EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Home and Away star Stephen Peacocke on Hollywood, Margot Robbie and being shirtless on the job

Stephen Peacocke gained scores of Aussie fans during his four years on Home and Away, but what they saw on TV isn't necessarily what you get when you meet the actor.

The 33-year-old sat down for an exclusive interview with TheFIX and revealed that he actually has very little in common with his ex-H&A character Darryl "Brax" Braxton, a role that often required him to run around shirtless.

"I'd never been to a gym," Stephen told TheFIX of his initial jitters about his breakthrough gig. "I never lifted weights. I never did any of that. There are blokes on that show who look really good with their shirts off."

Despite his misgivings, Stephen ended up impressing a few key VIPs. Since leaving H&A at the end of last year, he's already made two Hollywood movies.

In the first one, based on the bestseller The Taliban Shuffle, Stephen co-stars with Margot Robbie. The ex-Neighbours actress recently gushed about her "extraordinarily talented" fellow soap alum, telling Digital Spy, "If he doesn't blow up, I would be surprised."

Stephen appears to be doing his part to meet those lofty expectations. But lest fans think he's forgotten his roots, he recently returned to the H&A set in Australia to film top-secret scenes set to air later this year.

Watch Stephen talk Hollywood, Margot and staying buff outside of the gym in our exclusive interview above.