AN INTERVIEW WITH ANTHONY HAYES
April 21st 2010 12:28
Anthony Hayes as Capt. William McBride
Held on Tuesday 6th April, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney
PREAMBLE TO INTERVIEW
Anthony Hayes was my first interview and I was nervous. One is never sure how interviews will go. Will the star be amiable and open, without being defensive? Will the star be in the mood to talk, to elaborate and reveal interesting facts about either, the production, or their approach to their craft?
Luckily for me, Mister Hayes was all that an interviewer could wish for, and more. As my nerves simmered, my nose began to run, not from a cold, it’s just my body reacting to stress, annoying as it is.
Why the nerves? Well, Anthony Hayes is a multi award winning actor, writer and director, with nine nominations and four wins in the last twelve years. One of these films, New Skin, he wrote, directed and starred in, winning him the prestigious 2002 Dendy Award, for Best Short Film, at the Sydney Film Festival.
Hayes also won an IF Award, for best emerging director and is a recipient of the Gloria Payten/Gloria Dawn Foundation Grant for young artists. Hayes’ first short film Sweet Dreams, won the Most Popular film category, at the St.Kilda International Film Festival.
Hayes also co-wrote, directed, and co-produced Ten Empty, which had its World Premiere at the Sydney Film Festival 2008. Ten Empty has been distributed by ICON Films. And yes, Hayes has won awards for his acting in other projects.
Hayes has graced the screens in many successful films; Rabbit Proof Fence, Bootmen, Changi, Animal Kingdom (which won at the Sundance Film Festival) and Prime Mover (which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival 2009) which I loved, among many other film productions.
Hayes has also appeared in well over twenty television series, local and internationally released, but one particularly caught my attention, (while doing more researching after the interview), The Adventures of Skippy, the episode was Skippy and the Runaway.
Damn! I wish I’d known that before the interview. I would have tried to get the inside story on the real Skippy, the split personality hiding under the star’s fur, the grimace behind the marsupial grin.
This thought then jolted a memory, of dear old Frank Thring (legendary Australian actor of international stage and screen), whom I got to know briefly at MTC (Melbourne Theatre Company) many moons ago; allegedly, Thring, while waiting for his scene, on Skippy The Bush Kangaroo, to be set up, saw something moving in a hessian bag nearby and asked an AD what it was. Upon learning it was in fact Skippy inside the bag, Thring declared, “My God! If that’s the star’s dressing room, what’s mine like?’
I loved Frank; he was one of the great characters of the theatrical world, once met, you never forget. I spent an entire evening talking to him, at his family home, when we stopped chatting, we realized it was 10am the next day! I should write about that sometime.
However, I digress, as usual, so back to the interview at hand....
I am led to believe the conditions for the actors, on the sets of Beneath Hill 60, were not as bad as poor Skippy had to endure, but nonetheless, there was a quagmire of mud, (SFX) flooding water and (SFX) rain to drown an entire platoon.
So, without further ado, here is my interview, with Anthony Hayes.
NOTE: In consideration of brevity, I have edited out some superfluous material. At times I have made certain clarifications, which appear in brackets within the text. Where a question/comment ends in “...” that indicates being interrupted, by the other person, with the text immediately following. The intent and meaning of both questions and answers have not being altered.
Q:
Firstly, congratulations...
AH:
Why thank you!
Q:
And congratulations on Prime Mover, I saw that, I loved it! It was fantastic. And also, on your AFI Awards.
AH:
Thank you.
Q:
And it occurred to me, you’re accomplished in a number of areas; actor, writer and director. So, when you get a script for actor, how do you keep the other two in the back seat?
(we both laugh)
AH:
That’s a good question!
Q:
When you read it, you visualise, don’t you?
AH:
You do, you do. I think it has got a lot to do with first reads, and you’re actually a bit more selfish about it, and you’re reading it from your character’s perspective, rather than an overall perspective. I’m really good at, kind of, shutting my mouth, and the director’s the director and the writer’s the writer.
I mean, obviously, you can come to loggerheads in terms of where your character is coming from, whether your character is working, and you can argue, fight tooth and nail, as much as you want, as far as I am concerned, because it is you that is doing it, and you understand it from the inside out, but, in terms of coming in and tearing a script apart, which has nothing to do with my character, then it’s, you know... I think with anything to do with filmmaking, I have much more respect for the process.
I used to an actor that sat around
(and wondered) why aren’t these people writing me great roles? Until you go, oh right, because it takes six years for them to write them and there is various elements as to why you may or may not get it (the role) like timing, availability, whether they need a name, to financing, or someone doesn’t like you, too fat, too skinny, too whatever.
I love both the different things I do. (acting and the technical side of production) Acting, I’ve been doing so long now, but I think only in the last five years I’ve really started to love it, strangely enough.
Q:
Ah, that’s interesting. Do you think that through the body of work, (all the productions Hayes has been in) you have gained more confidence?
