Real life performance<br><br>

STREWTH<br>
Jane Fraser<br> 
The Australian<br>
May 30, 2006<br><br>

ANSWERED By Fire, the three-hour ABC series starring David Wenham as an Australian police officer in Dili, was postponed 
last week because it would have clashed with Nine's interview with Beaconsfield miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb.<br><br>

Aunty's decision was vindicated when Wenham attracted more than one million viewers on Sunday night. <br><br>

Receiving an honorary doctorate from the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne at the weekend for his commitment 
to the arts and social issues, Wenham said he was concerned for the safety of cast mate, East Timorese actor Jose De Costa, 
who is now working with the Dili international school. "He brings a richness to the story and, of course, he and others 
involved in the production have experienced first-hand the trauma of East Timor's struggle for independence," Wenham said. 
He applauded the ABC's decision to hold back the series. "Obviously people were going to watch the two guys from 
Beaconsfield talk," he said. "I wanted to watch. It's another great Australian story."<br><br>