At their rented seaside apartment on Sydney's Northern Beaches, it's clear the duo are relishing their first time living out of home - beds are unmade, wetsuits hang over the pair of surfboards in the hall, and their extensive DVD collection litter the living-room floor of their self-dubbed "bachelor pad."

"Cleaning's our special six-monthly thing," says Brisbane-born Lewis, 20, the middle of three children to rugby-league great Wally Lewis. "We've been here for about a year, but only got our clothes washer two months ago - I used to take my clothes home in a massive suitcase every three weeks and give it to mum!"

Laundry aside, the pair, who bonded over their love of the beach, gym and hip-hop music, are relishing their independence. "It's better than what I thought it would be," says Lewis, who began acting with a Dreamworld commercial at age 12 and won this year's Most Popular New Male Talent Logie for his role as larrikin Geoff Campbell. "Nothing has come as a huge shock. 'T-bone' is just a chilled-out dude and we have our fun. There's days we'll barely speak because we're so tired, or we'll stay up until 3 AM chatting. We've become great mates."

Living with a co-star has its benefits: when their schedules allow, a standard night involves grabbing Thai takeaway on the way home from the local gym and hanging out in front of a DVD or reading through scripts. "We run lines together," says Lasance, who grew up in Newcastle before getting his break on Home and Away in 2005 playing Aden Jefferies, followed by a small role opposite Kate Hudson in this year's Fool's Gold.

The pair, who share the cleaning and each take "about a minute" for grooming, watch Home and Away most evenings. "It might sound a bit strange," explains Lewis, "but we are our own worst critics - Todd can offer an outsider's perspective for me, and vice versa."

But it's not all work: weekends involve clubbing at Sydney's Kings Cross, hosting barbecues, and spare time is spent at the beach surfing. There's no shortage of female fans - "I actually have to sign off on the girls for Lincoln because the line's so long - the door closes at 15, max," jokes Lasance. He likes girls "with a nice smile and beautiful eyes," but like Lewis remains coy about his relationship status.

But the attention can be "annoying sometimes," says Lewis, who was dubbed "the Lynx effect" in high school for his heart-throb appeal. "We're happy to do it, but there are days you really crave the normality you had before."