The
Advertiser
WED 17 MAY 2006
the programs you can't afford to miss this week
Timor tragedy
By Sean Fewster
LIKE many Australians, actor David Wenham was "not unfamiliar'' with the
plight of East Timor. He was among the millions of people who, in 1999, watched
the crisis unfold on television and through the media. But unlike many of us,
the Lord of the Rings alumnus took things one step further.
"I wasn't unfamiliar with the situation at all but, quite a few years ago,
I saw a documentary called Death of a Nation ,'' he remembers. "It touched
me, and I made it my business to get as much information as I could about what
was happening just north of us.''
His close study of those tragic events has now become something more again -
this week, Wenham stars in the two-part drama Answered by Fire. He plays Mark
Waldman, an Australian Federal Police officer who is sent to the embattled
region as part of the unarmed United Nations civilian police, or Civpol.
Wenham says his character faces an unimaginable crisis.
"He does something that he never thought he could do, would do and which
(he thought) would never happen - he is forced to pull out and leave these
people to fend for themselves in an impossible situation,'' he explains.
"He finds that terribly hard to live with, and that affects his home and
family life. When he gets home, he feels as if he has unfinished business and
he's guilt-ridden. The only way he can deal with that is to return to East
Timor and finish what he started to do.''
To craft the character, Wenham worked closely with AFP officers including David
Savage, who wrote Dancing with the Devil following his own harrowing Civpol assignment.
"I spent a great deal of time talking with David . . . the situations he
told me about were eye-opening and jaw-dropping,'' Wenham says. "He also gave me an understanding of what it really
was like to be there at that time. I met with a couple of other guys who were
there, too, and for me that was great source material.''
It was also something of an inspiration. "Even though my character in
Answered by Fire is fictional, he's still heavily based on the experiences of a
lot of people who went there,'' Wenham says. "I
felt personally responsible to portray my character as honestly as I could, so
that anybody who was there could give it their stamp of approval.''
So far, so good. Early screenings of the show have won
the admiration of former Civpol workers, while The
Advertiser 's defence writer, Ian McPhedran,
calls it ``an authentic and disturbing reflection of what really went on''.
"That seems to be the reaction of virtually everyone who was there at that
time,'' Wenham says.
"The night before last there was a screening in
Wenham shares the screen with Canadian actor Isabelle Blais
as Civpol officer Julie Fortin, Alex Tillman as Ismenio Soares and East Timorese
actor Fatima Almeida.
Almeida brings Madleina Soares
to life, and Wenham is full of praise. "She's amazing,'' he says. "Really beautiful, not just physically but also within.
She has a great spirit and has given a wonderful portrayal of her character,
one that audiences will really respond to.''
Production on Answered By Fire wrapped up almost 12
months ago, giving Wenham time to pursue a concept almost alien to him.
"I'm just having a rest, actually,'' he chuckles. "I'm
just having a bit of time out, which is unusual for me but I think it's
important, every now and again, to recharge the batteries. I'm only just
starting to read stuff (scripts) again now.''
Acting remains his passion, but the former Faramir
has plans for the future. "The ultimate goal is to step behind the
camera,'' he says, "but that's some ways down the track.
"When I find exactly the right thing, hopefully it's something I'll be
able to start (my directing career) with. I'm always looking. The best thing
would be if somebody plopped a script on my table and I said 'that's it'.''