Actor, model and producer.
Actor, model and producer.
From serving coffees at the fictional Ocean Café to starring in a rock star romance, Brooke Lee is diving headfirst into her next big adventure – and it’s turning up the heat.
You might remember her as Carly Morgan, the ever-suspicious café worker from the hit series Mako Mermaids, but Brooke’s latest role is a whole new vibe. Starring as Evelyn Thomas in Lick, the much-anticipated rock star romance from PASSIONFLIX, Brooke is helping bring Aussie author Kylie Scott’s beloved novel to life, complete with whirlwind Vegas weddings, passion, and plenty of heart. Lick premieres on PASSIONFLIX, a premium streaming service dedicated to bringing romance novels to life, on December 20th.
While her career has taken her across the globe, Brooke’s roots are firmly planted on the Gold Coast. A St. Hilda’s alum and a self-described creative powerhouse, she’s made waves as an actor, model, writer, and artist, celebrating storytelling, body positivity, and the magic of creativity. Now, she’s back on our screens, stepping into the role of Evelyn, a character who’s quirky, relatable, and ready to steal hearts.
We caught up with Brooke to talk all things Lick, working with PASSIONFLIX founder Tosca Musk, and how she navigated a very different on-screen world compared to Mako Mermaids. Plus, she spills on her ultimate Vegas bucket list moment, Gold Coast favourites and why we’re about to fall in love with this rock star romance.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve been a Gold Coast gal my whole life! St. Hilda’s girl. I grew up here, and even though my work takes me around the world, the Gold Coast has just always been home to me.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a creative through and through. An actor, a model, a writer, an artist. If it’s a creative outlet, you know I’m deep down the rabbit hole. I’ve always been so passionate about storytelling through many different mediums (canvas, screen, books). It really makes up a huge part of who I am both professionally and personally.
Outside of my passions, I love spending time with my family, friends and my dog Raven.
Tell us a bit about your career to date.
I started my career not long out of school on the hit series Mako Mermaids, where I played Carly in 52 episodes.
Following that, I built a strong platform on social media through my focus on body positivity, which opened the door to a very successful modelling career. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with incredible brands such Bra’s N Things, Just Jeans, Lorna Jane, Skims (to name a few).
While I’ve loved modelling and feel I truly thrived in that space, I knew it was time to dive back into acting – and what better way to do it than by leading an American feature film?
What initially sparked your passion for drama?
I am sure my mother will tell you I have always been a drama queen. And she would be right. I don’t remember a time in my life that this isn’t what I wanted to do. It has always been my passion for literally as long as I can remember. Maybe I was born this way?
Tell us about your latest movie, Lick.
Lick is best described as a ‘Rock Star Romance’. Ever had the dream of marrying a rockstar? Well, it happens to 21-year old Evelyn (me) in Vegas on a wild night out and what follows is a story of passion, the rock star life in the spotlight, heartwarming moments and light-hearted fun.
What drew you to this role and the world of PASSIONFLIX?
As a huge book lover myself, I’ve always loved seeing characters brought to life from the page, so working on an adaptation felt like a dream. Evelyn is strong, relatable, and quirky – she is the kind of character you root for. I loved diving into her journey and finally getting to bring to life a character from the pages of a novel to the screen. It’s a dream come true and a collision of my creative outlets.
How does working on a romance adaptation like Lick compare to a series like Mako Mermaids? What surprised you most about the process?
I thought the difference would feel bigger than it actually was. Being on set is just like riding a bike, and my focus remained the same: staying true to the character and fully immersing myself in her story. The only difference was the intimate scenes, which I initially thought might be challenging. However, with the guidance of our intimacy coordinator and the collaborative environment on set, the process was a lot less daunting and we were able to create real *Movie Magic*.
Lick is helping introduce PASSIONFLIX to more Australian viewers. Why do you think Aussies will love it?
Everyone loves a good romance, and Lick has all the elements – humour, heart, and drama. Plus there’s a strong Australian connection with an Aussie author, director and two Aussie leads. The whole ‘Book-Tok” community is going to love this one.
We know Evelyn wakes up married in Vegas—but what’s your ultimate Vegas ‘bucket list’ moment?
I just got engaged myself just after we finished filming. Maybe we’ll elope…
What are your Gold Coast favourites?
DONT MAKE ME CHOOSE!
Café: Palm Springs at Burleigh or Hot Shott at Tedder Ave.
Restaurant: Gosh this is hard. Social Eating House or La Luna.
