click for contents HOLLYWOOD & AUSTRALIA | JOEL EDGERTON | MAN OF THE YEAR SHAME | Emile Sherman
THEBOOMERANG AUSTRALIANS IN FILM
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011
PICS | HAPPY FEET 2
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The Boomerang
THEMONTH
Managing Editor Andrew Warne Editor Matilda Haddad Designer Sam Kramer sam@kramerproductiondesign.com
AiF Volunteers | We would like thank the following people:
Sam Kramer, designer of the Boomerang and invitations Michael Kelleher for website design and IT support Greg Cook Ingrid Bloom Sophie Scarf Steve Greig John Freeman Melissa Bickerton
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Board of Directors Paula Paizes Rob Marsala Andrew Warne Tracey Vieira Michelle Day Ian Sutherland Paul Thomas Cover | Happy Feet 2, Superman Returns, The Great Gatsby and Knowing News Submissions Please email the Editor with any Australian or member film-related news or announcements. Australians in Film | 2800 28th St, Suite 320, Santa Monica CA 90405 Tel: 310 452-5939 | Fax: 323 446-8724
CONTENTS President’s Note
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Reel Alerts
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Hollywood & Australia
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Joel Edgerton | Man of the Year
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Shame | Emile Sherman
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Virgin | Re-Branded
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Member Profile | Morgan Roy
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Pics | Happy Feet 2
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www.australiansinfilm.org | michael@australiansinfilm.com
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PRESIDENT’snote
Dear Members & Friends, As we wind down our first decade, we have reached I believe a threshold in our growth as an organization. To me, the next decade holds some very promising developments beginning with the strategic shift in our mission, by creating a new strand of membership for industry professionals for whom we will provide creative workshops and seminars to help them improve their craft and employment status. From being a simple society for film enthusiasts that hosts great Q&As and better receptions, we intend to become more of a useful and practical organization for our members. We intend to offer the first of our labs for writers, then one for directors, early in the New Year.
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The first step in our progress with occur in late January when Australians in Film will host the international portion of the inaugural AACTA Awards Show from Los Angeles, where we hope to assemble some of Hollywood’s brightest stars with many of the prominent filmmakers from home to deliver an exciting contribution to the telecast from the entertainment capital. At this time of warm and fuzzy holiday spirit, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made our organization run smoothly, especially the board of directors who donate so much time and effort: Paula Paizes, Tracey Vieira, Rob Marsala, Michelle Day and our newest board member Paul Thomas. A huge debt of gratitude goes to our executive director Michael Kelleher for running AiF so
effectively and efficiently, and to those volunteers who have helped him do so: Matilda Haddad, Greg Cook, Steve Greig, Sam Kramer, Melissa Bickerton and John Freeman. 2012 kicks off with some exciting events including G’Day USA and the awards shows, culminating in our own, so stay tuned for news on the next screenings schedule, the industry programs we’re launching and our involvement with the Australian Academy. So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and our very best wishes for the New Year! With kind regards, Andrew Warne
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REELALERTS A drama series adaptation of the 2010 Australian feature “Animal Kingdom” has landed at Showtime, with John Wells executive producing and Jonathan Lisco writing/executive producing. John Wells Prods and Warner Bros TV are producing, with Lisco, Wells and Andrew Stearn executive producing alongside the movie’s writer-director David Michôd
Screen Australia’s investment of $17 million in 14 projects is expected to trigger $97 million in production, according to Encore. Productions include “The Grandmothers”, written by
David Michôd
Guy Pearce
and producer Liz Watts A selection of Australian talent have received SAG noms including Rebel Wilson and Rose Byrne for “Bridesmaids” and Guy Pearce for “Mildred Pierce”
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Christopher Hampton (A Dangerous Method) and director Anne Fontaine (Coco Avant Chanel) and starring Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville in the adaptation of Doris Lessing’s novel. Also on the list is “The Mule” from co-writers/co-producers Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson with Tony Mahony directing the black comedy about a drug mule caught by police. Additionally there’s the telefilm
“Underground” about a teenage Julian Assange hacking computer systems, from Matchbox Pictures, written and directed by Robert Connolly. The Aussie feature “Wish You Were Here” - Director: Kieran Darcy-Smith, Screenwriters: Felicity Price, Kieran Darcy-Smith - will be in international competition at 201 Sundance Film Festiva - Four friends embark on a carefree holiday, but only three return home. Who knows what happened on that fateful night? Cast: Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price, Antony Starr. Rose Byrne
Other Australians involved with Sundance films in competition: “The Surrogate” from writer/director Ben Lewin , producer Judi Levine and features Aussie actress Jenni Baird; “The First Time” starring James Frecheville; “Nobody Walks” featuring Rhys Wakefield
Jason Clarke is the first actor set for the Kathryn Bigelow-directed drama about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden for Sony Pictures and Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures. Australian actor Josh Lawson has been cast in Warner Bros’ “Dog Fight”, the Jay Roach-directed comedy that stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish joins Martin McDonagh’s “Seven Psychopaths” opposite Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Olga Kurylenko.
