Australian television and stage actor Rob Collins, who plays Amos in the 2020 TV series Mystery Road, initially started his professional life in public service jobs. However, with time, he felt that he did not fit into the nine-to-five life.

He was searching for a way to be a part of the world that made him happy, much like a Pixar character. 

Rob Collins Always had a Knack for Creativity

Rob, who is of a Tiwi Island descent, was born on August 4, 1979, in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. In an interview with the National Indigenous Times (NIT), he stated that he was the kind of kid who liked to spend his time outdoors and spent his childhood playing football and fishing.

My time, as a kid, was split between here (Darwin) and Bathurst Island (Wurrumiyanga) … we’d go over in the school June/July holidays. Growing up in Darwin was all about footy as a teenager, and fishing.

After completing high school, Rob went on to study Business. While doing so, he began to feel like he was in the right place. His head lecturer in the university he was attending pointed out that he was probably better off doing artistic things. However, he still chose to study Business to satisfy his family.

I remember sitting down with the course head lecturer … He looked at my electives, which were all creative … And he said to me, ‘Maybe this is not for you? Maybe you need to do something artistic’...I didn’t pay any mind at that point, my focus was getting through that degree and making the folks happy.

After graduating with a degree in Business, he began his professional life as a public servant. It was during this time that he realized that he should explore the creative side of things.

Rob Wanted to Be a Bigger Part Of The World

While doing a nine-to-five job, Rob did not want to be stuck in the cycle. He got involved in a band with his brother on the side and also went to an acting workshop at a local community arts organization in Darwin with his brother.

Speaking of this confusing time, as reported by the National Indigenous Times (NIT), Rob said that he related to Pixar characters for the feeling of wanting to be a bigger part of the world.

Feeling in the back of my mind that there must be something different to that nine to five – you know every Pixar movie is based on this idea. I was one of those Pixar characters, there’s a great big world out there and I was finding out how to be a part of it.

His Journey from Drama School to fatherhood to Silver Screen in Three Years

Feeling strong about his acting ability after attending the workshop, Rob got in touch with Australian playwright and artistic director Wesley Enoch. The latter provided him with the encouragement to start a career in acting.

With this motivation, he attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney from 2011. While at college, he was also cast as King Mufasa in the Australian stage production of The Lion King.

By the time he finished his studies at NIDA in 2013, he had three kids; sons Blake and Jordan and daughter Rachel with his wife, Laetitia Lemke. His family was very supportive of his career and toured all over Australia with him for his acting jobs.

Then, in 2016, he was cast as Waruu West in Cleverman (2016-2017). That was his first mainstream acting job, and since then, Rob has only seen the greener side.

From then till now, Rob has 14 acting credits in total, according to IMDb, which includes projects such as Extraction (2020), Mystery Road (2020), The Wrong Girl (2016-2017), Total Control (2019), and Glitch (2017-2019). His latest project, The Drovers Wife (Legend of Molly Johnson), is in post-production right now and is set to be released this year.

We don’t know if Rob still considers himself a real-life Pixar character, but seeing as he has found his place in the world as an actor, we doubt he still does.