The Kiwi rugby star who kept acting a secret has now landed a MAJOR role!

Kiwi rugby star Marco Alosio has landed a major acting role after keeping his love of acting a secret for years.

The 23-year-old told the Daily Telegraph that he'd kept his acting dream under wraps since he was in high school at Silverstream's St. Patrick's College because it's "not normal where I come from".

"There were only seven guys in drama class across the whole school and none of us admitted it outside the room," he says.

Now though, he's starring as Private Isara'elu "Izzy" Ulalei in the Aussie mini-series Fighting Season which premieres on October 28 across the ditch.

"It's pretty surreal. It's still sinking in for me," Alosio says.

The series follows Australian soldiers who return from Afghanistan and their struggles to readjust to life back home.

It also stars fellow Kiwi Jay Ryan.

This article was originally published by nzherald.co.nz but is republished here with permission.