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HOLLYWOOD&AUSTRALIA By Regardt Steenekamp
The Australian film industry has seen its fair share of growth over the last couple of years. As an industry known for being richly resourced, with some of the worlds best and most talented artists working in front and behind the camera, Down Under serves as a very valuable platform for not only Australia’s own projects but U.S. projects as well. Hollywood - America’s film industry, a brand we all know and love, has undoubtedly been struggling financially due to the omnipresent recession. Consequentially, fewer projects are getting green-lit, which creates a major roadblock for innovation. A new generation of filmmakers and performers are not getting the same opportunities their predecessors were granted a mere decade ago. At the helm of the Hollywood Empire are all the major studios- Warner Bros., Universal, Sony and Paramount to name a few. During these hard times, they have all resorted to using a rather infamous formula, but nonetheless safe and successful - remakes, sequels, franchises and adaptations of already established material, whether they are of novels, comic books or toys. Despite a flood of protests from original movie PRESS ESC TO EXIT
seeking enthusiasts, hailing from all over the world, studios have shown they won’t be bullied, manipulated or negotiated with. In 2011 the record for most sequels ever made and most franchise sequels released in their 4th and 5th installments, was set. The 10 highest grossing films worldwide all fall under the category of either franchise, sequel or adaption—all but one—coming in at number 10, is Universal Studios’ and Relativity Media’s R-rated comedy, “Bridesmaids”. The rest of the list includes the titles; “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Hangover Part II, Thor and Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes”. This is a clear paradigm shift in business formula when glancing back into the past. If we look back as far as 1980, the top 10 list is almost
an inverse of this year’s, with only two sequels and the rest being original creations.
even offensive, but it ultimately puts Australia ahead of the curve. These circumstances provide jobs for
This affects Australia’s film industry favorably, as one industry’s discards is another industry’s treasure. There’s an old, inside joke that has Hollywood producers calling Australian filmmakers ‘Mexicans with cell phones’, which refers to the notion that 1st-world Australia is able to provide studios, sound stages and equipment on par with what is available in Los Angeles, yet offer these resources at a lower rate. Seemingly discriminating and
Australian filmmakers who are actively looking for new opportunities in their industry. One of the greatest assets the industry has is Sydney based Fox Studios Australia, which has been labeled as having the most state of the art facilities for film production in the southern hemisphere. Currently, the talked-about production being filmed at Fox Studios is “The Great Gatsby”, directed by
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HOLLYWOOD&AUSTRALIA is often less, with ever-increasing tax incentives, superlative facilities, trustworthy weather and friendly Aussies who work for reasonable fees, the land Down Under is nothing but hospitable to the land Up Top. Australia works in the U.S. industry’s favor, and in turn that works in Australia’s own favor. Hollywood gains opportunities to green-light projects that would otherwise be pushed aside, while Australian crews and actors gain opportunities for work that would otherwise not exist.
one of Australia’s favorite sons, Baz Luhrmann. For Gatsby, Luhrmann has re-teamed with Leonardo DiCaprio, star of his breakout directorial piece, “Romeo and Juliet”, along with several Aussie actors, including Joel Edgerton, and Isla Fisher. “The Great Gatsby” is certainly not a small production, however, many are unaware that even bigger milestones were set at Fox. Some of the biggest and most expensive productions ever were filmed in the heart of Sydney, such as “The Matrix” and “Superman Returns”.
