Co-creator and co-director Darren Ashton reveals how Michael Teo’s appearance on Love on the Spectrum sparked the idea for his new TV comedy Austin.
Love on the Spectrum was a worldwide hit, depicting a diverse group of nervously diverse people navigating the world of dating. During the show, one of the participants, Michael Teo, expressed his desire to become an actor. Seeing this, film director Darren Ashton had an idea. What happens when a neurodiverse 28-year-old man shows up on your doorstep claiming to be your son?After several years of development as Theo formed the character, Austin was born.
“There’s a lot of Michael on this show… there’s a lot of Michael,” Ashton reveals. “Yeah, I noticed,” Theo replied, and Ashton burst out laughing.
In this behind-the-scenes video, Theo talks about how Love on the Spectrum changed his life for the better, and how he hopes to continue to be an advocate for neurodiverse stories. , Ashton reveals some of the challenges of filming overseas.
Austin is currently available to stream on ABC iview.
