When Michael Theo was diagnosed with autism as a boy, his parents were told to set their expectations low for what he could achieve. But everything changed in his mid-20s when his search for a girlfriend propelled him onto the TV series Love on The Spectrum. Audiences in Australia and around the world fell in love with the straight-talking romantic. Then a TV director came knocking to see whether Theo could act, and an unlikely dream became a reality.
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00:00I don't see myself as a normal human being, I see myself as an eccentric, possibly flamboyant
00:09comedian who makes people laugh.
00:27I actually was non-verbal as a small child.
00:31I always had this dream of becoming an actor.
00:35It's what I've always wanted to do since early childhood.
00:41It's not about the fame, it's about the art.
00:44Fame just comes with acting.
00:45I think I'm bathing in the reflected glory of Michael Theo.
00:51Where Michael really struck a chord with people was when he was on Love on the Spectrum.
00:55This room here is my bedroom, but I actually call it my quarters.
00:59He was charismatic.
01:01These are my love ducks.
01:02His kind of honesty and his genuine pursuit of love I think captured the hearts and minds
01:07of the viewers.
01:08What's your greatest dream in life?
01:11To become a husband.
01:12Now, he's a bit of a worldwide phenomenon in a lot of ways, and I thought, can he be
01:17in a scripted series?
01:19Does he have the chops?
01:20Take it easy.
01:21Best hangover cure?
01:22Sardines on toast.
01:23I think even Michael himself was surprised how much he took to it.
01:26Simone, just because he plays guitar does not mean that you're in love with him.
01:39This is someone who is experiencing the joy of getting to do something they thought they
01:43would never get to do.
01:46And seizing it with both hands and getting everything out of it that they possibly can.