Father Geek here... well the cine industry downunder has let our reporter/editor on the scene (Latauro) get his ol' cyber foot in the door, annnnnnnnd he appears to have used that to great advantage, pushing his way right on in with the legit press to snag some wonderful exclusive reports and interviews for us all... and here's his latest... check it out...
AICN-DOWNUNDER INTERVIEWS...
Nathan Phillips & Vince Colosimo
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed a new Australian film called TAKE AWAY . As I mentioned, I was expecting turgid and instead I got good. The writing, direction, action... everything stood up, and I found myself really enjoying it.
Perplexed at how such an awful trailer could have been made from such a good film, I went to two of the film's four stars, Vince Colosimo and Nathan Phillips...
Nathan Phillips got his start in "Neighbours", an Aussie soap that seems to be more popular in the UK than over here. And it's a good job to have. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Hugh Jackman, Kylie Minogue, Holly Vallance, and most every Australian actor has had their start on the show. Phillips was there for a year, and has been working ever since, most notably in controversial Australian drama AUSTRALIAN RULES, which dealt heavily with race relations.
LATAURO: You started off in "Neighbours" back in '99, like every other Australian actor. Did that open up any doors, or was it still an uphill battle for auditions?
PHILLIPS: I had no idea. At that stage I'd just started acting a month prior, and I had no preconceived notion about where I wanted to go. I had no ambition about how far I was going to go with my career, so I had no idea what door would open because of it. I was just doing it. Got onto the roller coaster, if you will.
LATAURO: So more things came afterwards because of that?
PHILLIPS: Yeah, I'd say so. My agent said, "Well, he must be able to get work, he must have some raw talent, despite no school, no training." So, I was blessed in that respect.
LATAURO: Where did you film AUSTRALIAN RULES?
PHILLIPS: Adelaide.
LATAURO: I ask because a while ago I started off in Adelaide and went up through the centre of Australia, and I noticed there was a very different feeling in the air. I was wondering if making a film so heavily concerned with racism caused any tensions?
PHILLIPS: It was dogged with controversy when it came out. There was actually an Anti-AUSTRALIAN RULES Coaliltion, or Anti-"Deadly, Unna?" Coalition -- that's the book it originates from. And that was really sad, 'cos there were Aboriginal actors who were in it, and the lines of communication weren't directed. I found it a really awakening experience in terms of realising the ignorance of people, about my own ignorance of the Aboriginal plight, and our Australian plight it terms of viewpoints and lack of knowledge and how far we still have to go. We're so behind the eight ball. I grew up in a country town, so I'm aware of the short-sightedness of the country culture mentality.
LATAURO: Was the assumption that because it dealt with racism, it was racist?
PHILLIPS: Probably. That was easily the first thing people thought. It was very much a storm in a teacup. It was a beautiful film, and it went to Sundance, and it's been acclaimed, and it's been winning prizes this year -- it was the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. So it's still out there; unfortunately it missed its mark with Australian audiences, in terms of marketing. I've learned a lot about that side of things. And now here I am doing TAKE AWAY, which is a very Australian film, picked up by a big distribution company. Village, they're a marketing machine. It's a different ball game for me right now.
LATAURO: Comedies are easier to sell.
PHILLIPS: Yeah, 'cos they don't piss in anyone's pocket. It's just a lighthearted, warm experience. I went to a session last week and there was lots of laughs, so I know I did my job.
LATAURO: I have to make an admission: based solely on the trailer, I went to the film with the intention of trashing it. I was looking forward to it, and I was disappointed that I actually liked it. No offense to Village, but I don't think the trailer did justice to it.
PHILLIPS: Really? I haven't even seen the trailer.
LATAURO: I mentioned that in my review of the film, and I keep bringing it up because I think a lot of people are going to be exposed to the trailer and I wanted to point out--
PHILLIPS: ...there's so much more on offer?
LATAURO: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: AUSTRALIAN RULES missed its mark because of the trailer. So you're right. Who knows with the punter? Who knows what they want to see?
LATAURO: I wanted to ask about filming the final sequence. I don't want to give too much away for people who haven't seen it.
