Rising star Alex Andreas features in new streaming crime series ‘The Tourist’

The actor speaks to Neos Kosmos about his latest appearance on screen alongside fellow actor Alex Dimitriades and talks about their unique Greek dialogue scenes


Greek Australian actor, Alex Andreas has hit the international stage in the new BBC crime thriller series The Tourist starring Jamie Dornan. The first episode hooks the audience in the dramatic first five minutes, but the real surprise is that Alex Andreas’ dialogue with well-known Greek Australian actor, Alex Dimitriades, is all in Greek.

“I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to play opposite an outstanding Greek Australian actor like Alex Dimitriades,” Alex tells Neos Kosmos, taking pride in being part of an international mainstream production while giving life to a Greek character. Sydney born Alex Dimitriades, who plays Kosta in The Tourist, is best known for starring in films such as Head On, The Heartbreak Kid and The Slap.

“I think it’s really important to have Greek language featured on The Tourist as part of the Australian fabric, by main characters. It’s also amazing that the soundtrack features iconic songs by Mihalis Rakintzis also in Greek…”

When asked about his on-screen experience he smiles, “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play some great character parts. I love stepping into another person’s skin and seeing the world through their eyes”.

Photo: Supplied

However, it is the original nature of his role as Dimitri in The Tourist that will be the most impactful internationally and shed a different light on the Greek identity.

“Dimitri is one of the most interesting characters I’ve played. Spoiler alert here, but I am a strange mashup of Kosta’s (Alex Dimitriades) imagination, psyche and memory of his late brother. In many scenes throughout the series, Dimitri acts as part conscience, part devil on Kosta’s shoulder; dialoguing with him and voicing his innermost thoughts.”

“The Tourist came about the same way as every other audition does; I had to put down a self-tape. The breakdown for the character mentioned that all their lines are spoken in Greek so I did my own translation and auditioned the role in Greek,” Alex Andreas tells Neos Kosmos.

He revels in the feeling that his heritage played such a pivotal role in him portraying a character that was not part of a Greek production or an Australian narrative repeating the stereotypical Greek-Australian model.

Alex’s Dimitri,  comes to life in his own right and aids the plot significantly, by mapping out the intellectual path that Kostas’ (Alex Dimitriades) dangerous character gets lost into.

Alex Andreas (right) as Dimitri with Alex Dimitriades as Kosta in ‘The Tourist’. Photo: Supplied

Alex doesn’t want to spoil the plot further, as the show is already available on some platforms and he can’t wait for everyone in Australia and especially the Greek Community to watch it.

Even though the audience might think they can predict where the story is going, Alex explains, “it is a nerve-racking and unexpected plot that keeps you hooked on the screen. I am really excited and proud to be part of a series so well-written and filmed that also shows the beauty and diversity of Australia to the rest of the world”.

There are both similarities and differences in whatever character an actor is playing, Alex says, agreeing that there is a lot of him in this role.

“I think where the character differs, it’s about bringing understanding so you can play them authentically,” he says.

“In the case of Dimitri, I took a lot of inspiration from my Dad to create a more multifaceted persona but also relate to it.”

Dimitri (Alex Andreas), right, and Kosta (Alex Dimitriades) in ‘The Tourist’. Photo: Supplied

Born in Melbourne, of a Greek father and Greek Australian mother, Alex has starred in a number of film and theatre productions; it is also not the first time he has played someone Greek. His Hellenic heritage has been an endless source of inspiration, memories of Greece, familiar faces and their reactions; the music, the flavours “everything becomes a piece to the puzzle” that helps Alex inform his method and make it land in the hearts of his audience.

His success in his first major role as the teenage Ross Papasavas in the Australian Film Industry (AFI) award winning series Shortcuts introduced Australian audiences to an amiable teenage soccer fan and set him on his journey as an actor.

He has since starred in a variety of leading Australian television and independent theatre roles such as the first Australian Netflix series Tidelands; Lucy Lawless’ series My Life is Murder; Neighbours; Gallipoli; Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the Underbelly franchise, Fat Tony and Co and Underbelly Files: Chopper.

On stage he has stunned in Tess Lissiotis’ Hotel Bonegilla and left a lasting impression as Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis, in NK: A Kazantzakian Montage.

Alex Andreas as Detective Hendry in ‘Underbelly Files: Chopper’

Alex has always taken a deep dive into his characters’ psyche, focusing both on constructing a full-blown personality as well as on having an impact.

“Acting started at a young age, as a kid I would put on puppet shows and dress up as different people,” he tells Neos Kosmos.

“I would do impressions, try and make my friends laugh in primary school. My parents clued on that I was good with an audience so they put me into theatre classes when I was in high school.”

A previous role that stands out for him in terms of developing his method is his first foray into TV as a young adult in Short Cuts.

“In many ways, that was kind of like a training ground for being on a film set. Later on it was working on productions like Fat Tony and Co. and Gallipoli where I got to play characters with more gravitas.”

Alex in ‘The Tourist’. Photo: Supplied

Having amassed several acclaimed roles and collaborations, Alex feels ready to take on bigger and more multidimensional roles.

“Playing a tortured artist like Modigliani would be pretty cool. I’d also love to do a classic like Jason in Medea,” he notes adding that he’d be keen to try his hands on some comedic characters. In fact, he already has two new projects in the works.

“I am already half way through a stage play and working a web series sitcom. I think that having been able to speak Greek in The Tourist has been amazing and would love to see more of that happening. That’s all I will say for now.”

“It’s been a wild ride, but it’s only the beginning.”

The Tourist launched in the UK on BBC One in 1 January and the next on Stan in Australia. It is scheduled for release in the US on HBO Max this month.

The HBO Max trailer for US release here.

Enjoy some Greek on The Tourist in the video below: