Stan’s new original series Dear Life explores the quiet, complicated aftermath of loss, asking what it means to keep living when the future you imagined disappears.
Anchored by deeply human performances and an emotionally rich script, the series leans into vulnerability rather than easy answers. At its heart are people doing their best to hold themselves, and each other, together.
For stars Brooke Satchwell and Ryan Johnson, it was a story that demanded everything.
Brooke Satchwell as Lillian in Dear Life
When Brooke Satchwell first read the script for Dear Life, she didn’t just connect with it- she was consumed by it.
“The whole script just ripped me,” she told WHO ahead of the show’s premiere. “I could taste it, smell it, see it, feel it, breathe it. It made so much sense to me. And what a fabulous character to be able to play in all that chaos and rawness.”
At the centre of the emotionally charged drama is Lillian (Brooke Satchwell), a woman grappling with the devastating loss of her fiancé. Unable to let go, she finds solace in seeking out the recipients of his donated organs. For Brooke, 45, the role felt deeply instinctual from the very beginning.
“It held so many worlds, and I understood them all so clearly,” she said. “It felt so true to me with every breath. I just wanted to jump in.”
Ryan Johnson as Hamish
Alongside Brooke is Ryan Johnson, 46, who plays Hamish, Lillian’s cousin- a man navigating his own emotional complexities while trying to hold his family together. For Ryan, the role marked a refreshing shift in his career.
The actor told WHO that he was immediately drawn to Hamish because of the opportunity to play a fully realised, multi-layered man.
“He’s not a mumbling Aussie mechanic or a two-dimensional silly dad,” he said. “He’s a really complex man. He’s a husband, a father, someone who’s going through big things and genuinely trying to keep stuff together.”
After years of being cast as the comic relief or secondary character, Ryan relished the chance to dig deeper.
“It finally wasn’t the funny sidekick or the jealous brother,” he explained. “It was like, ‘Wow, I can bring a lot to this guy.’ I’ll do what I’ve always done, but I’ve got a lot more to do with it.”
How did the actors prepare for their roles in Dear Life?
For Brooke, tapping into Lillian’s pain didn’t require extensive preparation- the emotional stakes were already clear.
“I know I’m very lucky to have found the Holy Grail,” she told WHO, speaking candidly about her own relationship. “I’ve done my hard yards as a human being and I’ve found my person, who’s also done his work. We see each other in our whole spectrum and completely accept and love each other for that.”
The thought of losing that kind of love, she said, is enough to unlock the depths of Lillian’s grief.
“Immediately, the thought of not having that anymore, that’s not a short trip. I don’t really need to prepare for that.”
Beyond romantic loss, the actress believes Dear Life resonates because it reflects a universal truth.
“We’ve all lived. We’ve all seen some s–t,” she said. “Trauma, grief, and the ability to progress and surpass the hard bits of life, to keep hope through the agony, that’s something I really appreciate.”
She’s particularly proud to be part of a series that allows space for emotional honesty.
“In society, there’s not a lot of room for that to breathe,” she explained. “This production holds that space and says it’s OK to be human, to be all the things, and to find your way through it. That’s really my jam.”
What was the hardest part of filming Dear Life?
While the emotional demands of the series were heavy, Brooke revealed that some of the toughest moments on set had more to do with nature than narrative.
“The trickier bits were often the weather,” she admitted. “When you’re trying to keep your eyes open and you’ve got 70-kilometre winds coming at you… sometimes that helps with the tears, or it blows them right out.”
Filming in Ballarat proved particularly challenging. “We were literally getting seven seasons per day,” she said. “It was intense,” Ryan added.
Did the cast of Dear Life get on?
Despite the weighty subject matter, both actors say the atmosphere on set was unexpectedly warm. Rather than the emotional content draining the cast, it brought them closer together.
“Inevitably, it was heavy content, and you’d think that would have a profound effect,” Ryan said. “But we all brought so much of ourselves to it, and we’ve all been doing this a long time. We knew how to approach it.”
What made the experience special, he added, was the people.
“It just so happened to be a really lovely bunch of humans. We all got along really well and hung out heaps.”
For Brooke, Dear Life was more than just another job. “It was a really awesome adventure to go on,” she gushed.
When is Dear Life out?
Dear Life is set to premiere on Thursday, January 1 on Stan.
What better way to start the new year than with an emotional new series?!
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