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These made use of not only the Studios but also the streets of Sydney’s C.B.D. When they close off roads and direct traffic in the opposite direction, it’s enough to trick most audiences around the world into thinking they’re looking at just another avenue of Metropolis, supposed to be in the United States, when all along it’s one of Australia’s concrete jungles. One might wonder about the logic behind going through all the trouble of traveling to the other side of the world only to recreate the environment that was left behind. Simply put, if
In addition to shipwrecked American projects that have no choice but flock to find refuge on the world’s largest island, there are a number of cases where Australia’s own have gone and kidnapped projects out of Hollywood and brought them home. This trend seems to be increasing, and all the cool Aussie kids are doing it nowadays. George Miller is one such filmmaker. Miller has had an extensive career directing film, and is arguably best known for envisioning the “Mad Max films”, with which he also gave American-born actor Mel Gibson his big break to stardom. His last two films tell a South Pole story about singing and dancing penguins - “Happy Feet” and “Happy Feet 2”. Both movies have received global acclaim, and despite
the director’s change of genre, there’s one thing time couldn’t change—his loyalty. The Happy Feet films are proudly Australian made. The 66 yearold filmmaker ensured these projects were defrosted in sunny Australia. Miller was also set to direct what would’ve been Warner Bros. Studios’ biggest, most anticipated and costly production ever - “The Justice League of America”. Development for the project got as far along as having all the world-saving characters cast with principle photography scheduled to take place in none other than Australia.
Unfortunately, due to a series of disagreements, Australia was pushed out of the picture, at which point Miller basically decided that if he can’t have Oz as his playground, he wasn’t gonna play. This man, from small town
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HOLLYWOOD&AUSTRALIA Chinchilla in rural Queensland, has been to the top of Hollywood and back, which is exactly where he wants to be.
a thrilling Superman roller coaster that accelerates from 0-100 km/ph in 2 seconds, but they should know; far more exciting things take place on the premises. Toward the end of 2009, Aussie director Alister Grierson commenced production on his actionthriller “Sanctum”, for which the interiors of one of the world’s largest caves were replicated inside the sound stages visible to theme park guests hopping on vertigo provoking rides. Hollywood kingpin James Cameron was right there by Grierson’s side, introducing him to the new 3D technology developed for Cameron’s Avatar, which hadn’t even been released at the time.
Another man to be made an example of is director Alex Proyas, a conveyer for science fiction tales with an inkling for the darker side of life. The kind of stories he likes to tell traditionally require big budgets and rather large crews, which inevitably led the Australian director to America’s powerhouse film industry, where he proved his talent with such films as “The Crow” and “I, Robot”. It wasn’t long before Proyas picked up enough momentum to steer his up-and-coming projects into any direction he wanted. Sure enough, home was where his heart was. As an alternative to Australia’s largest city, Proyas chose a city he is more familiar with—Melbourne. His last film, “Knowing”, which stars Nicholas Cage and Australia’s Rose Byrne, was shot all throughout and around the city, which had to double for Boston, Massachusetts, where the apocalyptic tale took place. The Victorian State Government was more than cooperative with the production, even allowing them to shoot on a brand new freeway, which remained closed to the public until the scene wrapped. In the comfort of his own home, Proyas PRESS ESC TO EXIT
is able to stay proactive in developing projects, and is now in pre-production for “Paradise Lost”, an envisioning of an epic battle between archangels Michael and Lucifer. Once again roping in an American star to portray the seductive Lucifer - Bradley Cooper gets a chance to put his devilishly good looks to evil use. This time around, Melbourne won’t be needing to double for an American city, but rather a far more complex setting—the heavenly realm, and to that challenge the city says; welcome. It doesn’t end there. For the filmmakers
who do not want to take the odd rain check on a production day, consistently sunny Queensland awaits. Residents of Brisbane were pleasantly surprised in early 2010 when they saw their city posing as a futuristic 2019 habitat for a population of vampires, with Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill dwelling along Eagle Street. “Daybreakers” was the latest creation of Brisbane brothers, Peter and Michael Spierig. The twin filmmakers were also able to make use of the sound stages at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast. Most people will recognize Movie World as merely a theme park with
The growth spurt of liaising between American and Australian filmmakers and performers has had a chance to speak for itself. Implications of the global financial crisis will cause doubt for prosperity in any industry. However, when looking at it from an angle where strengths are joined across the globe, being optimistic may not be so foolish after all. A continued effort to pave the way for filmmaking across Australia will surely lead productions to discover more and more talent and locations around the country that can serve as ideal tools for the musings of both foreign and domestic dreamers of the film medium.
