Fans of the nineties thriller Cruel Intentions have been eagerly awaiting Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the film, which finally lands on the streamer today (November 21).
The series has been described as a ‘new chapter’ and introduces viewers to characters that weren’t around in the 1999 film, though the storyline remains similar. Sarah Catherine Hook steps into the role of cruel Queen Bee Caroline Merteuil in the TV series, while Zac Burgess portrays her love-struck step-brother Lucien Belmont.
In the original film, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe played similar versions of the pair, known as Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont.
Viewers diving into the series will no doubt want to learn more about Zac’s life off-screen. So what do we know about the star?
Early life and famous dad
Despite his convincing American accent – which he has rated himself as a ‘9.9 out of 10’ – Zac is actually from the town of Bellingen in Australia. He later moved to Perth in 2021 in order to pursue acting at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts.
Despite being so early on his career, he already has a handful of acting credits to his name. Aside from his role as Lucien in Cruel Intentions, Zac is perhaps best-known for playing Eli Bell in the TV series Boy Swallows Universe, reports the Mirror. His other roles include Jason in One Night and Teen John in the series Totally Completely Fine.
Acting is in his blood, as Zac Burgess’ late father Scott Burgess was also a part of the industry. Scott had roles in TV series such as Water Rats, The Great Bookie Robbery and 1915, and even starred in the 1986 film, Just Us. Sadly, he passed away in 2016 at the age of 57. In 2023, Zac shared an old newspaper clipping of his father on his Instagram page, along with a touching poem.
Zac Burgess’ partner
Pictures on his Instagram account show Zac getting cosy with kinesiologist Leah Gersteling, and they celebrated their one-year anniversary in December 2023.
The Cruel Intentions actor posted a photo of them kissing on a beach to commemorate the occasion, captioning it: “One year – around the sun with you,” to which Leah responded: “Aww my heart! Thank you my beautiful amazing partner.”
However, there have been no recent photos of the couple on his Instagram, leaving fans wondering if they are still together.
Cruel Intentions is now streaming on Amazon Prime