edition of British soap Emmerdale, Stenlake was all ready to pull up stumps in Australia. “It was extraordinary experience”, he said of the time. “I was offered a job on the actual series. I’d even signed what you’d probably call the pre-contract contract.” But thanks to a staffing shuffle on the soap, Stenlake missed the opportunity, thrusting him on a very different path. “I could’ve been a UK soap star,” he laughs before adding, “I hadn’t married Rach (wife Rachael Beck) at that point so who knows what would have happened if I’d gone over there.”

Twelve years on and Emmerdale’s loss has been Australia’s gain, with father-of-two going on to star in TV drama Stingers, as well as several theatre projects and now Sea Patrol. Speaking from Far North Queensland during a break in filming the naval series’ fourth season, Stenlake is full of praise for his latest gig. “I think I’ve got the best job on TV,” he admits.

A large part of Stenlake’s job satisfaction has to do with the action-packed storylines in which his character becomes involved each week. And with the 3rd season of the show out on DVD now, he’s more than happy to reminisce.

“I had a lot of fun, getting to shoot a few people and doing a few stunts. When I really learnt from the 3rd season is how much I love getting off the boat,” he laughs. With the increase in off-boat time, Stenlake took on a number of challenging stunts, with the most notable being a seven-meter jump from the boat to the ocean. Despite having a few practice jumps in the local swimming pool, the actor soon found that nothing could prepare him for the wilds of the ocean.

“I was getting ready to jump when a sea snake swam straight across where I was meant to land. I thought to myself ‘This is going to be fun’”.

This kind of encounter with nature is not a rarity on sea, “the elements are continuously up against us. My body’s starting to tell me I’m not 20 any more,” the 40-year-old actor jokes. “And of course the beer and pizza doesn’t help,” he adds with a laugh, before insisting. “You can’t be fit enough for shows like this.”

With work now underway on season 4, Stenlake promises the action will show no signs of slowing down despite the loss of original cast members Jay Ryan (Spider), Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (Buffer) and Saskia Burmeister (Nav). “It was really sad,” he says of their departure. “We’re a particularly tight group on Sea Patrol. But we’ve got some fabulous new actors who have settled in really well,” he adds.

Given the ongoing chemistry between Stenlake’s Mike and Lisa McCune’s Kate, the question undoubtedly on everyone’s lips is whether the pair finally do something about it. “All I can say is that things happen that we’ve been waiting to happen,” he teases before refusing to be drawn further on the subject.

Speaking of McCune, Stenlake is full of praise for his four-time Gold Logie winning co-star. And having worked alongside her in the musical Guys & Dolls, he’s certainly in a good position to do so.

“Lisa’s like my sister,” he reveals, before adding with a laugh, “I know that’s going to sound weird if we ever resolve our sexual tension”
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“It’s just so great because I know I’m working with someone who’s so brave and is going to give her best to everything she does. I just try to keep up with her,” he laughs.
Although Stenlake’s career kicked off with an international flavor, fans will be happy to hear he’s sticking around for a while yet. “I’m not in a hurry to go (work) overseas,” he admits. “I’m on for series for and even five if we’re that lucky.” Here’s Hoping!