Out actor Murray Bartlett said in a recent interview that he was “surprised” by his breakout success in the HBO series The White Lotus.

While the Australian-born actor was a series regular on All My Children and Guiding Light in the 2000s, it is his more recent gay roles that have attracted the most attention.

Bartlett played Dom Basaluzzo in HBO's Looking and Michael “Mouse” Tolliver in Netflix's Tales of the City.

In The White Lotus, Bartlett plays Armond, the manager of the White Lotus resort and a recovering drug addict who has been five years sober. The show's shocking finale generated headlines for Bartlett.

Speaking with The Guardian, Bartlett, 50, said that the attention was a surprise.

“It's definitely a surprise,” he said. “It's not like I expected it to happen, for sure. But now that it has happened, it feels like it's really good timing … I'm a bit wiser. I'm anchored in myself.”

“I mean, I get a few more aches than I used to,” he added, referring to his age.

“I'm in a wonderful relationship. I had this amazing opportunity to do this job. Reflecting back, I just felt incredibly lucky and happy to be where I am,” he said.