Slow down, you’re moving too fast
Two Years Later is a new Australian drama series that slows the pace to allow a budding relationship to unfold in real time.
In a streaming era obsessed with speed, the new Australian drama Two Years Later takes an unusual creative risk – it slows down and lets relationships unfold in real time.
Shot around Brisbane and South-East Queensland, the eight-episode romantic drama, which will stream on Paramount+ Australia from June 4 starring Phoebe Tonkin and Brenton Thwaites, follows two people reconnecting across a series of dates after a shared global experience reshaped their lives.
The series leans heavily into performance, emotional realism and extended single-take scenes that allow characters and actors to breathe. For Tonkin, the project stood out immediately when she read the script.
“These characters are messy and flawed and we all are,” she says. “That’s what was so great about working on this. It just felt like we were really exploring being real and authentic, the ugly stuff and the beautiful stuff.”
Thwaites describes the show as a romantic drama that deliberately subverts genre expectations.
“It’s a rom-com that plays out all the tropes you’d find in any other romantic comedy,” he says. “Except our two main characters are not rom-com characters. They’re real people in the real world … and we can all relate to people who are going through it.”
The production’s boldest creative choice comes in its use of extended single-take scenes, including one sequence filmed in a continuous 27-minute performance.
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“It actually felt like theatre,” Thwaites says. “Once someone says action, we just get to go to work and stay in it for a long time. The scene takes its time. It ebbs and flows.”
Tonkin says the ambitious format became a creative opportunity rather than a technical hurdle.
“As an actor, it was this incredible privilege and challenge,” she says. “By the time we were shooting those scenes, it was so lived in. We were so confident in what the intention of the scene was and what it meant.”
The rehearsal process, she says, helped create a collaborative and supportive performance environment.
“It was really a safe place to just play,” Tonkin says. “By the end of it Brenton and I were like, ‘Another one, another one’. As an actor, it was like a playground of trying things.”
For Thwaites, the long-take approach strengthened performance chemistry.
“It gives you a chance to really sink in with your partner and be in the moment,” he says. “If it all goes wrong, we’ve got each other’s back.”
Beyond the central relationship, Two Years Later explores emotional recovery and human connection following the COVID pandemic.
“There’s so much destruction in our world now and so much deep sadness,” Tonkin says. “When I read these scripts, there was so much love and hope and softness in the work. I hope people see that there is hope for all of us, that people can connect and find each other amongst the chaos of life.”
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Both actors believe the series reflects a distinctive strength in Australian storytelling.
“I think Australians do grounded drama really well,” Tonkin says. “I always try to find the truth … something authentic.”
The production also allowed the pair to collaborate with respected Australian screen veterans, an experience Tonkin describes as invaluable.
“Working with Heather Mitchell … she’s an icon in this industry,” she says. “I felt like I was there to observe and learn.”
Thwaites says the calibre of Australian creative talent remains a major drawcard for performers working internationally.
“One of the reasons actors want to come back to Australia is the calibre of creatives, especially the actors,” he says.
The Queensland-shot production also carries personal resonance for Thwaites, who began his acting career in the state.
“Coming back felt like a full-circle moment,” he says.
At its core, Thwaites believes the show’s power comes from its emotional simplicity.
“Just to sit with two people as they explore what they mean to each other … that’s a beautiful experiment.”
For Tonkin, projects such as Two Years Later highlight why performance remains creatively rewarding.
“We have an incredible job,” she says. “We do get to play.”
All eight episodes of Two Years Later will be on Paramount+ Australia from June 4.
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