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JOEL EDGERTONMAN OF THE YEAR By Krystelle Harvey “Animal Kingdom”, which explores the dark underworld of Melbourne crime and gang culture. 2011 also saw Edgerton in his acclaimed role as a physics teacher returning to his former profession as a champion boxer in the Hollywood feature film, ‘Warrior.’
2011 GQ Star: Joel Edgerton The GQ Awards celebrates the work and contribution Australian talent have bedazzled audiences with both locally and internationally; bedazzlement not only in the sense of talent, but also beauty and what one may describe as ‘star magnetism.’ Since its inception, Australia’s GQ Man of the Year award has included a blazing trail of rising stars as its recipients including 2010 GQ Man of the Year, Ryan Kwanton; 2009 winner, Sam Worthington and 2008 recipient, Hugh Jackman.
Joel Edgerton - GQ Man of the Year This year’s GQ Man of the Year award went to Joel Edgerton, whose acting credentials over the past two years have proven him to be a very busy man. Edgerton starred in the 2010 Australian psychological drama,
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Eager Edgerton fans can expect to see him return to the cinema screens in the anticipated release of Baz Luhrman’s, “The Great Gatsby”, in 2012 where Edgerton plays Tom Buchanan, alongside his fellow Hollywood co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. Luhrman’s screen adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic is currently being shot on location in Sydney. Edgerton also stars in a new fantasy drama film entitled, “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” exploring a couple’s wishes for a child of their own, in which Edgerton co-stars alongside Jennifer Garner as his wife. The film is directed by Peter Hedges and is also set for release in 2012. The continuing momentum of Edgerton’s growing success and fame will undoubtedly lead him to garner more stardom and leading roles in the international and Australian film markets. His hard work and experiences as a struggling actor in his early days has certainly paid off.
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SHAME By John Dean “American producers produce films all around the world. Why can’t Australian producers?” Emile Sherman, cofounder of See Saw Films, told Sydney Morning Herald on 5 February, 2011. As an Australian producer producing films around the world, “Shame”, See Saw’s latest release was shot in New York City. “Shame” is Steve McQueen’s follow up to Hunger and follows the life of sex-addict Brandon, whose lifestyle is marred by the return of his equally troubled sister.
“Shame” is directed by English filmmaker Steve McQueen, a man who is no stranger to controversy. His directorial debut, “Hunger” - produced by Iain Canning and starring Michael Fassbender – explored a 1981 IRA prison hunger strike, which led to the deaths of 10 prisoners in Ireland’s
rejected funding for McQueen’s debut, but despite this, the film went on to win McQueen the Camera d’Or at the 2008 Cannes film festival. Like “Hunger”, “Shame” has been presented with awards at Film Festivals around the world, embraced by critics,
In 2008, See Saw was founded by Sherman, whose credits as producer had included “Rabbit-Proof Fence” and “Candy”, and British producer Ian Canning who was responsible for McQueen’s debut “Hunger” and Anton Corbjin’s Joy Division biopic “Control”. So how have an Australian and a British producer managed to court such goodwill from Hollywood? Their first release was “The Kings Speech”, a film that won them the Academy Award for Best Picture. With such a great start, Canning and Sherman continued their tradition of critical renowned fare, which included “Oranges and Sunshine” and “Shame”, a film drastically different from “The Kings Speech”, but nonetheless, is receiving as much attention as their award-winning debut.
