Nic Westaway: From 'Home and Away' to Vancouver's Vertical Drama Boom

After making his mark on Australia's "Home and Away," Nic Westaway found an unexpected new chapter in Vancouver's vertical drama industry. Now, he's expanding his career beyond acting into writing and directing.

Long before he became a familiar face in vertical dramas, Nic Westaway had already built a successful acting career on Australian television. A move to Vancouver opened the door to an unexpected new chapter, one that has seen him evolve not only as an actor but also as a director, writer, and passionate advocate for better storytelling.

From Australian Television to International Screens

The Australian actor began his screen career with short films before landing one of his best-known roles as Kyle Braxton on the long-running soap opera "Home and Away."

During his four years on the series, he appeared in 386 episodes and reprised the role in the spin-off films "Home and Away: Revenge" and "Home and Away: All or Nothing."

His work on the series introduced him to audiences around the world and established him as a recognizable face in Australian television.

Following his success on "Home and Away," Westaway continued building his career through a range of television, film, and independent productions. He also explored theater, voice acting, motion capture, commercials, and podcast dramas, embracing opportunities across different performance mediums.

Nic Westaway at the world premiere of "Dance Academy" on March 26, 2017 at Sydney, Australia | Source: Getty Images

Starting Over in Vancouver

After relocating from Australia to Vancouver, Westaway found himself rebuilding his career in a new country. While working as a production assistant to support himself, he spent his free time searching Backstage, Actors Access, Facebook groups, and casting websites for auditions.

That persistence eventually led him to a Facebook casting call for a series of paid non-union productions. At the time, he knew almost nothing about vertical dramas, but he saw another chance to act.

Westaway attended the audition prepared with a nine-minute monologue. Before leaving the room, he had been offered two lead roles.

Westaway later recalled that the opportunity unfolded quickly, describing the experience as the unexpected beginning of an entirely new chapter in his career.

Among those first projects was "The Double Life of Mr. President," which introduced him to audiences in the rapidly growing vertical drama industry.

The poster for "The Double Life of Mr. President" | Source: reelshort.com

Finding a Home in Vertical Dramas

Since then, Westaway has built an extensive body of work within Vancouver's growing vertical drama industry.

His growing list of credits includes "Second Chance with Mafia Lover," "Finally See You Carrying Our Baby," "Love Me Like You Do," "The CEO's Wife Stole Her Life," "One Last Temptation Before I Say I Do," "Three Chances, I'm Gone Forever," "The Mafia Boss I Should've Loved," "Beneath Crimson Sails," and numerous others.

The posters for "Second Chance with Mafia Lover," "The CEO's Wife Stole Her Life," and "The Mafia Boss I Should've Loved" | Source: IMDb

Although the productions often move at an incredibly fast pace, Westaway says the skills he developed during his years on "Home and Away" prepared him well for the demanding shooting schedules.

At the same time, he appreciates how quickly the vertical drama industry has evolved. In interviews, he noted improvements in production quality, better organization on set, stronger safety practices with intimacy and stunt coordinators, and increasing opportunities for actors to explore different genres beyond the billionaire romances that first defined the format.

"Make It Make Sense"

Throughout multiple interviews, one phrase repeatedly emerged as Westaway's guiding philosophy:

For him, audiences will happily accept outrageous twists, secret identities, kidnappings, or dramatic revelations as long as the emotional motivations remain believable.

Whether portraying a billionaire, a mafia boss, or a romantic lead, he focuses on understanding why a character behaves the way they do rather than simply delivering lines.

That mindset also shapes how he approaches collaboration. Westaway enjoys discussing scenes with directors and fellow actors, experimenting with different interpretations, and finding ways to strengthen the story together rather than treating a script as something that cannot be changed.

He believes filmmaking is ultimately a collaborative process where everyone's ideas can contribute to a better final product.

Expanding Beyond Acting

As his experience in vertical dramas has grown, so has Westaway's interest in working behind the camera.

He co-directed portions of "Finally Seeing You Carrying Our Baby" and contributed to rewriting parts of its ending.

The poster for "Finally See You Carrying Our Baby" | Source: IMDb

In another instance, he declined a directing opportunity because he disagreed with the story's message, explaining that he wants projects to leave audiences with something meaningful rather than simply delivering shock value.

One of his most ambitious projects has been the pirate-themed vertical drama, “Beneath Crimson Sails,” that began after fans repeatedly expressed interest in seeing one.

Instead of waiting for a studio to make it happen, Westaway and his collaborators helped bring the project to life themselves.

The project was largely self-funded, with cast and crew accepting reduced rates because they believed in it.

Westaway balanced filming the pirate series alongside multiple other vertical dramas, even keeping his long hair and beard for months to maintain continuity between shoots.

Westaway hopes to write, direct, and star in more original projects while continuing to explore genres such as fantasy, mystery, and supernatural romance.

Shaping the Stories He Wants to Tell

Although Westaway has already built an extensive résumé across television, film, and vertical dramas, he sees his career as continuing to evolve.

He has spoken about wanting to see more blue-collar protagonists, stronger female characters, richer fantasy worlds, and stories that resonate because of their emotional honesty rather than familiar formulas.

He has even turned down projects when he felt their messages did not align with his own values as a storyteller.

Westaway has said that the size of an audience matters less to him than telling stories that resonate with people, whether that audience is small or large.

This continues to shape every stage of his career—from his years on Australian television to his move across the world and his growing influence within Vancouver's thriving vertical drama community.