australian television information archive

Arlo Turner played by Benson Jack Anthony

Arlo is super intelligent and super quirky. A lot of people think he's a bit strange and he has no friends as a result.

He doesn't seem to mind though as he's busy exploring the world of books, the Internet and anything else that intrigues him.

For a kid of just 14, he has wisdom and sensitivity beyond his years. On the face of it Arlo has taken the death of his mother as well as any boy possibly could. He is sad and sometimes her absence upsets him, but for the most part he has suppressed his feelings of unfairness and anger in favour of quietly getting on with things. It is, of course, the quiet ones you have to watch most closely.

Benson Jack Anthony

A keen dancer, Benson Jack Anthony started acting at a young age with his first role in The Mystery of Natalie Wood directed by acclaimed director Peter Bogdanovich. His other television credits include Legend of the Seeker, Chatroom Chicks, Blood Brothers and a small part in Underbelly Razor.

He attended Sylvia Young Performing Arts College in London and The Village Performing Arts and Brent St Studios in Sydney.

Benson says he clicked instantly with Melina, who plays his on-screen sister. "I had a four hour plane trip sitting next to Melina on the way to New Zealand and we really bonded so by the time the plane landed we were already like brother and sister," he says.

Benson is slightly reluctant to confess to the similarities between himself and his character, Arlo.

"Okay so I am slightly geeky and that's the same for Arlo," he says. "Melina was always calling me a geek when we hung out between shoots and I would say, 'No, I'm not really' but Arlo is a bit smart and sometimes a little bit know-it-all and if I'm truthful I'd say that's a little bit like me too."