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Maze prison. The film drew intense interest from the media – partly due to the fact that Fassbender’s character, Bobby Sands, was elected as a Member of Parliament shortly after the hunger strike began – and helped facilitate the continuation of Republican politics in Ireland. The Irish Film Board
and met with requisite controversy for its realistic and open depiction of sex addiction. In “Shame”, Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is forced into direct conflict with his life and addictions when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) re-enters his life. The film asks a lot of questions about Sissy and
Brandon’s relationship, which are never completely resolved. “Shame” was written by McQueen and the prolific British playwright Abi Morgan, who also wrote Iron Lady, the Margaret Thatcher biopic starring Meryl Streep. “Shame” was conceived during research sessions where McQueen and Morgan met with sex addicts and experts on sex addiction. The research process led to the development and refinement of Brandon’s character, as well as establishing a realistic framework in which the story could take place, with some of what is seen on screen being derived from real anecdotes from addicts and rehabilitators. As many critics have pointed out, the film is more than simply the story of a man battling with addiction: it explores the commodification of sexuality in modern culture and the desensitization of public perceptions and attitudes towards sex. The tale of Fassbender’s Brandon is a microcosm of a larger issue. McQueen approaches his films with a clarity and confidence that demands his audiences become “aware” of whatever issue he is discussing. He has claimed that, as was the case with “Hunger”,
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SHAME audience members have fainted during Festival screenings. At the age of 41, McQueen is both an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE and CBE), respectively. McQueen built a reputation as a visual artist in both Europe and the United States with confrontational and often uncomfortable black and white silent films. His years as a visual artist were formative in developing his distinct style and approach to filmmaking, particularly his focus on individuals. He has been able articulate so much with a direct and minimalistic approach. Unlike “The Kings Speech”, which assembled some of the finest middleaged actors on the planet, “Shame” has recruited some of the most exciting and often celebrated young talent in the film industry. McQueen’s actor of choice, Michael Fassbender, has come to prominence through a number of supporting roles in films such as “Fish Tank” and “Inglorious Basterds”, as well as more mainstream fare such as “X-Men: First Class”. “Shame” has provided Fassbender with his most challenging role to date. McQueen took the material to Michael
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Fassbender when he began casting, insisting on Fassbender for the lead role, as it was a “logical” choice. McQueen is full of adoration for his leading man, “Everything he does is right. He rolls this way, its right. He rolls that way, its right”.
Mulligan isn’t afraid of provocative material, which was helpful for McQueen when the casting of Sissy proved to be more difficult than he imagined, as the script could be considered ‘demanding’, to say the least, for any actress.
re-opening a dialogue about the NC-17 stigma. “Shame” contains nudity, but its sex scenes are not designed to be either gratuitous or erotic, they are very revealing of their characters, as are the monologues and discussions of sex and sexuality. With a budget of US $6.5 million, Shame’s hopes of commercial success were perceived to live or die on the basis of finding a brave distributor. That brave distributor came in the form of Fox Searchlight Pictures. Fox Searchlight’s decision to acquire and distribute the film without contest or appeal to its NC-17 rating is larger than their belief that “Shame” is a film audiences should see. Fox Searchlight is also utilizing “Shame” as a vehicle to remove the NC-17 stigma, as Steve Guila, President of Fox Searchlight Pictures, told The Hollywood Reporter, “I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter. We believe it is time for the rating to become usable in a serious manner”.
Fassbender is cast alongside Carey Mulligan, an Academy Award nominee who has taken an unconventional route through Hollywood, but has been praised with every step she has taken, including; “An Education”, “Never Let Me Go” and “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps”.
The movie was awarded an NC-17 rating, which came as no surprise to anyone who had seen or participated in the production of “Shame”. Thankfully the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) decision has once again invigorated debate about sex vs. violence in Hollywood, as well as
“Shame” was released across the U.S. on December 2nd, in time for awards season consideration.
