George Burgess, a former forward for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, has made a surprising shift in his career, moving from athletics to acting.
Having played for the Rabbitohs from 2012 until 2019, Burgess has begun to carve out a niche in the film industry since leaving rugby league.
Despite stepping away from the sport, he remains connected to the Rabbitohs, receiving mentorship from co-owner Russell Crowe.
Burgess's foray into acting kicked off in 2018 with his role in the film *Locusts*, followed by a theatrical performance in 2019 that earned him a People's Choice Award for *Not So Enchanted*.
Recently, he landed a role in the 2024 action thriller *Land of Bad*, which features notable stars like Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, and Russell Crowe, as well as appearing in *Spartacus: House of Ashur*.
Now, he is set to co-star with Crowe in *Beast*, an MMA fighting drama, further elevating his acting career.
"One of four brothers and a twin, I was kind of the odd one out in terms of being creative," Burgess shared with the Daily Telegraph.
"I used to draw and paint and sing, and did drama class when I was in school, and I first felt like I was at home there.
I got the lead in the first school play that we ever did, and that was the start for me, being on stage in front of the rest of the school and playing this character. From then on, it was always in my brain.
And things happen along the way - you become an awkward teenager, and you get embarrassed, you've got all the brothers that maybe shy you away from it … but when I felt like I could do it again, in my mid-20s, I started revisiting it, and I found a love for it again.
"And now we're here. So I'm not playing sports anymore, and I can do my dream. The fuse was lit very early in my life, long before sport was."