| By Elliot V. Kotek Long touted as one of Australia's most chameleonic and charismatic actors, David Wenham, like countryman Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, V for Vendetta), formed part of Peter Jackson's formidable Lord of the Rings team. While Weaving went on to front the adaptation of graphic novel virtuoso Alan Moore, Wenham now makes his mark with the cinematic undertaking of 300, a tale of elite Spartans, from the inimitable Frank Miller (Sin City, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns). Having made his mark Downunder with a star turn in The Bank and an AFI Best Actor Award for the flip-flop-fantastic comedy Gettin' Square, Wenham still calls Australia home. The busy thespian was all set to dive into "workshopping" Baz Luhrmann's latest vision-to-be when Moving Pictures caught up with him for a chat. Moving Pictures Magazine: How'd you go about auditioning for a graphic novel adaptation? Had you seen storyboards or anything?
David Wenham: I was in Australia at the time, and the casting came out of England. My English agent asked me to put down the test. I was actually shooting something in North Queensland, and I really didn't have any time to physically do it. So what I did is, one morning, I learned the test in the makeup trailer. It was like two pages of monologue with my character, who's basically the narrator of the film as well; so it's two pages of solid monologue. Luckily, I've got a very good short-term memory, so I learned it relatively quickly. And in a break during the day, I got one of the Second ADs to grab a DV camera, and I quickly went to the wardrobe trailer and changed out of my costume and got something a little bit more appropriate and shot it in the wilds of North Queensland, and had it sent over immediately. I was cast on the basis of that test. I was cast, basically, going into the unknown. I was offered the role, having not read the script and not seeing the graphic novel and not having spoken to [director] Zack [Snyder]. So what I did is, I then went and bought the graphic novel, opened it up - and nearly passed out, because I saw my very first appearance was in the nude, standing over a fire, and all the appearances after that were essentially in a pair of leather underpants. So I got on the phone with Zack, and he reassured us pretty quickly. MPM: Had you already said yes to the offer?
David Wenham: Well, I said - well, I had the offer, and the script came to me, and then I said yes. Then I saw the graphic novel. That was the series of events. Yeah, very rarely would an actor say yes without having read the script. Not unless you know that there were other reasons - namely, an incredible director, an incredible cast, or something along those lines. MPM: Which director would you work with without seeing a script?
David Wenham: Peter Weir [Dead Poets' Society, The Truman Show, Master and Commander]. MPM: And I believe you're about to go into another Baz Luhrmann feature?
David Wenham: We'll see. It's highly likely. After we get off the phone, I'm actually seeing Baz; and then next week we actually workshop the film, which is something I've done before with him for both Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. I was involved in workshops for both those films, which, for an actor is an extremely... It's an illuminating time, actually working with Baz in quite a confined environment; quite an intense environment as well. We then can purely focus on script and performance. MPM: Is it something that you relish, that sort of rehearsal period?
David Wenham: Oh, yeah. Oh, it's the thing. I think it shows when the groundwork has actually been put into something as opposed to just whipped up on the day. There's got to be a really broad, solid basis or foundation from which you can then spring off and improvise or be spontaneous. MPM: Is that something you think you've learned from your theatrical training?
David Wenham: Maybe unconsciously, yes. It's not something that I think about, because they're technically two totally different forms. But I think in terms of preparation and rehearsal, undoubtedly it comes from my background. MPM: How involved was Frank Miller while you shot? Or, before 300, did you have any contact with him?
David Wenham: He came on set on a number of occasions, which I've got to say I found invaluable, because he was obviously the prime source of the project, so you could mine him for information. He was extremely supportive, extremely generous and very giving of anything that was required. And what's comforting is that the biggest champion of the film now is actually Frank Miller. I don't think you can find a bigger fan of the film. Frank is extremely critical - he's obviously got an incredibly sharp, analytical mind - but he gives this film a ringing endorsement, which is no small thing. MPM: What did you think when you first saw it?
David Wenham: I've got to say I was blown away. You know, when we were shooting, people would ask me what the film was about and what did it look like, and I'd actually be stumped for words. I couldn't get the vocabulary to describe exactly what we were doing. Especially the visual style; it's unique. But it's like... It's fresh, it jumps off the screen at you, it engages you. It's a really visual experience and so, yeah, it shakes you up. And I've got to say, [about] the fight sequences in it, they're probably the best fight sequences I've ever seen on the screen. MPM: Was it true that you had to train for a few months before you shot the thing?
