WEBVTT - Best of 2024 Part 1: Eric Bana, Ben Fordham, Mia Freedman, Nathan/Ivan Cleary and Robert Kiyosaki 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:04.760 Hi, my Boris, and this is straight talk. You mind 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:08.280 if I just quickly sort of scratch around Eric Banner 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.320 a little bit. Where were you born? 0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:15.080 I was born in Melbourne, YEP, in a place called Malvin. 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:18.000 My mum was a hairdresser, so I grew up in 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:20.000 the back of a hairdressing salon for the first few 0:00:20.079 --> 0:00:22.360 years of my life, and then we moved to Talamarin 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:25.200 and I pretty much spent my childhood in Talla out 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:25.880 near the airport. 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:28.040 Both you folks from Croatia. 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:30.240 Dad's from Croatian months from Germany. 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:32.760 So your actual surname is not Banner. 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:37.320 A lot of oos Is make it Banadanovitch. I don't 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:39.400 know why, but there's an I in the it's bean Adinovich. 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:41.599 I mean I look at it structurally, you look like 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:46.640 someone from Croatia because like Croatians. I think Serbians a 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.640 like on average of the Croatians similar sort of backgrounds 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:54.880 are the tallest men in the world on average, and 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:56.920 you're a tall guy. You've got that sort of build. 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:02.320 How often does do the people who are casting for 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:04.400 movies and shows that you might go in, how often 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:06.640 do they look at your physique and actually cast you 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:08.680 around your physic and your drawl on your face, the 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:09.200 whole look. 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:13.160 Well, I'll never know. I never asked a question. I 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:15.039 think I've been quite lucky that. 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.600 My look can kind of go both ways, you know, 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.280 Like if you look at some of the films that 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:23.160 I've been in, I've been able to go sort of 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.240 European and I've been able to go non European. So 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.440 I never overthought it, to be honest. But there's a 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:33.560 certain physicality you can't get away from, you know, So 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:35.200 there's always going to be a bent, you know, in 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:37.440 terms of the stuff that you're offered. It would be 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:40.399 very easy for me to have done nothing but very 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:43.760 very physical films, which doesn't interest me. So you have 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.800 to work consciously to not play against that, but to 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:49.720 just kind of temper that. 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:53.040 Yeah, because I mean, one thing that comes straight to 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.680 my mind is Chopper, you put a lot of weight 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:59.040 on relatively speaking whis of how you're sitting here today, 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.160 But you put a lot of weight on for probably 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:05.040 a lot younger too, when you were younger. Yeah, my god, 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:09.520 you looked exactly like him though, thanks mate, I'm serious, 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:13.600 And you actually came across like him too. Yeah, leg 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:16.360 was amazing. How is that? I don't know only about acting, 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:17.360 but is that called method acting? 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:17.760 What is that? 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:19.720 Did you spend time with the dude to find out 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:21.160 how he was? I don't know. 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:23.960 I don't like to put the label method acting on 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.359 it because then I'd find out that you know, it's 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:28.520 not method actor or it is. So I just go 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:31.320 with what works for me, and what works for me. 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:34.560 First of all is having a lot of time to prep, 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:37.240 Like you can't call me and say we're filming next month. 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.400 I'm going to pass on that project, like I need 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.720 things to marinate up here for as. 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:42.560 Long as possible. 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.160 Secondly, I have to respond immediately, like when I read 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.560 something or someone approaches me for a job, I know 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:52.720 straight away instinctively whether I feel as though I can 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.520 become that person, and if it's if it's a no, 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:58.880 it's a no. It doesn't matter what the project is, 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.920 who's in a who's directing it, how much it is. 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.160 If I don't get that response, I'm out with Chopper. 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.760 I for some reason, just immediately felt like I could 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.960 become him, even before I'd started doing any research, and 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.840 there wasn't a lot of material on him available at 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:16.600 the time. But I'd seen a couple of interviews, so 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:18.799 it was just a lot of research, Mate. 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:20.880 And we were ready. 