Bar: Roosevelt Lounge or the Aviary Bar
Beach: Bum’s Bay at The Spit
How do you choose to spend your days off?
Watching movies, reading or hiking up the mountain.
Have you ever taken a gamble on anything? And we don’t mean placing a physical bet on a game, race or animal. We mean taking a punt and backing yourself on something, AKA following that gut instinct. Well ironically, that is exactly what Lynn Gilmartin, a World Poker Tour Anchor, Actress and now Gold Coast local, did to launch her career. We had the pleasure to get to know this beautiful soul and her story, along with what she loves the most about our gorgeous Gold Coast. Read on to find out more!
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
Two years.
Tell us a bit about you and how you ended up in the poker ‘world’?
I grew up in Melbourne (although I was born in Ireland) and moved to Los Angeles in 2013 when I began as the anchor of the World Poker Tour. I was an actor as a child so it was a dream to live in LA, but I had given up on that dream once I reached high school, believing I wasn’t good enough to be an actor — a sad result of bullying. I had decided to focus on going to university instead. So I pursued a career in marketing and landed my first job out of uni at a casino. That was where I discovered poker. Online content was a new concept back then, so when my boss wanted to make a few YouTube videos, the young performer in me burst at the opportunity to host them. And that’s where the rerouting all began. I left that job at 24 years old to fly to Vegas and start hosting online videos from poker tournaments all over the world. That job taught me so much about content production and led me to my role now with the World Poker Tour which has been life changing. I met my husband, Angel, while we were both traveling the poker circuit in South America and we’ve continued traveling the world together — 12 years so far! He is Mexican, so we were based between Los Angeles and Mexico City for about a decade. When I had first moved to LA, I was curious about the acting classes in town, but it took a couple of years to build up the courage to try one. It’s such a cliche to say, but I will never forget the exhilarating feeling once I finally did. It reignited that passion from childhood and I’ve been acting ever since.
Angel and I have travelled to Australia every year and it was set to be our forever home someday, but the pandemic spontaneously sped up that plan. We flew here in June of 2020 so I could film This Little Love of Mine in Palm Cove, FNQ. I am so proud of that movie. It was one of the first productions on the planet to fire back up again after all the closures. We were able to escape the madness of the world, form our little covid-bubble in paradise and make a magical movie together (and it actually premiered here at the Gold Coast Film Festival). Once the film wrapped, we traveled around Queensland together, waiting for things to calm down before returning to USA. We soon realised that wasn’t going to happen for a long time. We made our way to the Gold Coast, rented a house in Burleigh, and fell madly in love with this city from the moment we checked in. We never wanted to leave. That was when we decided to make the Gold Coast our home. Australia is a spectacular country and living on the Gold Coast is the icing on the cake. And to my favourite part — I fell pregnant right after we moved here! Our son, Bodhi, was born July 2021 and we are madly in love with him. He brings us so much joy. Living on the Gold Coast as a young family is a dream. We couldn’t imagine raising Bodhi anywhere else now.
The World Poker Tour is coming to The Star Gold Coast this September, how is this going to be different to other poker events?
I cannot wait for this! WPT first came to Australia at The Star Gold Coast in 2019, but it was not a Main Tour stop back then, which means our iconic Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup was not here. Every tournament poker player across the planet dreams of having their name etched on that cup. And this September, the Sexton Cup is coming Down Under for the first time. The Gold Coast is the ideal destination for a poker player. The service at The Star is world class, combined with the wonderful, laid-back beach vibe that the city has to offer. We’ve been blown away with huge turnouts at our events here in Australia so far and now that our international borders are open, we’ve expanded the schedule of events to attract many international players. It’s set to be huge.
What do you love the most about the game?
You can learn many helpful real-life skills in this game. It’s like a microcosm of life. You learn about instincts, discipline, mastering emotions, reading other people and understanding your own ways of communicating. And, of course, when to bet on yourself. It’s a beautiful game that you can never truly master. Just like life.
In 2020, you were inducted into The Australian Poker Hall of Fame – tell us what that was like?
A massive honour. Poker has been a huge part of my life for a very long time. It was a really proud moment to stand alongside legends in the game who I used to nervously introduce myself to as a new kid on the block.
What do you consider your greatest career achievement?
Taking the huge risk of quitting my comfortable corporate career to hop on a flight to Las Vegas and chase a dream. It was in 2009 when there was so much fear around jobs. But I listened to my heart instead of the fear and that decision still continues to pay off in spades (pun intended!)
How do you define ‘success’?
