Scrublands' Luke Arnold reveals surprising fear about bringing the book to life

Scrublands, the much loved and award-winning book by Chris Hammer, has been brought to life in a thrilling four-part miniseries on Stan, with actor Luke Arnold in the lead role of Martin Scarsden.

The series is set in Riversend, an isolated and struggling country town in rural Victoria, one year after their charismatic and dedicated young priest Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) opens fire on his congregation, killing five people.

Martin Scarsden, a journalist, arrives in the town to write a feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy. However, what was meant to be a puff piece soon becomes a life-and-death race to the truth as Martin finds that not all is what it seems in the town.

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Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle about the series, Luke revealed there have been some changes to the story, as is usually the case with adaptations, but he adds this is not a bad thing.

"There are quite a few [changes], really," the star tells us. "There's a bit of cutting down on characters and changing of characters. And I actually think, really, things unfold a little differently, and I think it's a good thing. If you like the book, you're not just going to see a play-by-play of the book. We have taken it in some other directions. But I think it means then, for people who like the show, you can go read the book and get a bit of a different experience.

"And for those that like the book, you're still going to be able to guess what's going on and not have all the answers," he adds. "And that's just the nature of this kind of thing... I love Chris' books and even looking at the next ones, there are things, especially in a mystery, there are things that might be satisfying on the page, that you really need to find a different way to deliver that information or some twist that will be more satisfying in a TV show.

"So we've taken some liberties but all in service and telling the best story possible."

As an author himself, Luke knows all too well how passionate book lovers can be, but he adds that they weren't what made him most nervous about making the show.

"That was a concern," he says of fans of the book. "I was thinking as well, like, I think I was most worried about journalists, actually, because he is a journalist, Chris is a journalist, I thought, 'Oh no, the people reviewing the show and seeing it first are the ones that might be the most opinionated about the source material.'"

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However, Luke adds that during flashback scenes that he doesn't appear in, he got to be a viewer and found it "so engaging and believable" and hopes the audience feels the same way.

All episodes of the Stan Original Series Scrublands premiere on November 16.

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