NCIS STAR TODD 'THE ROLE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE'

Back from Hollywood, the former Home And Away actor says it's a dream being back Down Under

- Lucy Croke

For Todd Lasance, filming NCIS: Sydney was a nostalgic experience. After living and working in Hollywood for 10 years, the former Home And Away star found himself back where his acting journey began - on Sydney's northern beaches.

"I took my co-stars Sean Sagar and Olivia Swann to Palm Beach," Todd, 38, says of the location that doubles for Summer Bay. "We took photos out the front of the set. That was cool for me - it's always special to go back there because it's the show that started everything for me."

Todd made his acting debut on teen drama series Blue Water High in 2006, but it was the following year, when he played bad boy Aden Jefferies in Home And Away, that he got his big break.

In the hugely successful NCIS franchise's latest series, NCIS: Sydney, Todd plays Australian Federal Police liaison officer Sergeant Jim "JD" Dempsey, described as a humble country boy with a knack for interrogation and a dry sense of humour.

"The beauty of NCIS is that it always has that light, beautiful humour," the actor says. "It also allowed us to grab these lines and make them our own. The cultural differences between the American and the Australian crews NCIS versus AFP - in themselves were comedy, about who has better coffee and who drives on the 'right' side of the road."