PHILLIPS: Oh yeah, it's a big one! It's a bit on the absurd side of things, a bit surreal. It was hilarious, I was there when it happened. All I can say is it's wonderful when a group of men can get together with one brain between them. It's a numbskull idea, but it's pulled off.
LATAURO: So what's next? Films, television?
PHILLIPS: I've got a film coming out in November called ONE PERFECT DAY. It's a huge film, Village has got it as well. And then I've got another film coming out next year called UNDER THE RADAR. And I'm going over to L.A. to pursue interests there.
Vince Colosimo seems to be in everything these days. From impressive turns in CHOPPER, LANTANA and THE HARD WORD, to his semi-recurring role of Rex in "The Secret Life Of Us", he's always on the mark, playing the character instead of the cliche.
LATAURO: Being an actor in Australia is generally something you fit in around your full-time job, but you've managed to stay in work and appear in just about every locally-made film and TV show...
COLOSIMO: Not every one!
LATAURO: Well, it's a race between you and Bill Hunter.
COLOSIMO: Bill's made about 400 films, I'm just into double figures. It seems that way, I suppose. There's a lot of small roles in films, but I've been quite fortunate over the years to be in some really great films. But there's lots of stuff that I'm not in!
LATAURO: They're starting to advertise: "COMING SOON - A FILM WITHOUT VINCE COLOSIMO!" I think I saw that on a poster.
COLOSIMO: I'd sue them if they ever did that!
LATAURO: Do you always have something lined up, or are there period where you don't know what the next job will be?
COLOSIMO: Oh, there's lots of period where I don't know what the next job is! I sort-of don't know what the next job is now. There's a whole lot of things we're talking about. Meetings, lighting the fires, so to speak. But you just never know, that's the thing about this business. You're always wondering, "Was I really bad in that last film? Will anyone ever hire me again? Will I be able to pay the mortgage or the rent?" It's part of the gig. You have to stay on your toes, you have to stay out there. Because you just never know.
LATAURO: You played Neville Bartos in CHOPPER. Were you given the same opportunities as Eric Bana to create a spot-on imitation, or was there less material available on him?
COLOSIMO: I had no material, except for what was in the script. A lot of it I made up, ad-libbed a lot. Andrew Dominik (director) gave me a really good base and structure on the character, who was based on a couple of people. But I used my own experience and knowledge to bring this whole person together. I enjoyed being given the licence to create -- it was a thrill.
LATAURO: Has there been any international interest, given the amount of overseas attention that CHOPPER, LANTANA and THE HARD WORD have received?
COLOSIMO: I have agents overseas, and they go in to bat for you. I suppose they weren't box office hits overseas, they didn't get the exposure that a lot of films get. That's because distributors find it a lot harder to distribute Australian films. It's tough. But you always know that the right people saw the films, and that's the great thing. I'm in no massive hurry, I'm not the most abitious man in the world. I love working in this country, but if things came up over there, that'd be fine.
LATAURO: So what brought you onto TAKE AWAY?
COLOSIMO: I read the script and I laughed out loud, to tell you the truth. It was something I thought was very honest. I knew the writers. Stephen [Curry] was going to come on board if I came on board, and I thought the chemistry between us would be fun. All those things came together. Especially having the licence to create a character again. It's nice to have roles that are quite diverse. And Tony [his character] was another one.
LATAURO: With your character, I found that he was really recognisable, but you managed to avoid cliche. It could have been the stereotypical ethnic character, but there were nuances. Who did you base him on?
COLOSIMO: What was important to him, who he was. When you break it down, there are only a few moments where you can show who you are and what you are. I picked out the most important things about him and rode with them. It's great to create a character with a whole lot of different dimensions. Sometimes with comedy it's best to keep it simple -- don't get too intricate with things. He was anal, he's manic in the way he keeps order. He's a little bit sad too, he doesn't have much of a different life.
LATAURO: The bit that got me he doesn't want to appear to be doing so, but it was a really believable moment, and it's the exact opposite of what I would have expected from the character.
COLOSIMO: You thought it was wrong?
LATAURO: No, I thought it was right. It avoided cliche.
COLOSIMO: Yeah. I think that if you're really feeling it, go with it. It's real, it's honest. That's what I love about Australian comedies.
TAKE AWAY opens next week.
Latauro
downunder@aintitcoolmail.com
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