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VIRGINRE-BRANDED Introducing Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia re-brands its international airlines. We take you through the transformation. On 7 December, Virgin Australia group of airlines officially launched its international airlines V Australia and Pacific Blue under the new brand, Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia group of airlines CEO John Borghetti said that having both the domestic and international airlines operating under the Virgin brand was one of the company’s most significant achievements this year. “The Virgin Australia name enables us to tap into the huge power of the Virgin brand around the world – a brand that signifies style, innovation, quality, value for money and the best service. “The new identity has been designed with a clean and contemporary look and feel that encapsulates our company’s repositioning as the airline of choice for all market segments”, Mr. Borghetti said. New Name, New Logo Designed by Hulsbosch, the company’s new logo ties in with the airline’s new modern direction. Hulsbosch created the new branding with modern Australia in mind. The simple but striking design
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brings a clean contemporary feel to the entire brand. Exterior Makeover Hulsbosch was very keen to modernize and simplify the exterior design of Virgin Australia Airlines’ aircraft, ultimately choosing white to offset the bold red Virgin logo. He decided on white because the simple, stark shade combined with the bright red logo created a modern, graphic look that connects closer to the Virgin brand. An added dimension of the new design is the contemporized version of the ‘flying lady’ near the cockpit. Interior Makeover The new-look domestic aircraft interiors
were designed to offer passengers a luxury experience combining relaxation, comfort and outstanding service. Hulsbosch wanted the onboard experience to be relaxing, smart and subtle. Purple has been used extensively, which Hulsbosch believes is a very contemporary, unique color. The creative team designed the interior in such a way that the key colors – charcoal, white and red – will always be the core. The redesigned 737 interiors will feature Boeing’s innovative new Sky Interiors. These cabins feature larger overhead cabins that take up less space because of the hinged doors, the use of rounded edges to give a more relaxing, organic feel, an LED lighting system that can portray
different color schemes and larger window reveals. New-Look Uniforms Australian fashion designer, and winner from the first series of Project Runway Australia, Juli Grbac, designed the Virgin Australia uniforms. Grbac was aware she was creating more than a fashion piece. The uniforms are worn for up to 17 hours at a time, so Grbac was focused on both form and function. The uniform is a striking balance between ’60s glamour and contemporary elegance. Grbac chose cherry red as the main color in the uniforms because it’s a shade of red that suits every skin tone. The new uniforms can be seen on all domestic and international flights.
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VIRGINRE-BRANDED seats as inspiration to make the most comfortable seat for flying.
Domestic Business Class To create an airline that appeals across all market sectors, Virgin Australia Airlines has introduced Business Class on its domestic routes. Both the new Airbus A330s and the 737s will be fitted out with new stylish Economy and Business cabins designed by Virgin Australia Airlines creative director Hans Hulsbosch. The stark black and white colour scheme makes the space look clean, simple and modern, while allowing for future updates and splashes of color. Along with the colors, the seats in both Business and Economy are another new element. The creative team used Porsche racing
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Luke Mangan’s In-Flight Menu Bringing acclaimed Australian chef Luke Mangan on board, Virgin Australia Airlines was able to redefine the concept of traditional airline food. Mangan’s philosophy behind both his in-flight menu, and his food on offer in the lounges, was to source the freshest local ingredients and showcase them with a clean and contemporary twist. Combining his classic French training with Asian influences, Mangan has created a designer menu that includes anything from fresh Thai salads and paninis to gourmet beef pies, locallysourced banana bread and ice-cream sandwiches. Mangan’s menu reflects his food philosophy – local, fresh produce and simple dishes to let the flavors shine. As a frequent traveler, Mangan finds inspiration for his food in cities and cultures all over the world, then gives it an Australian makeover. Routes and Alliances As a key part of the strategy to create a truly global airline Virgin Australia Airlines CEO and Managing Director, John Borghetti, set about establishing new alliances with several major carriers. At the beginning of the year, Virgin Australia announced a codesharing agreement with Air New Zealand to improve efficiencies across
both networks, then in February 2011, an alliance with Abu Dhabibased airline Etihad was announced. Virgin Australia Airlines now connects with Etihad’s extensive network of more than 100 destinations across Europe, the UK and the Middle East. A strategic alliance with Skywest has increased the Australian destinations on the network. An exciting codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines to include over 200 additional destinations in the US, Australia and New Zealand was also announced. “Now that our international airlines are all operating under the Virgin brand, our focus is on redesigning the product in the air to ensure a first-rate travel experience across all of our airlines. We look forward to revealing the new designs in the first half of 2012”, Mr Borghetti said. Virgin Australia is proud to be the Presenting Partner and exclusive airline of Australians in Film. For more information or to book your next flight, please visit www.virginaustralia.com. If you’re interested in establishing a business relationship with Virgin Australia, please contact the USbased sales team at 877.898.2878 or us.sales@virginaustralia.com.