David Wenham: Yes. Short answer? Yes. MPM: [Laughs] How long?
David Wenham: I was sent to Montreal about two months before principal photography began. We were put under the tutelage of a physical trainer first, a guy called Mark Twight. You can have a look at his stuff on his website [GymJones.com], and you'll see it's sort of unconventional training. You reach peak performance at a much more accelerated rate than [with] any other form of training. And also we trained with the stunt guys, Chad and Damon, who basically taught us to fight from scratch - sword, sword and spear, sword and shield. We trained for, as I said, two months before we even stepped foot on the set. And then for the three months of principal photography, any day that we weren't working, we had to train.
MPM: Was there much sneaking off for burgers and things like that?
David Wenham: We had a dietician with us, so the food was supplied every day. Except we were allowed one cheat day a week.
MPM: Did you take more than that when you finished filming?
David Wenham: I'm up to seven cheat days now.
MPM: [Laughs] What was it you craved that you weren't allowed?
David Wenham: Oh, that's an interesting one. Probably a little bit of alcohol. You know, a nice, refreshing beer at the end of the day's work, or a glass of wine, or a vodka. I don't, actually, have much of a sweet tooth. The thing that I was allowed to have every now and again because I was one of the lighter-weight guys - I don't have an enormous physique to begin with - I was actually allowed to have dark chocolate with a very high cocoa content, either 70 or 85 percent. Which was something that I wouldn't tell the other guys. MPM: Your way of approaching the character - did you read up on a lot of the history of Sparta, or did you find that there was enough in the script for you to focus on?
David Wenham: Well, the thing was, I studied ancient history at school, so what we were dealing with was not unfamiliar to me. However, the basis of the film is 100 percent Frank Miller's graphic novel. It's essentially that graphic novel coming to life, so everything we got came from that source material, and then from having Frank on set.
MPM: Do you break down the character and the script and everything in the same way regardless of the character you're portraying? Do you have a sort of rigid approach to how you begin working when you get onto a project?
David Wenham: Take Getting' Square. I live in the Kings Cross in Sydney, which is a place for incredibly rich and eccentric characters, including a lot of junkies. So that was where I got my inspiration. It was basically the look and the sound of that character. The first time I read that script, I could actually hear the character's voice. I had an idea instantly as to how that character should sound. And I was very, very specific in what I actually wanted to wear for that character. The costume designer had one particular idea, but I had another one and, luckily, she was open to change. But I'd go to second-hand clothing stores and mine, oh, the children's section - and also the women's section, strangely enough - for clothing for that character. This one was totally different, obviously. The training was a huge part of it, too. You become a Spartan. Of course, the thing about the Spartans was the fact that they fought as one unit. Individuality wasn't something that was a Spartan thing. So we all had to physically look similar and move fluidly as one; that was a great big part of it. For me, as well, just the nature of the role - the one change that distinguished Dillies from the other Spartans was the fact that he was a great orator. So the language of the piece was something that was important to me. The language is very distinctive. It comes from Frank's graphic novel as well as the script writers, and it's actually quite a formal language, so it was a matter of trying to get that language sound as natural and realistic as possible. MPM: What is it that you enjoyed most out of working on this? Was it the physical challenge?
David Wenham: That was the part of it I went into with the most trepidation, because I'd never trained so much in my life. Before I left Sydney to fly to Montreal, I got on the Web and had a look at Mark Twight's website and what sort of training we'd be physically engaged in, and I nearly passed out just looking at it. In a way, though, I've got to say that is something, having done it now for five months, that will always be with me. Not that I train like that anymore, but it's something I realize: Even if I have ten minutes of the day in a hotel room, I know that I can do something that's going to benefit me and make me feel good for the rest of the day. MPM: What's it like coming back to Australia after working on these kinds of big budget films? Of course, you had the Lord of the Rings experience a little closer to home. But does it change your perception of the business in Australia?
