OUR STRAIGHT MATES
ringside with daniel From Summer Bay twink to brawny boxer, Daniel Amalm is proving his middleweight in gold. He tells Matt Myers about acting, boxing training and sex appeal.
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DNA: From a youngster on Home And Away to a gangster on Underbelly, you’ve certainly grown as an actor. Daniel Amalm: I was on Home And Away from the age of 14 through to about 17, and I basically didn’t return to acting until my midtwenties. I decided that I wanted to be involved in the industry again because it offered so many things and one of the first roles that came my way was Underbelly. You also had the lead role in Two Fists, One Heart. Was that a big change for you? I was fortunate the character was a boxer and bouncer, just like in the real world for me. The rest was the journey of the character finding himself, which was about being a lover and not a fighter. Ever since I saw Rocky I wanted to play a role like that. So to do this movie, which was like the Australian version of Rocky, was just awesome! How did you get into character? There was so much stuff to research for that role… but I never had any formal training as
It took a bit of getting used to but I spent a lot of time in the compound hanging out with the guys training. I’ve always been a fan of the sport and it was good to be around professional fighters and trainers. To be exposed to that world and work on the set was a great experience. The reality angle must have been a change to acting? I remember having a chat with Nader Hamdan, who had fought Mundine, and I was saying how hard it is to go without ice cream when you’re training and having to be lean. But I noticed that the boom mike had come down over the top of our heads and I suddenly thought, “Oh great! Now that looks real tough for a boxing gig!” But it was really good fun and a good learning curve. How do you feel about gay men thinking you are hot? To be honest, it never really occurred to me. I was looking up some stuff on Underbelly on the internet and stumbled across a site that had
I found a site with comments like, “Check out his butt!” I told my girlfriend what all these chicks were saying and she said, “Dan, that’s a gay site!” an actor. I did some random courses but they weren’t really my thing. However, I found a teacher in Queensland, John Gibson, who sat me down and helped me discover my skills. He came from NIDA [National Institute Of Dramatic Arts] and got me to connect with who I was and helped me with my characterisation. You also beefed up for that role. What kind of training did you do? While I was on Underbelly there wasn’t any training involved so I just enjoyed the food on set! But when I got the role in Two Fists, One Heart I had to play a middleweight, which was a lot heavier. So I did a lot of running, skipping and boxing training. I worked out with a trainer in Perth, but my brother in Queensland is also a personal trainer named Mr Fit, so he is always keeping me in check, too. We don’t get to have too many late night pizzas! You have great pecs! What’s the secret? My program involved one body part per day. We were shooting Monday to Friday and I would do a gym session first thing in the morning before going on set. First day would be chest, the next day would be back, the third day shoulders, forth day arms and then the fifth would be a long jog or something to break it up. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got on set but it helped me to relax and focus. You’ve just wrapped hosting the boxing reality TV show The Contender on Fox8. What did you like most about that?
pictures of me where I had dropped my towel. There were comments like, “Check out his butt!” I told my girlfriend what all these chicks were saying and she was like, “Dan, that’s a gay site!” I had no idea! Well there are plenty of gay men who think you have a great butt! [Laughs] She still gives me a hard time! Do you have any gay mates? Yeah, I’ve got a few. Some didn’t come out until their later years. I was friends with them prior to knowing they were gay. I was once living with a dude who was the lead singer of our band and two years into the band he told us he was gay, but it didn’t matter and it didn’t change anything. I think when you become older and more mature you don’t judge people and you regard friendship more than anything else. Do you have any tattoos? I wish I did but that’s one of the things about being an actor. You have to be a blank canvas. I’m not the kind of guy that would just get a little tattoo. If I was going to get one it would be a large one with some meaning. I’ve come up with a few ideas and passed them on to my brother! Your father was Swedish. Did he introduce you to ABBA? Well, we always knew of ABBA but he really introduced me to the world of Swedish folk music. That got my brother and me into playing blues and classical guitar and that led
to me winning a scholarship at the Queensland Conservatorium. Sweden has a rich music culture. The funny thing is that if you’re at a heavy metal concert in Sweden, some smart arse will yell out, “Play something from ABBA!” In fact, I used to play Dancing Queen in a cover band! Who would you rather see in concert: Pink, Madonna, Kylie or Britney? I’d like to go and see what Kylie’s got. I’ll go for the Aussie girl! Which one would you take out on a date? Definitely Kylie. One hundred per cent. She’s Aussie and she’s beautiful. What is your porn name – your first pet and the street you grew up in? I had a cat called Butch and the street I grew up in was known as the Magic Mile, so it’s Butch Magic Mile! Hey, I think I should use that when I get to Hollywood! What do you think was a major turning point for you in your career? I suppose Underbelly was the best exposure I had – people really noticed me. But it also came from Rescue Special Ops, too. I think that was one of the strongest turning points for me. Who has been your biggest influence? My father. He passed away some years ago but he really showed me how to make something of my life. He introduced me to so many skills, like with my music, and he was also the one who found me the Home And Away audition. I think I’ve done him proud. H
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