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memberprofile the part of Bazza (a brash obnoxious Australian, so really, I’m playing myself). I wrote them back and said, “I am the tallest most Australian guy I know”. They asked me to come in and audition and not long after, I had the part.
MORGANROY Where are you from? I was born on a cattle station in Darwin, spent the first few years of my life in Fiji, but I did most of my growing up in the suburbs of Western Sydney (go the mighty Parramatta Eels!).
Tell us about your work behind the camera:
When did you discover your drive to be an actor? I was the guy who dabbled in amateur theatre from an early age. I did my first commercial when I was 10 for Disney’s “Roger Rabbit”. I ran the drama clubs at both high school and university, and I was cast as the lead in every play or musical we did. Then I got a little sidetracked after I completed a business degree in marketing and moved to Sydney for work. Soon, work led me to live in Hong Kong, Shanghai and then California. When I got here, I was still working in Marketing, but I realised, ‘I’m in Hollywood,’ and decided to rediscover my acting aspirations. Who were your early acting influences? I didn’t have to look too far for my influences. My dad was the executive producer of the Army Tattoo in 1988, a West End musical called “Always”, about King Edward VIII, and the musical called “Eureka”, starring Barry Crocker. I also
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have an older brother who had a short stint on “A Country Practice”. I saw the enjoyment they got out of performing, and I realised how happy performing made me, so I knew it was something I couldn’t let stay dormant within me. You recently wrapped up an online series, tell us about it: It’s called Game Night Series [GameNightSeries.com], It’s written by fellow Australians, Ashwin Gore and Rajan Velu. I joined the cast in the 2nd season. I came across this project when the producers posted in an online Facebook group I manage, that they needed a tall Australian guy to play
I recently returned from Australia, where I was assisting in producing an Australian short film called “My Minds Own Melody”. It stars Dave Lyons, It’s written and directed by Josh Wakely, and the music and lyrics are by Daniel Johns from Silverchair. I’m very excited about this project, and it was very rewarding to be working with some of Australia’s greatest talent. What are you working on right now? I’m an associate producer on an Australian feature film, also starring Dave Lyons, called “Birthright”. It’s in preproduction right now. It’s the story of five adopted brothers, living separate lives, and they come back to their family home on an isolated island following the death of their parents. The brothers are troubled with deep personal secrets and as they learn about each other, they begin to question everything about themselves and the family they came from. With my background in business, it felt natural for me to also move towards producing, as well as acting.
You are heavily involved in the Australian community in Los Angeles: I currently run the Australians in LA Facebook group [https://www.facebook. com/groups/AussiesInLA], which has around 1900 members. Most Australians come over here and hit the ground running, but they can often run in circles. I run a forum that allows Australians who are living or travelling to LA to communicate with each other, and information share, to find out how to get the best out of living here. Similarly to Australians in Film, we want to support all Australians who come here. People who are coming here to act, sing, be a comedian - they can get advice from other Australians who have done it before them, because I sure as hell needed it when I moved here. Why did you join AIF? It’s a great deal. You get to see lots of movies and meet and hear from great people. The first movie I heard about was Australia; I went along and had really good time - I made the most of the free booze, met some awesome likeminded Australians and decided to join the next day. I’ve made some long lasting friendships through you guys. Since running Australians in LA, I can appreciate how important it is to be a part of these groups, to have a support network in a foreign country. I’m also looking forward to the workshops.
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