One of life’s greatest story arcs is when you grow up fangirling someone famous then actually get to tell them later in life when you become mates - bonus points if they're as lovely as you'd hoped and Dan MacPherson is exactly that. If you’re part of the demographic of people who listen to this show, chances are you’ve also seen, heard and watched Dan's evolution through television, film, theatre presenting and everything in between.

Transitioning seamlessly from the end of high school into a coveted role on Neighbours, you could say Dan has been an Australian icon for nearly three decades now. You may not now, however, that it all came about by accident when he was scouted literally on the side of the road at a triathlon but his enthusiasm for seizing such unexpected opportunities has helped him build a career that's not only remarkably successful, but incredibly varied continually reinventing himself while staying true to the craft.

I am so grateful he gave us some of his very precious time back in Melbourne especially on the day his latest project premieres on Stan, so you can all see (if you haven’t already) the culmination of everything he’s done so far into a role you’ve never seen him in before.

As someone who had never learnt to fight, you might think it unlikely Dan would take the lead in the new Stan Original film, Beast, as former MMA champion Patton James alongside Russell Crowe and fighting an opponent who is LEGITIMATELY an actual MMA champion... But you don’t know Dan - he made it his goal to be so convincing that people would think he was a fighter taught to act and not an actor taught to fight and he did exactly that.

I loved every minute of this episode - he is SO easy to chat to but also shares such deep, valuable reflections along the way and I’ll let you hear the rest directly from him.

Ladies and Gentleman, this is Dan MacPherson for Seize The Yay.

Watch BEAST on Stan.

Follow Dan here.