Oscar Curtis

Oscar Curtis is a British actor and model. Curtis took acting classes and modelled for several photoshoots and promos between 2017 and 2022. Curtis appeared in the 2021 feature film Last Village on the Right, and in 2022 he guest starred in an episode of Doctors. In 2023, Curtis took over the role of Lucas Hay on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, where he was involved in a long-running storyline about conversion therapy. For his role as Lucas, Dowling was longlisted for "Best Young Performer" and "Best Partnership" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.

Life and career
Curtis trained at Act Up North and also took acting classes at the Mark Jermin Stage School. Between 2017 and 2022, Curtis modelled for a variety of photoshoots and promos, including for Calvin Klein, Footasylum, Adidas, JD Sports and Vanity Teen. In 2020, he appeared in a commercial for Footasylum's Christmas Campaign. In 2021, Curtis appeared in the feature film Last Village on the Right. The following year, Curtis guest starred on the BBC soap opera Doctors as Finn Carson, a homeless teenager, in the episode originally broadcast on 3 October 2022.

In January 2023, it was announced that Curtis had been cast as Lucas Hay on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, becoming the fourth actor to play the character. He took over the role from William Hall, who had portrayed Lucas from 2013 to 2022 on-off; the character was recast to Curtis so that he could tackle more mature storylines. It was teased that Lucas would have navigate "difficult storylines" as he "goes through the trials and tribulations of student life", whilst executive producer Lucy Allan revealed that Lucas would have a "big love story" that she was looking forward to. Allan also believed that Curtis was the "spitting image" of Kieron Richardson, who portrays Lucas' father Ste Hay, when he was 16-years-old. Curtis felt welcomed at Hollyoaks, explaining, "the cast and crew feel like a real family. My first day was so exciting and I'm ready for the fans of the show to see the new Lucas. You can definitely expect drama, emotions and everything in between". Curtis later revealed that cast member Matthew James-Bailey, who portrays Ethan Williams, took Curtis "under his wing" despite the characters not having scenes together, with Curtis adding that he goes to James-Bailey if he ever needs any advice. Curtis enjoyed working with his on-screen family – consisting of Richardson, (Gregory Finnegan) James Nightingale) and Elà-May Demircan (Leah Barnes) – and believed that their unit is "like an actual family".

Curtis debuted as Lucas in the episode broadcast on 16 March 2023. Between 2023 and 2024, Lucas was involved in a long-running storyline where he struggles with his sexuality and is groomed into conversion therapy, which was televised in order to bring awareness around the issue. The storyline led to Lucas self-harming and later coming out to his family and starting a romantic relationship with his good friend Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass), whom Lucas had struggled with his feelings for. Lucas and Dillon's relationship gained a fan following. Curtis praised his working relationship with Dass, explaining, "Our off-screen chemistry reflects on-screen as we get on so well, I honestly couldn't do [my job] without him and that's the truth". For his role as Lucas, Dowling was longlisted for "Best Young Performer" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards, whilst Dowling and Dass were longlisted for "Best Partnership" for their roles as Lucas and Dillon.

Personal life
Curtis was cyberbullied for several months and had to involve the police. Curtis explained that "Being trolled started to take over my days", and revealed that his younger sister was also bullied in school. Because of his personal experiences with bullying, he is a strong supporter of anti-bullying causes and is also an ambassador for the Diana Award charity. In addition to acting and modelling, Curtis plays sports and previously played academy level football.