AH:
I think so, and I think better stuff. When I was a kid, it was all kid shows, then it was ‘soap’ (daytime TV series) for awhile, and then, when I did “The Boys” that was a massive turning point; I was quite young then, I was only 19 and that was a big wake up call, I’d gone from a year on Paradise Beach, one of the worst soaps ever made, to working with world class actors, which really gives you a good boot up the arse, teaching you about doing character and doing your homework. (character research)
Q:
So, we come to Beneath Hill 60, your character appears some way in, when we actually get to Hill 60, (Woodward’s arrival at the Western Front), we get a little bit of back-story to Woodward, but I don’t think we got any back-story to you (his character William McBride).
AH:
No...no.
Q:
And I think that’s a pity, how did you feel about that?
AH:
Yeah, it makes it hard to attack a character when it’s not in there...
Q:
So, on that point, your very first meeting with him, (Woodward) what went through your mind, about how you were going to approach that? You played it pretty, some might say laconic, in a laid back, in a really sort of Aussie kind of way...
AH:
That was actually where I came from, when I first read it. I’ve done a hell of a lot of wife beating, thug, Western Sydney type of characters, and I’ve done it to death (playing tough guys) and what I loved about this (Hill 60) the most was, he (his character William McBride) was a gentler soul, he was a nice man, which was something different for me, which is exciting to do that stuff.
So I approached it as, wouldn’t it be great to be the smiling face amongst the mayhem, and I think it is really important, because the character only comes in, every now and again, and it needs to punctuate the drama, and obviously it’s not a kind of comic relief to the straight man, but it’s similar, in there is a kind of softness, and an openness, to my character, which I think levels it out, similarly to the romance story. (Woodward’s flashbacks to his sweet heart)
Q:
I know the costume designer went to great pains for accuracy, and the props (objects used by characters in the film) and everything, and it looks great. Is that important to you, to come to grips with your role, or can you do it in a bare room?
AH:
Yeah, it’s an interesting question, because I hate theatre...
Q:
Ah really? That’s interesting...
AH:
And you could consider that a bare room, auditions are in bare rooms. I can’t get my head around them, to be honest; I kind of need to be there and have something tangible, (set or props) to get into it. I can’t even learn my lines until I do it by, you know, by (within the) environment, all that kind of stuff, or I can’t pick it up by going, okay, this is where I am...
Q:
And that helps you, then, get in touch with the emotions you need at the time?
AH:
Yeah, I think so. Obviously if there’s...
Q:
So you’re not a method actor?
(I laugh)
AH:
Oh God no! No, no, no, I don’t think you’d have the time in this industry to do it...
(we laugh)
AH:
You don’t have enough time, you know, from when you find out you have something (a role in a film) to doing it. Look, it’s not the way I do it, (method acting) I’m an instinctive actor and I have no process, I don’t think, well, I haven’t analysed it and I think that’s probably a good thing for me, that I don’t over think it.
There are a lot of techniques out there, (inaudible word) techniques, all sorts of stuff, I’ve been asked to try before on shows, but it just doesn’t sit with me, I just don’t get it. I mean, for me it’s just about finding that element, the core elements of the character...
Q:
And what was the core element of your character then?
AH:
Well, I think it was what I was talking about before, it’s a softness, in that character; I think he’s a very important pillar for Brendon’s character (Brendan Cowell’s character Captain Oliver Woodward) to have there. He (McBride) is a real support character; he actually does assist the lead, not just in film terms, but in story terms.
It was an interesting one, McBride, although he is an actual human being (an historical figure) he is an amalgamation, in this film, of a lot of different people, and so it’s kind of hard to nail it down there. Realistically, (the actual person McBride) was operating “The Caterpillar” mine, which was the other one at Hill 60.
Q:
Oh, okay!
AH:
So he (McBride) was in charge of that, whilst Woodward was doing this other one. And so, that was a weird thing to get my head around too, (word inaudible) because I’d be talking about the scene...
(discussing with the director the scene about to be shot) ‘Why the fuck am I even in this scene? What the fuck is he even doing here? He should be doing his own thing!'
'Why is he just hangin’ around just waiting for Woodward to come up with a genius plan?’ When, I’d (McBride character) be doing the same thing as Woodward, over there... (at the complex of mines known as The Caterpillar that historically McBride controlled) So, those kind of things are frustrating...
Q:
That is kind of a pity, knowing that, because that would have been interesting for the story, I think...
AH:
Yeah. I don’t think it ended up being clear in the film, at all, but...
Q:
No, it isn’t...
AH:
Yeah, because I kind of pop in and out...
Q:
I was surprised when Woodward arrived there (at Hill 60) and all the explosives were already set up, because I thought you guys set it all up. So, Woodward came and fixed the leakage problem, I didn’t think there was enough put into that. What was his (Woodward’s) actual input that made it all work? (the mines exploding successfully) I think that is a failing in the writing, but, it could’ve been there and been edited, I don’t know....
AH:
Yeah, it’s interesting, from reading the script, the script was much more bogged down in technicalities and details...
Q:
Oh, was it?
AH:
The film was, to the point it slowed it down, in sections, and how mining stuff did you really need to know about it...
