Meet Tim Fellingham, Your New Leading Man in Netflix’s Global Hit, ‘Wyatt Earp & The Cowboy War’

If you’ve seen Netflix’s Wyatt Earp & The Cowboy War, you already know who Tim Fellingham is, even if you didn’t realise it at first. Towering quietly at the center of the action, Fellingham brings a simmering gravitas to the iconic gunslinger, grounding the chaos around him with a performance that’s earned global praise for its restraint and intensity.

But the Australian-born actor isn’t new to the game. His career has been built across continents, playing everyone from morally corrupt villains to the Son of God himself. He’s lived in vans, battled demons (on screen), and most recently, taken audiences back to the Old West. Another step in a journey that’s been anything but conventional.

We spoke with Fellingham about his origins, his method and the journey that had him strapping into the saddle—literally.

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VF: So where are you from?

Tim Fellingham: I grew up in the countryside on the Sunshine Coast. It’s in Queensland Australia.

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VF: It sounds idealistic. Why would you ever want to leave?

TF: Yes it’s a very special place. I try to get back there as much as possible. I feel blessed to have been brought up there.

VF: What were your first acting jobs?

TF: I first started in Sydney. After drama school, I began doing commercials and small roles, whatever I could find, the usual hustle for us actors. But my first real credits came when I moved to Vancouver, Canada. I was cast in shows like Fairly Legal, where I played a drifting Australian bachelor. And I had a role in Final Destination 5.

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VF: So playing an Australian drifter in Vancouver wasn’t far from the truth at the time?

TF: [Laughs] Ha, well yeah! I actually lived in a van in Vancouver for the first couple of months. So maybe I was method acting without knowing it.

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VF: So you’ve made a career acting abroad?

TF: Yeah, not for lack of trying at home. But unfortunately, the opportunities in Australia for me at that time weren’t great. So I made the move to North America, and then later to the UK. And honestly, it worked out. Each place presented its opportunities and taught me something different as an actor.

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VF: What type of characters have you found yourself drawn to?

TF: Well, like most actors, I took what I could get at first. But I’ve always gravitated toward high-octane characters. They’re just fun to play. That said, now that I’m a little older, I’m really interested in new challenges, roles I haven’t done before. I think it’s the only way you stretch and continue to grow as an actor.

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VF: You’ve certainly played a wide range of roles, including Jesus, in The Story of Christ. How was that experience?

TF: It was a lot. We shot the film in Matera, Italy. It’s this ancient city carved into rock. They filmed The Passion of the Christ there too. It’s stunning, but also very intense. The weight of playing such an iconic figure, man- son of god, stays with you.

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VF: Why was it intense?

TF: Well, Italy’s a very Catholic country, so once word got out that I was playing Jesus, people would follow me in the street and shout blessings. It was wild. But more than that, it was spiritually heavy. Some strange things happened during that shoot, nothing I can fully explain. But it was an experience I’ll never forget.

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VF: You sound like you really go deep into your roles. Would you call yourself a method actor?

TF: No, I wouldn’t call myself a “method actor”, but I do have my method. For me, I work hard on the script, and try and find the similarities I have with the character. Then I just try to let go and make space for the character to come alive.

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VF: More recently, you took on another legendary figure, Wyatt Earp, in Wyatt Earp & The Cowboy War. How was that experience?

TF: Amazing. It’s kind of every little boy’s dream. Riding horses, cowboy hats, shootouts. I absolutely loved it.

VF: So you learned to ride a horse?

TF: Yeah. I could ride a bit before, but I had some lessons leading up to the shoot. We didn’t have much time, so I was pretty much thrown into the saddle—literally. [Laughs] But it adds to the realism. You don’t have time to overthink when you’re galloping at full speed with a camera on you.

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VF: Did you approach Wyatt Earp the same way you did Jesus?

TF: Definitely. Though this project was a bit more run-and-gun – no pun intended. We had a tight schedule and a lot to shoot, so there wasn’t much time for reflection. But I still tried to ground Wyatt in something real. I read a lot about him, he was an introvert, apparently. So I found stillness gave the character his intensity.

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GQ: Wyatt Earp has been played by some iconic actors. Was it daunting to take on the role?

TF: Absolutely. I was very aware of the greats like Kurt Russell, in Tombstone, one of my favourite westerns. And Kevin Costner. Their takes were different, and both brilliant. But I didn’t want to copy them. I wanted to find my own way to Wyatt. For me and the creators, Stephen David and Patrick Reams, it was about restraint, letting the silence speak, showing the weight of his experience without shouting it.

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VF: Well, considering the global success of the show, I’d say it worked.

TF: I’m really proud of how it turned out. It’s always a team effort. But yeah, it’s surreal to think how many people around the world have seen it.

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VF: So what’s next for you?

TF: I’ve got a couple of films coming out soon. One is Bad Day at the Office, an action comedy where I play an insecure Serbian gangster. Very different vibe. And the other is The Experiment, a sci-fi action horror where I play a futuristic soldier who’s… let’s just say, not quite stable.

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VF: Very different from Jesus and Wyatt.

TF: [Laughs] Yeah, you could say that. But that’s the fun of it, disappearing into wildly different worlds. Keeps me on my toes.

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VF: It seems like you’ve built a career out of versatility.

TF: I hope so. That’s always been the goal. To be the kind of actor who surprises you. They’re the actors I’ve always enjoyed watching.

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Whether he’s walking on water, riding into battle, or living out of a van in Vancouver, Tim Fellingham brings commitment, depth, and a surprising emotional charge to every role he takes on. With a growing body of work that spans genres, continents, and centuries, he’s carving out a career on his own terms and at his own pace.

One thing is for certain: Tim Fellingham, is without question, one to watch out for.