Laid-back
mode fits the role
Sunday Mail (
Peter Haran
DAVID Wenham sits in a
The Aussie who plays Faramir in The Two Towers is in
laid-back mode, admitting
it's the only mode to be in. "I made my mind up long ago not to get too
stressed about things,'' he says.
"The less you stress and worry, the better for you.''
That was the attitude the actor took when he was asked to test for a role in
what could be the most successful and profitable film production of all time.
"I was in
screen test, which I did.
"I called a friend in to do the reading with and then sent it away. I
thought
nothing else of it and two weeks later was offered the role of Faramir. It
came as a shock.
"I hadn't read Lord Of The Rings. I did know
about it, it was around at
school but I was too busy doing something else at the time.
"After I got the role I darted out to the closest bookshop and looked
under T
for Tolkien, grabbed it and got into it.''
Wenham is easy-going off screen, saying: "I am what I am. I don't put on
masks when I'm not working. When I get the role I get into it
and do what's
required.''
Many -- most -- will remember Wenham as Diver Dan from Sea Change, a role he
grins about now.
"I won't be back there because Sea Change is a great show that won't come
back.''
Then there is The Boys, a stage play with Wenham later appearing in the film
version as a chilling, laid-back, quietly-spoken thug Brett Sprague, who goes
from domestic violence to murder.
of a man of God who devotes his life to caring for the sick in a leper colony.
"I saw the script and knew straight away that was the part I really
wanted,''
says the actor who went on to feature in The Bank with Anthony Paglia. "I
think Father Damien was an extraordinary human being.''
The varied roles reflect Wenham's philosophy to life -- "obsessed at
learning
about things I know nothing about''. "I immerse
myself in other cultures when
I can. I love walking through the botanical gardens examining the nature of
things and I love the Sydney Swans footy club.
"I think sometimes I wasted many of my school years, so I'm making up for
it.''
Lord Of The Rings moves the Marrickville-born actor
into the big league,
admitting he was bewildered by the success of part one.
"This is a huge undertaking,'' he explains. "It
is the work of many people
but Peter Jackson is the driving force, a genius. I suppose in some respects I
had it easy with not being there a long time working.
"Some of those working on the extended shoots, such as the battles, were
full
on and exposed to really tough environments like rain and cold.
"I may have got out of it a bit easier.''