For Danny Dyer, who has spent the better part of the last decade on long-running and ever-popular soap EastEnders, choosing where to go next was tricky.
Of course, no actor wants to be out of work, but everyone wants a job that fulfils them, challenges them, and takes them to new places, both physically and metaphorically.
In his latest role for Channel 5, Heat sees Dyer, 45, head down under to play Steve, a British expat living in Australia with his family. Heat tells the story of what happens when raging bushfires and fiery emotions come together, resulting in what Dyer claims is some of his best work yet.
Steve and his best friend Brad have been close for decades, and both moved to Australia where they met their wives. On their annual summer holiday, this time hosted at Brad's new dream home in the Victorian highlands - the families initially enjoy a warm reunion, but tensions are bubbling beneath the surface.
Secrets abound, and as suspicions of lies and infidelity fester, a scorching bushfire ravages the surrounding land. Amidst the heat, the truth will out.
Let us find out more from Dyer himself.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS ON AS YOUR FIRST ROLE AFTER EASTENDERS?
I couldn't believe that this job had presented itself to me, because as much as I'd made this huge decision to leave EastEnders - and it was the right decision for me, for sure - there was no guarantees that I was going to walk straight out and get a job. I didn't quite know what the new chapter was going to bring...
I wrapped on EastEnders after nine years, had a very emotional leaving party. And I was doing my speech. And I was thinking: 'S***, have I made a mistake here? I love everybody here so much. And it's given me so much, this job'...
I read this piece of work... and as the eps go on, I mean, it just becomes so dark and twisted and brilliant. It was so up my street.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER, STEVE.
Steve is a good man, right, he's got a good heart, got a good soul. He's just made a f****** huge mistake.
He's trying to repair his marriage at the beginning. He needs to get his wife in a place, in a situation, where he can break the news to her and hopefully work through it, and his children as well, right, so that's where he's at at the beginning.
And I was trying to do something slightly different with him even though I am a cockney, and I've got an Australian wife, that's slightly different and versatile, and Australian children, and I just wanted to try and do something slightly different with (Steve), which was difficult because towards the end of Mick in EastEnders, he was quite depressed and down and very similar to Steve in a way, the weight of the world on his shoulders.
There's a real journey for Steve actually... The last episode for me - really hope I pulled it out of the bag, and especially the last few scenes - I think it might be some of my greatest work. And I don't say that lightly.
I think the jet lag and everything really, really got to me. And I was really emotional at the end of this.
HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO GET TO THOSE PLACES OF EMOTION AS AN ACTOR?
As an actor, you need to go somewhere quite deep. And I think most really good actors have suffered some sort of trauma in their life. You know, so you can dig into your toolbox and use it.
There's nothing worse when you've got a crying scene, and a really emotional crying scene, and you can't go there... That makes it worse, because you're thinking about the fact you can't cry, instead of actually being in the moment, or digging into something that isn't necessarily anything to do with the actual scene, but you're actually crying about stuff that's happened to you in real life.
So I really did dig deep on this scene. And I was a wreck afterwards for quite a bit, but I was so proud of the fact that I could actually go to this place - and the scene really does deserve it.
HOW WAS IT WORKING IN AUSTRALIA?
It was very different from EastEnders, I must say.
The thing about EastEnders is it does become quite a nine to five thing, and as an actor, I think that can be quite wearing, because we do need to work with different people - personally, you need to have different sets, different environments, different actors around you really, to keep your juices flowing. So to go from studio work into that was quite exciting to me.
But there was a guy on set who was literally there to walk around and look for snakes. Because it rained a lot, and the snakes like the rain, he basically was walking around with his f****** great big steel toe cap boots on and a torch...
I was like: 'F****** hell, I've never dealt with this b******* before'.
So I was very wary of that sort of stuff. You know, I knew I was in good hands and they know what they're doing. And maybe they were winding me up a little bit as well just to scare me.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE ABOUT WORKING SO FAR FROM HOME?
Being away from my family, I think. I think I didn't realise how much I was gonna miss them. And I did have some moments out there where I was quite lonely.
YOU'VE HAD SUCH AN INCREDIBLE CAREER, THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER - WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO DO IN THE FUTURE?
I think I do want to go back to theatre, I do.
I do understand at the moment that TV is the thing, and especially with the streaming side of things, you know, but I do want to go back and make some films, I definitely want to direct something. I feel like I'm at that stage in my life now where I think that I could.
And I think that I would want to do something... maybe a short film or something, work with some young working class actors, and give them an opportunity and tell them that if I can do it, then anyone can f****** make it.
Heat is available to view now on My5.