Q:
Yeah, well, my father was an exploration geologist, so...
(I laugh loudly, Hayes does not)
AH:
Ahh, well there you go!
(I laugh louder this time; a polite smile briefly creaks across Hayes' jawline. But, what was he thinking? 'Is this guy really a film critic, or is he merely another drooling lunatic masquerading as one?’ If he was thinking this, then, I probably confirmed his fears, when I then committed the interviewer’s cardinal sin; I prattled on and on, about a relative of mine who served in WW1, and I nattered on for an entire minute. I only had ten minutes to interview him! Note to self; Remember: in an interview, actors prefer to talk about their own work, not listen to stories of self-indulgent, half baked, net-hacks!)
Q:
What do you feel the impact, or the import, of this film is, for Australians?
AH:
Look, I think the important thing about this is, that it’s actually not about soldiers, it’s about another section of Australians that assisted in war, that have been unrecognized. And I think that is the important thing about it, and not only that, but they were treated like shit for being there, they were loathed, (by British High Command). And I think that’s a really important thing, and I think, Gallipoli is huge and amazing, it was one of our biggest, you know, (defeats) it’s carnage.
Whereas this (Hill 60) is actually something that the Australians helped create the biggest explosion the world has ever seen, and that’s no mean feat, and for us not to know about it, is quite baffling. I didn’t know about it, I had no idea.
So, I think it’s that unsung hero thing, and it’s that thing as well, you need a different angle for a war movie, you’ve done Platoon (USA production) you can’t just keep sending blokes into the wilderness, you know, to do it.
I mean, where are the stories of the female nurses, and all those stories, which are important, that’s the backbone of the operations, you know, so I think that it’s important. And it’s always important to remember, when it’s detailed, correct.
Q:
So you don’t think there’s a subtext message in this film, for the youth of today? Looking through Tiffin’s eyes, and people like that?
Ah:
War is horrific stuff, let’s be honest. It does say, at the end of the film, that they went through all this stuff and Hill 60 is retaken (by Germans) three months later.
So, they go through all that and they have a little win, and it’s the biggest win in the world, for these guys (Aussie tunnellers) but then it goes on (the conflict) and it goes on.
I think that’s what I liked about the first three quarters of the Hurt Locker (USA production) was that, it was just a series of vignettes of, defuse, another problem, defuse, and so while these people are defusing, all they’re doing is getting more tightly wound up, and I think that’s an interesting concept, that they did on that film, was that it‘s never ending, it doesn’t end. You defuse one situation, and there’s another, and, war’s never going to stop, is it?
Q:
No, unfortunately. As long as companies make money out of arms (weapons sales)...
AH:
Absolutely
Q:
Well, I better wrap it up, thank you very much, and look forward to seeing your work...Oh! One last question. What’s your next project, or projects, you’ve got coming along? Are you going to write something or direct something?
AH:
I’m working on a...I’ve got a script for a rodeo movie, which is set in Australia, which is a forgotten piece of Australiana, yeah, that’s coming along well. It’s an interesting world. It’s about a bull rider.
It’s inspired by sportsmen who by 30 years old, have had the best years of their lives, and have 50 years left to live, and what do you do with it? Who are you, without all the bells and whistles?
Bull riders and rodeo heroes, are the complete polar opposite to normal people, who are just starting to hit their straps, at 30, who are settling into their careers. It’s a completely different trajectory, as a human being.
Q:
That sounds really interesting. Well, thanks very much!
AH:
Thank you.
END INTERVIEW
My personal revelations were; regarding a relative who was awarded a WW1 Military Cross, at the Battle of the Somme, and how, as a child, I used to run around his garden wearing his helmet, or his Captain’s cap, or slouch hat; I also used his water bottle and gas mask, and as he had been gassed in WW1, it now makes me wonder whether the odd smell in the mask was just rubber, or was it tiny particles of mustard gas?
Could this explain why my childhood was spent mostly daydreaming?
Anyway,
the props in the film kept flashing my mind back to my childhood days and I now wonder, whether others of my era, will also have flashback memories of their parents and grandparents, brought on by the accurate detail of the uniforms and props.
My memories were started by the CU (camera close up) of a water bottle, which looked exactly like the one I often filled up with tap water, to guzzle away all summer's day, playing soldier, in grandfather's garden.
Then again, maybe it is just me, and the mustard gas...
IMAGE CREDIT: AND PERMISSIONS:
Image property of production company and/or distributor Paramount Pictures, All Rights Reserved, used for identification of actor in production, for interview purposes only; low res. image not for reproduction.
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Mountain Fog
Comment by Matt Shea
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
I like Hayes too, he has some fine credits behind him. Always remember my very first sight of him which was as the dropkick brother in The Boys, one of THE great local films of all time.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
tanx, he was my first face to face actually! Although, I did do Jackie Weaver many moons past, but only got that one because she was my sister's best pal at the time.
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
haha! I don't think I'm quite capable of a straight interview (low RAM in the CPU), or anything straight really, funnily enough! tee hee!
and tanx for the compliment
cheers
fog