HOME AND AWAY'S NEW MÃORI STAR

The son of a Kiwi sporting Legend, Cantona Stewart is making waves in Summer Bay

- Wade Sellers

There's a new bad boy in Summer Bay and his name is Cantona Stewart. The 28-year-old newcomer hit town with a bang recently, playing troubled youngster Perri Hayes, and the drama is only going to keep coming.

Cantona admits landing the role was a wish come true.

"You can only dream of having the chance to work on what most would say is the pinnacle and pillar of TV," says Cantona. "To receive that phone call to say you're moving to Sydney to work on Home And Away was numbing. I'll treasure the whole experience for the entirety of my career."

Born in the UK but raised in Australia, the actor was named after soccer legend Eric Cantona by his father, New Zealand league pro Sam Stewart, aka "Slammin' Sam", who played for the Kiwis and later the Newcastle Knights.