The Advertiser (
Gettin' personal.(Features)
Byline: STAN JAMES
David Wenham squares off with STAN JAMES about the
Australian film industry.
DAVID Wenham doesn't hesitate to describe his philosophy of
choosing the
movies he makes.
``Bums on seats, that's my artistic policy,'' he says in his
softly spoken
style.
It seems to have worked for him, too.
The 38-year-old actor has been on the small and then big
screens regularly
since popping up in TV's Sons and
Daughters in 1981.
Today his new Australian movie,
December he again appears as Faramir
in The Return of the King, the final
chapter in The Lord of the Rings
trilogy.
Plus, he's just returned from
fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman and Richard Roxburgh.
``It's been a busy two years. It's good to be home in
simply.
Wenham pauses a moment before defining the change in his
career which has seen
him in six movies and a mini-series
in the three years since Moulin Rouge!.
``It's hard to pinpoint turning points in a career but I
suppose two points in
the same year, 1998 - SeaChange on TV and a couple of weeks later, (film) The
Boys being released. Both those
pieces opened doors for me. SeaChange locally
and The Boys internationally.''
Wenham played a violent psychopath in The Boys, with Toni
Collette and John
Polson. ``In terms of pure
performance, The Boys is one of those films I can
look at and say there are no
moments in it I would change.
``Then came The Lord of the Rings
trilogy as Faramir. I was in
the last four months of principal
photography.
``That was a truly special moment in my life, just to be
involved with the
project.
``Peter Jackson is the most extraordinary director I have
ever come across, an
amazing and special man. I regard
myself as being quite blessed to be
involved.''
A completely different project is
the Gold Coast with Wenham as
druggie and hustler Johnny Spitieri.
He's joined by a motley crew of associates, including Sam
Worthington (of
Bootmen fame) trying to go
straight after jail release, Gary Sweet as a money
launderer and Timothy Spall as retired British crime boss Darren Barrington,
trying to run a restaurant on the
Gold Coast.
Wenham says his role harks back to when he started acting
and did more
character work.
``Now I've played more leading-men roles. It was good to get
back to my
roots,'' he admits.
``Director Jonathan Teplitzky gave
me the script and said there was a
character in the film I'd just
love. He didn't mention which one. Off the page
I knew I could relate to the character.
``Very rarely do those kind of
characters come along and as an actor you just
go, `yeah'.''
Wenham says everybody has come across one Johnny Spitieri in their life, even
if they've just passed him in the
street.
``His thongs are a very recognisable
sound, very rhythmic,'' he says.
``I've come across a lot of Johnnys
in my life so he is a bit of an amalgam of
them. I spent a lot of time
wandering around various parts of
filming and just observed people.
"Some of the characters and their idiosyncracies
were a bit too large. If I
had taken some of those and put
them on the screen people would have said I
was over-acting.''
Working with legendary British actor Spall
was also a drawcard for Wenham, who
has a high opinion of his co-star.
``We were fortunate that Tim said yes to
doing this film because, even
before I did the film with Tim, I rated him as
one of my 10 favourite
actors in the world,'' he says.
Wenham and director Tiplitzky, who
steered him through the comedy Better Than
Sex three years ago, have a mutual admiration. ``Jonathan is
one of the few
directors I totally clicked with,''
Wenham says. ``Like a football coach, he's
always into positive reinforcement
as opposed to bringing up the negatives.
For actors, who are known to be insecure individuals, to
have a director like
him is great.''
Teplitzky says it was an
``absolute pleasure'' to work with Wenham again.
``He's smart, intelligent and understands it's not just
about grandstanding in
a role like that,'' he says.
``We agreed not to play it for laughs but a totally earnest,
totally serious
character going about his survival.
David's an actor of incredible skill and
incredible timing.''
Gettin' Square is yet another
Australian comedy in a season which has seen so
many crash and sink without trace.
Wenham believes it's not a particularly Australian problem.
``All around the world local film industries aren't doing
well,'' he says.
``It's very frustrating to look at some of the films that
have been funded and
you ask `why?' It seems as though
there's a hotch-potch of ingredients that
appeal to a few people and they
think there's going to be a successful movie
come out of it.''
Wenham knows there are no simple answers and says there are
problems in the
script assessment area,
distribution and marketing.
``We don't market and distribute Australian films very
well,'' he says. ``The
crash-and-burn strategy of
releasing an Australian film, which might have a
niche market, on 150 screens in its
opening week is not great strategy. That's
my personal opinion, but marketing
experts would beg to differ.''