The stars of the new Stan Original Series Good Cop/Bad Cop on why the show is wildly entertaining.

Often Hollywood can be accused of being all smoke and mirrors.

But as I make my way to the Warner Brothers studio lot nestled behind the infamous Movie World on the Gold Coast to take a sneak peek at the new Stan Original Series Good Cop/Bad Cop, I think to myself - 'the smoke and mirrors are going to be working overtime here'.

And yet, as soon as I step on to the lot with rows of huge studios towering over me I realise this is serious production business.

I mean, this is Goldywood after all.

Over the past decade the southern end of Queensland has become a growing mecca for local and international productions thanks to talented crews, lower production costs than the US, an abundance of fantastic filming locations and a pretty big draw card for the cast to come and shoot in paradise for a few months.

All of that considered, I suspect that's exactly how they've snagged the two leads of Good Cop/Bad Cop — iconic Gossip Girl alum, Leighton Meester, and Aussie rising star, Luke Cook.

When I arrived the first port of call was to head into the gigantic studio and catch a glimpse of the set. In a millisecond I'm transported from the optimistically sunny GC blue skies into a number of designs all meticulously designed to look like a small regional town in Washington State. There's no mistaking it, I'm not on the Gold Coast anymore — I've stepped into the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Edenville.

Details on this series have remained pretty hush hush so far but from the crumbs I've gathered this will be an eight-part procedural comedic drama that puts a brother (Cook) and sister (Meester) detective duo at the centre of the story. They're solving crimes, contesting with the locals and figuring out how to manage a complicated dynamic with their father (Clancy Brown) — the police chief.

It was quiet on set. Luke Cook was filming scenes inside the Edenville Police Department and he looked the part. I watched on the monitor and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for the guy from Sydney who has had an impressive, if not unconventional, rise to success over the past few years.

Good Cop/Bad Cop follows Henry (Luke Cook) and Lou (Leighton Meester). Image: Stan

After grinding away catching guest spots on TV series and working on shorts for decades, Cook got his big break in 2019 when he was cast as Lucifer Morningstar in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He garnered quite a cult following for his portrayal of Sabrina's father but as fate and fickle showbiz would have it COVID-19 hit and the series was cancelled.

With productions largely halted around the world, Cook's big break felt dead in the water. But that didn't stop him, he took the downtime and started creating skit videos from home. Soon enough his acerbic wit and left-of-centre comedy chops caught the attention of people around the world and his social media numbers had a meteoric jump. He unwittingly became an unsung hero from the pandemic providing light reprieve from the gloom of lockdowns.

When I sat down with him he told me it's still "nice to hear" when people stop him in the street to tell him he brought laughter to a pretty dark time. Out of the fog of COVID-19 Cook got back to the hustle with roles in Dynasty, Dollface and the award winning Stan series, Hacks.

And then...the writer's strike hit. Another blow to his trajectory.

Ever the realist, Cook never wanted to wallow in it but rather he took it as a sign that he needed to diversify his creative endeavours. And as he tells me, he needed to put food on the table for his family, so he began writing commercials and launched a protein drink company.

He was ready to put acting on the back burner and his mantra became, "leave Hollywood on read."

Then....the Good Cop/Bad Cop script landed on his desk. Initially, he declined to audition, because he was finished with the mental gymnastics of trying to be a working actor in Hollywood. But producers pursued him, he read for the role of Henry and....boom,he got the part.

"I laugh about it because I moved to America to do American TV shows and now I've moved back to Australia to do an American TV show," he told Mamamia.

When I pry for details on his character, Cook tells me Henry is "tall and weird. He's an odd human being." Playing off his sister Lou (Meester), he's "socially stunted" and falls into the 'bad cop' dynamic between the two.

"She's kind of the straight guy and I'm kind of the silly guy which lends itself great for a comedy show," he said.

Written by John Quaintance of Will & Grace and Workaholics fame, it's clear from the actors this is a script that doesn't roll around too often.

"When I read this script I was so entertained," Meester told me when I sat down to chat with her. "Every line I was excited to say. I really wanted to do my best playing this character."

I won't lie, I was giddy sitting across from the Queen Bee of the Upper East Side.

Growing up watching Meester on The CW's Gossip Girl, I was a fast fan and my affection for the show has never waned. It's been 18 years since she played the role of Blair Waldorf but even after two decades Meester says the appeal of the hit series "continues to live and I think that's wonderful."

The stars of the new Stan Original Series Good Cop/Bad Cop. Image: Stan.

As our conversation rolled on I was surprised by how easy it all is. Meester is incredibly humble, down-to-earth, sweet and playful — a far cry from the character of Blair whom we all got to know her as in those formative years. She assures me she's just a big kid at the end of the day and feels pretty chuffed to be given the opportunity to slip into the shoes of Lou on Good Cop/Bad Cop.

"I was very excited to play a role that A) somebody believes that I'm an adult person and B) who could be a cop," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "That's very cool."

If you want to know more about her character Lou (the good cop of the sibling duo) she said she has "fire and is tenacious," but at the same time she's "making a lot of mistakes and figuring it all out."

Consider me intrigued.

When we delved further into the production, Meester told me that outside of the Warner Brothers studio lot they've been making their way all over the Gold Coast Hinterland to film.

Turns out the depths of the scenic rim make for a pretty convincing Pacific Northwest of USA.

"It completely looks like it (Washington State) where we're filming up in Tambourine (National Park) and Kundra," she says. "It's foggy and misty with big old trees and green fields."

Back on set I was taken through to the diner which seems to be a focal shooting location for the series. It was giving big Twin Peaks energy and I loved the vinyl-lined booths, wood panelling and I had to double check but yes, it was confirmed the donuts sitting in the display case were in fact fake. Could've fooled me.

There's no denying I was in Edenville and I fell for the theatrics of it all. If the quality of the production design, script and acting talent are anything to go by, this is set to be an incredible show.

Sometimes seeing behind the smoke and mirrors ain't that bad.

The Stan Original Series Good Cop/Bad Cop will premiere February 20, only on Stan.

Feature Image: Stan