Peacefulness. When you wake up in the morning feeling that, you are successful.
What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: It’s impossible to choose one! We have a rotation of six favourite coffee spots in our neighbourhood. But I do love venturing down to Tarte in Burleigh. It’s always packed for good reason.
Restaurant: Nineteen at The Star — Chef Uday Huja blows us away every time.
Bar or place for a drink: Veladora is a speakeasy mezcal bar hidden away at The Star that Angel and I are obsessed with. Remember, Angel is Mexican, so that’s a solid recommendation!
Beach: Echo Beach/Tallebudgera Creek is a dream spot to take my baby with the big beautiful mountain and the calm water to play in.
How do you choose to spend your weekends?
You’ll always find my family at a farmers market. We rotate between the Currumbin Community Market on Thursdays, Palm Beach and Burleigh on Saturdays and HOTA on Sundays. I also love paying a visit to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the hospital as often as I can. I’m in awe of the work they do there as one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world. Fridays are a great day to visit the Sanctuary as the night market kicks off at 4pm with delicious food and live music.
She’s the Gold Coast gal who began her acting career on much-loved series H20 Just Add Water and from there, Cleo Massey’s career has absolutely skyrocketed.
Not only has she starred in a web series created by her Mum (talented fam), she’s also recently written her very first comedy feature and produces a blog to spread her good vibes far and wide.
We sat down for a chat with Cleo about growing up in the film and television industry and hosting her very own event in the coming weeks.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I moved up from Tasmania just after my fourth birthday! I’ve lived here ever since.
What do you love most about our beautiful beachside city?
The beaches and the relaxed vibe the whole city gives off.
Tell us how your acting career began…
I was always into drama inside and outside of school. When I was 11, I auditioned for a show, H20 Just Add Water. I got the role, and filmed it for four years! After such an amazing experience on H20, I was sure I had to continue acting and was cast in a few different series, films and commercials. I secured some great representation in the U.S. and was sponsored for an acting visa. Over the past three years I’ve been back and forth between the Gold Coast and LA for pilot season, meetings and writing sessions. I recently filmed a comedy pilot, Cursed funded by Screen Queensland, which was so fun to film! The majority of the actors cast were comedians, which made the set a hilarious one to be on.
What have been some highlights of your acting career?
H20 Just Add Water was really special and still to this day, gives me so many opportunities moving forward in my career. Stage Mums was also definitely a career highlight.
You had a starring role in a web series created by your Mum (Stage Mums), what was it like working so closely with her?
It was so much fun! She created this series four years ago and worked so hard to get it off the ground. It was so interesting being a part of it and watching the process behind the scenes for so many years. Well, hard work does pay off! Stage Mums has just been picked up by Network 10 and will air on Channel 11 later this year! We want to show people in the TV and film industry that if you believe and persist, you can make incredible things happen. We’re so excited for Australia to see Stage Mums!
Your blog is a very inspirational space, why did you start it and why is it important?
I started my blog, Pass Around the Smile, four years ago to help myself get through some hardships I was facing within the Film and TV industries. After a few blog posts, I realised I was helping other people, and that felt so good. Four years later I’m still creating feel good blogs and I have just sold out my first Pass Around the Smile event! My goal is to inspire and encourage people to realise their full power and potential. I write and talk about all things positive, I love teaching people about the law of attraction, self-love and meditation. I want to spread positivity as far and wide as I can! Having a positive outlook on life is so important and I want people to realise they can change their life by changing their mindset.
Tell us about the comedy feature you’ve written recently…
I discovered my love for screenwriting while in the States waiting around for auditions. I decided I would create my own dream role and the story just fell into place around that. It’s been finished for a while now, but it’s constantly changing after having incredible people in the industry read it. It’s so important, whatever industry you’re in to utilise your contacts and accept constructive criticism. I’ve learnt so much that way.
What’s on for the rest of 2018?
My first Pass Around the Smile event is next week! I’m so excited, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t wait for people to feel inspired, relaxed and confident in themselves. The event is being held in a beautiful candle factory and I have so many amazing creatives helping me make it the most perfect night.
Tell us your favourites on the Coast:
Beach: Miami/Tallebudgera Creek
Restaurant: Oh no, this is so hard. Can I choose two? Gemelli and Lucky Bao!
Cafe: Hand Coffee in Broadbeach! The best coffee and the BEST jaffles ever!
How does your weekend usually look: Coffee with the fam, walk my doggy, dip in the ocean, bit of a read of whatever feel good book I’m on, and a night out with friends.
