Sam Worthington will lead in his first TV role in four years, and he has wife Lara Worthington (née Bingle) to thank.
The Aussie Avatar star, 49, has scored the leading role in Harlan Coben’s newest series adaptation I Will Find You. The actor said his wife of nearly 12 years pushed him to take the role – but don’t expect his kids to tune in.
Sam Worthington thanks wife Lara for his latest TV role. Getty
Sam and Lara, 39, have been married since 2014. They share three sons Rocket, 11, Racer, nine, and River, six. While their dad may be a big Hollywood star, that doesn’t mean they’ve seen Sam’s movies.
“I’m not going to ask them to [watch my stuff],” the Clash of the Titans star told PEOPLE during the series’ New York premiere on Monday.
“Kids don’t feed your ego, but it was interesting that my son wanted to watch [I Will Find You],” said the surprised dad-of-three.
What wasn’t a surprise was that wife Lara watched back-to-back episodes of the thrilling new miniseries. She’s also the reason Sam took the role in the first place.
“We got an early screening, so [Lara] and my son watched it until four in the morning … They binged them all,” he added.
“My wife Lara is a huge fan [of Coben] and she’s the one who said ‘You’ve got to do this… you’d be a fool not to do it’,” Sam said speaking with Richard Wilkins on Today.
“It’s thanks to her that I dived in.”
Sam plays David Borroughs in the new Netflix drama, an innocent father convicted to life in prison for the murder of his own son. He escapes prison, seeking answers, convinced his son is still alive.
Sam stars in new thriller series I Will Find You. YouTube/@Netflix
Thirteen of Coben’s novels have been adapted for screen in Australia. I Will Find You marks Sam’s first TV series since Under the Banner of Heaven in 2022.
Sam and Lara, an Aussie model and media personality, met at a festival in New York back in 2013. They were married not long afterwards, tying the knot in a ceremony in December 2014.
Sam and Lara have been married for nearly 12 years and keep their personal lives out of the spotlight. Instagram
At the time, Lara was pregnant with their first son, Rocket. They have since also welcomed sons Racer and River.
“My husband really gives me this grounding and support. He’s… what’s the right word? My anchor. He really calms me and makes me feel secure,” Lara told Stellar of their relationship in 2019.
Before her relationship, Lara (whose maiden name is Lara Bingle) was famously in a relationship with Aussie cricketer Michael Clarke.
The pair had a highly public two-year engagement, which ended in 2010.