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:23.280 We were getting close to start filming. We were in 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.960 early stages of pre production. The film got postponed because 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:30.040 of the el mcfeast interview years ago when Chopper went 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.640 on air slightly drunk and told stories. So I had 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:35.800 that worked in my favor because it meant it gave 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:38.560 me about another twelve months to prepare. So it was 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.000 a combination of things, reading everything I could, watching everything 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:44.800 I could, spending time with him, Andrew the director, and 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:46.800 I went down to Tazzy and hang out with him 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.160 for a few days, and then trying to come up 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:52.840 with a version in my head that would work on screen, 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.760 because you know, doing any impersonation is not enough, like 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:57.440 it has to be believable, has to. 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:58.120 Be something else. 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:00.400 So a lot of it's just up here, and I 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:04.640 can't explain everything that goes on up there impersonations. 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.680 You're right, it's not enough. Otherwise it probably doesn't come 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.440 across quite good enough in terms of excellence impersonation is 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:15.080 It's quite interesting then that when I was reading somewhere 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:19.360 that when you're a kid, a little kid, you did impersonations. 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:20.600 Whether or not it's true or not, I don't know, 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:22.600 but like just to get laugh paps or maybe get 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:25.880 an audience. Like personation, is that something you know you're 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:30.039 good at, Like in terms of personations, like how you 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:33.440 physically stand, how you speak, the sound of your language, 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:35.640 the accent and your language, you know, the intonations and 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.520 all that sort of stuff. That's something that you love doing. 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:40.800 It's something that comes naturally. 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.159 And my son has it as well, which is really 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:47.039 funny to see that being passed down. It's just it's 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:49.800 not something I've taught him. It's just in him, like 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:53.280 straight away. So I did it as a kid. I 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:55.919 probably use it to get out of trouble mainly, you know, 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:57.640 to get in trouble at school and then get out 0:04:57.680 --> 0:04:58.560 of trouble at school. 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:00.480 Occasionally would have t just come. 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:01.960 Up to me on the slide say could you do 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:03.840 you do a good mister salence? 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:05.080 Could you do it for me? 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:05.440 Serious? 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:06.839 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah wow. 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:07.919 I love that. 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:11.919 My grandfather was very encouraging of it. And then I 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:13.840 grew up, you know, watching a lot of TV as 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:15.960 a kid and watching a lot of American shows and 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:19.360 British shows and just trying to do the different accents 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:21.000 and stuff. So it was something I was doing without 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:24.560 really being overly conscious of, without knowing that it was 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:26.799 kind of good training for the future. 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.840 So when you given that that's something you that's a 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:32.160 skill you have, it's the thing you enjoy, it's something 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.279 you grew up doing. When you've got to go and 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:39.320 play a role like Hector, for example, in Troy, I've 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:43.159 always been upset that Hector gets nailed, seriously, like he's 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:46.000 like a fucking superhero, like you know, like he's the 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:48.839 best fighter for Troy's God and he is not unfairly 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:53.400 I thought anyway. But when you go to take that 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:58.200 role on, does do you then sort of put yourself 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.240 into the mindset of someone like that, how you would 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.360 interpret how Hector is was because obviously you had to 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:07.080 see a chop, a live is around, Hector hasn't been 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:09.240 gone for a long long time. How do you get 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.520 yourself into that role? Like how do you start to think, 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:13.760 how am I going to impersonate what the audience would 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:15.600 think Hector is like? Or are you saying I'm going 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:17.640 to take to the audience who I think Hectors like? 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.760 Yeah, it's a combination of everything, so you know, talk 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.479 with the director, go to the source material, look at 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:27.159 the script. And then for Hector was really just just 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:31.320 primarily for me about just pure leadership, like leadership like 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.719 a man leading an army and the army loving him, 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:40.159 you know, being being the ultimate you know, type a 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:43.080 warrior who had a heart as well. He just seemed 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.240 when I read the script, I thought, there's something about him. 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:49.520 It's not just type a you know, rah rah rah. 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:49.920 And so. 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:53.200 I read all kinds of like I remember reading in 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.400 the Vander Holyfield book preparing for that, like a book 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:59.960 on Romulus, all kinds of different things, just to try 0:06:59.960 --> 0:07:05.240 and get different perspectives on leadership and battle. And then 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:07.039 you know, going to that place. And you had again, 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:09.120 I had a really good amount of time to prepare 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:11.640 for that for that film. Wolfgang Peters in our director 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:15.360 cast quite early. Brad was on board first and then 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:17.560 and then it was myself, and so I had a 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:20.360 good amount of time to prepare, which I needed a 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:21.480 lot of horse riding, a lot. 