David Wenham: The business, well, I've got to say: Regardless of budgets of films and regardless of where they're shot, the same mechanisms are involved in telling a story; it's just that the budget will give you more bangs for your bucks, or more trailers, or more equipment. But essentially it's the same approach: telling a story. So even on a really low-budget film, you go through the same process. Doing a film where you get paid more? What that can do is actually afford you the opportunity, in my case, to every now and again come back to Australia and do a play. And that's what that does, you know? 'Cause that's where I came from - the theater - and it's those roots that I really treasure and love going back to. But it's tricky, because it's self-subsistence; it eventually costs me, doing the piece. The last piece I did, I played Cyrano de Bergerac in Melbourne, an amazing role, an amazing opportunity. And it's an experience that, once again, I say that I really treasured because it was such a special thing. MPM: What was being a part of the whole Lord of the Rings experience like?
David Wenham: Unique. I look back and it's like, I'm very lucky to have been involved in that. There are only a couple of dozen people in the world who were cast members in that film, and that's an experience that'll stay with us forever. There are occasions throughout the year where we get to bump into each other, and it's a bond that's very special and it'll always be. MPM: Do you credit that as opening up opportunities for you on other projects?
David Wenham: I don't think it's a bad thing having Lord of the Rings on the resume. Yeah, it's not a bad credit to have at all. But it's not... It's been slow and steady in my case; it's not as though I did one film and suddenly, boom, things changed. There's a moment that I think, however, things did start to open up slightly for me. That was when, in the same year, a film called The Boys came out at the same time I did a television series in Australia called "SeaChange." And these were two characters that were diametrically opposed to each other - one was a psychopathic killer and the other one was a very affable, charming, enigmatic type. And I think that year doors started to open up for me, whatever year that was. MPM: Is the film Marriage something that's already in the can, or...?
David Wenham: Yeah, I shot that some months ago in Vancouver. MPM: And you've got a fairly cool set of castmates on that as well. What was it like working with Pierce Brosnan and Patricia Clarkson?
David Wenham: Pierce has a reputation as one of the most generous people in show business, and I've got to say it's true. He's a true gentleman. He's a funny, funny man; a very smart, witty man; and talented to boot. MPM: And Patty Clarkson?
David Wenham: [Laughter] Patty is a gem, an absolute gem! Patricia and Chris Cooper would have to be my favorite actors, male and female actors. To actually be in a film with them and work with them was a total treat. Both of those guys have talent in abundance, and Patty just cracks me up. She is an absolute hoot. MPM: Was there a specific incident you can recall?
David Wenham: There is, but it's probably not suitable for publication. MPM: Were there any pranks on the set of 300?
David Wenham: Oh, I'm sure there were many! Let's see, now I'm trying to think. MPM: Given there were so many guys around, kind of seems like it would have been a bit of a locker room mentality.
David Wenham: You know what? It seemed that from the outside, and we certainly thought that was going to be the case going into it. But after having been together for a couple of months training and then just turning up on set all day, every day, in your leather underpants, it just actually wasn't the case at all. It became - I know it sounds odd - but it was like there was a bizarre normality to it all. That's not to say that once the cameras turned there wasn't a huge amount of testosterone pumping around onscreen, because there was, and that's exactly what and how it should be. Once cut was called, you got to sit down, put your iPod on and have a chair. MPM: Does anything frustrate you about the Australian film industry and their ability to get films made - either foreign films made in Australia or the ability to finance high-budget films?
David Wenham: Oh, yes. Once again, a very short answer. We're at a moment now where we have historic low levels of production here, both in local content and in foreign films coming to our shore. Absolutely frustrating. You know, this is my home, and I would love to be involved in more local films here and to tell Australian stories, because that's what I know best. But we don't seem to have the support from the government here in terms of actually financially assisting the industry, or people within the government who are thinking of creative ways whereby they can attract investment in other forms from which they pump money into the industry. Which is a shame. MPM: Can film affect society, or does it merely reflect it? Has any film in particular empowered you into action?
David Wenham: Well, I think they certainly do the latter without a doubt. They are a reflection, without a doubt. Do they change society? I think they have the potential to. An Inconvenient Truth certainly stimulated thought. For me, it was preaching to the converted in a way, but it was still horrifying to actually watch |
