Phoebe Tonkin highlights real-life relationship struggles in Paramount+ series
The show follows a couple reunited years after their romance is cut short by COVID-19
Phoebe Tonkin has praised her new television series Two Years Later, saying the show offers an honest look at the complexities of relationships and dating in adulthood.
The Paramount+ drama stars Tonkin alongside Brenton Thwaites and follows a couple whose budding romance is interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic before fate brings them back together years later.
Speaking to The AU Review, Tonkin said the series explores the emotional realities people bring into relationships as they grow older.
“I think this show does a really good job of showing the complexities of navigating relationships and coming into a relationship with all this baggage,” she said.
The actress noted that relationships in your 30s often involve balancing personal growth with learning how to build a connection with someone else.
“You’ve lived a life,” Tonkin explained. “It’s bringing that in and learning to love yourself and the person that you’re falling in love with at the same time.”
The star also reflected on one of the show's central questions — whether the couple would have ended up together had the pandemic never disrupted their lives.
While avoiding major spoilers, Tonkin suggested she believes the characters were ultimately destined to find one another.
“If you believe in true love, as I do, then I think these characters were destined to be together at some point,” she said.
Thwaites offered a different perspective, suggesting that the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic may have played a crucial role in helping the pair realize their feelings.
“Maybe it took Covid for them to both realise, ‘I really like this person,’” he said, adding that the story is ultimately about reconnecting with people, both romantically and personally.
The series follows the couple as they embark on a series of dates two years later to determine whether their relationship deserves a second chance.
Tonkin identified an episode centered around a visit to her character Emily’s family home as one of the most significant moments in the story, describing it as a vulnerable chapter that reveals important details about her character’s approach to love.
Meanwhile, Thwaites highlighted the opening date as a defining moment, praising the show’s focus on emotional honesty and vulnerability.
He said the series captures the courage required to take risks in relationships and open yourself to another person, calling it “a beautiful thing to watch.”
