Since leaving Summer Bay, a Home and Away villain has gone through a drastic transformation and we can barely recognise him anymore.
WATCH: Home and Away’s Kane and Kirsty get married
From the years 2001 to 2009, Sam Atwell was front and centre on our screens as Home and Away villain Kane Phillips. Now, the actor looks VERY different from his days at the bay.
It seems the 41-year-old has traded his mostly clean-shaven look for an impressive beard and moustache, as well as opting to wear a hat in all of his recent photos.
Over Christmas, Sam joined the cast of Irish soap opera Fair City to debut his new look on our TV screens.
Playing the character of ‘Barbie Man’, The Irish Sun reported that fans were delighted to see the Home and Away alum on screens once more.
“Great to see Kane back on our screens,” @HaraoharaO wrote, “how crazy he is in #faircity”
As well as appearing in soaps, Sam hasn’t been shying away from sharing his new look on Instagram.
Back in August 2020, Sam posted a snap of himself with a brown hat, black sunnies and, of course, his new signature face hair, enjoying a beer in the Irish countryside.
“Cheers Ireland,” the actor captioned the post.
While Sam appeared in front of the camera over Christmas, the 41-year-old has been working behind the scenes for quite some time now as a script consultant, producer and director.
But with Sam’s latest on-screen role being such a crowd success, is a return to Summer Bay in the cards? The actor’s Home and Away wife Kirsty Sutherland (played by Christie Hayes) certainly hasn’t ruled it out.
Speaking to Digital Spy in 2019, Christie confessed she was grateful for her time on Home and Away and would consider returning to the soap. Though, the actress did point out that the controversial storylines surrounding the Kane and Kirsty romance would not fly nowadays.
“It wasn’t even that long ago, but I look back on storylines that we did on Home and Away and I think: ‘That would never be okay now!’” Christie told the publication.
“I don’t think they would be getting away with something like that in this day and age. Which is good – I think it just forces the writers to think outside the square and be a little bit more creative.
“But hell no. I can’t imagine a lot of that stuff going down now – not at all.”
We guess we’ll have to wait and see whether Sam makes a – hopefully less problematic – return to Summer Bay, and whether or not he brings his new look with him.