Main Image: Hunter Page-Lochard stars as Charlie in new dark comedy Reckless. Credit: David Dare Parker
Jade JurewiczSTMSun, 2 November 2025 2:00AMEmail Jade Jurewicz
Hunter Page-Lochard finds no shame in admitting he’s a nepo baby.
“Good luck being a doctor in my household,” the actor laughs when reflecting on a childhood surrounded by creatives.
With a renowned choreographer and artistic director for a dad, a mother who danced in the New York Ballet — not to mention a wider mob of aunts, uncles and cousins with rhythm and creativity pulsing through their veins — Page-Lochard never really stood a chance at your typical nine-to-five.
“If I look back into my childhood, every time we gathered, there was always a performance,” he says.
“There was always Michael Jackson, Diana Ross or Tina Turner. . . something thrown on, and even dresses and make-up and drag shows — the whole glitz and glamour. By the time I was 10, I had probably done more shows than some drag queens.”
BBC TV series Reckless currently filming in Fremantle
His dad might have helped him nab his first Water Rats cameo at age five, but from there, Page-Lochard’s own passion and grit took over — carving his path through Australia’s film and screen industry.
Following his feature film debut in Bran Nue Dae alongside Ernie Dingo and Geoffrey Rush, he went on to appear in The Sapphires, Spear and Kid Snow. On the small screen his stacked resume includes surfing drama Barons, Critical Incident and you’ve also seen him on Play School. There was also The Newsreader, for which he won an AACTA award.
Now, with his latest series Reckless — shot in Fremantle and co-starring Tasma Walton — Page-Lochard finds himself in a role that feels connected to the stories he’s always wanted to tell.
He plays Charlie, a heart-on-his-sleeve type who’s a little too loyal for his own good. After covering up a hit-and-run with his sister June (Walton), their lives begin to spiral. The series is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, described as having an “unapologetically West Australian” feel.
It’s not the first time he’s joined Walton on screen. The pair previously starred in sci-fi drama Cleverman, and have remained close since.
Not only was the script for the dark comedy, written by Kodie Bedford (also executive producer) and Stuart Page, “every actor’s dream”, but Page-Lochard says the world they created would give audiences a fresh lens on Aboriginal stories.
“I think what’s really important is showcasing urban Indigenous people,” he says.
“In the Australian film and television industry we tend to only have a lens for the rural Aboriginal person. But I think having them in Freo, being in a law firm and owning a record store and actually being quite assertive and in control of their urban life is really, really cool.”
It was a perspective the whole cast — including fellow WA-raised actors Jessica De Gouw and Clarence Ryan — were on board with as they shot the four action-packed episodes.
“We all understood the assignment of showing blackfellas in a cool scenario,” Page-Lochard explains. “You watch TV shows like Atlanta and Rye Lane with these beautiful black people from the UK and America, and I think the one thing that stands out is the fact that they’re just unapologetically cool, no matter how gritty or comedic it is.”
It’s not just the stories he’s telling on screen that have changed in the 26 years since Page-Lochard first stepped in front of the camera.
In 2020, he launched production company Djali House with his father Stephen Page, with a film currently in the works. These days, he’s also a husband and a dad to daughters Mila and Evara, and jokes there might be a few more nepo babies in our midst when his talented girls grow up.
“The older one would definitely do musical theatre, whereas the younger will do more Mia Goth-type stuff,” Page-Lochard laughs.
What success means to him has evolved too. A few years ago, it was the AACTA award — not the trophy itself, but rather the recognition within the wider Australian film industry after decades of hard work.
Now, success is having the freedom to create and the trust to tell stories his way within an industry that believes in him.
It’s also about stepping into a position of influence, to be the kind of role model for the next generation that Aaron Pedersen, Luke Carroll and Deborah Mailman were for him growing up.
“It’s now the next wave, and if I’m able to take that leadership role along with my peers, I’d love to do that,” he says.
Reckless is on SBS and NITV on November 12. All episodes will be available to stream on SBS On Demand.
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