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:23.840 Of fighting and are you doing that? 0:07:24.600 --> 0:07:25.000 Yeah? 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:25.760 Yeah. 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:27.920 You had to learn how to how to bear back 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.160 and all that sort of stuff. So I mean, and 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:31.960 it's just the best part of the job, which is 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:33.880 going back to before. Like if you said to me, 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.720 the film starts next month, are you on. One of 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.560 the reasons I say no is because, to me, someone 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:43.520 who didn't study tertiary education, one of the highlights is 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.720 that I get to go to school almost every time 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.280 I get it, I get a job, you know, And 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.160 that's that's my kind of favorite part of the job, 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:54.360 is going away and learning and doing the research. So 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.360 then when I walk on set, I feel like I'm 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:59.200 prepared and I don't want to rush that because that's 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.800 that's the gift. And if you don't have that period 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:05.960 of time, you can feel underdone or paranoid or whatever. 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:07.560 And that'll come across I guess. 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:09.600 Yeah, because at the end of the day, even if 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:11.680 you don't like the film, he's the most important thing 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:16.120 for me. What matters is that I believe in what 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:20.120 I'm doing, because if I don't, I can't expect you 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.160 to buy that for a second. And you won't buy 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:25.720 that for a second. You'll see through that. So if 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:29.560 I can just feel it myself and at least make 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.200 what I'm doing convincing, I can't control a lot of 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.160 the other elements. But I can at least hope that 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.920 whilst I'm on screen, you at least believe what I'm doing. 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:40.640 That's what's really important to me. 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.760 It's interesting because I have actually read some reviews as 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:48.439 other movies you've been in, and sometimes they might not 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:50.640 have done as brilliantly as everybody expected them to do 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:53.040 relative to cost and all that sort stuff. I'm talking financially, 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:55.800 but a lot of the reviewers said, but Banner did 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:58.560 blah blah blah. In other words, you shone in terms 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.680 of your role and what's really into you just talked 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:05.880 about leadership. I'm just wondering to myself, is acting out 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:08.760 a role, for example, Hector, or even Choper for that matter, 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:12.079 is acting out a role for say, someone like yourself. 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:14.480 Is it about finding that one virtue or those two 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:18.440 virtues in the case of Hector leadership, how can I 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:24.480 express how can you express that particular virtue? Because virtue 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.800 is what stick to us. I mean, I love seeing 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:30.880 a virtue in somebody or something like actually over extended nearly, 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:36.000 like glaringly. And now I'm thinking about Hector. Yeah, and 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:38.319 I never thought about a time, But that's what's stuck 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:40.920 to me. Now you've explained it to me, do you 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:43.600 actually go looking for the virtue and then try and 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:45.760 express it really strongly and we will talk about how 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:47.960 you've done it and dry, because there's virtues coming out 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:50.480 of that as well. But just on Hector, is that 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:51.280 something useful? 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:53.000 It's got to be in the source material. 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:55.880 It's hard to just construct it out of thin air. 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.400 Has to be there on the page. But then you're 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.000 trying to add to and then you're trying to work 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:05.480 out a way of tapping into what's there and amplifying 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:08.199 it all, you know, coming up with a different version 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.240 of it. A lot of it comes from conversations with 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:12.720 the director and you hope you're on the same page. 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.599 And then just I think a lot of it's instinctual. 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.719 I probably don't overthink it, to be honest, And then 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:21.199 you know you've got to get there on the day 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:23.600 and have a play and try different things and some 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:26.440 things will work and some things won't, and you just 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:27.240 got to experiment. 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.640 Maybe they're just natural virtues for you. I mean maybe 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:33.439 if you don't overthink it, So if you're not specifically 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:36.199 looking for it, perhaps maybe am I just putting this 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:38.680 to you? Perhaps these are just natural instincts for you. 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:40.480 I mean, maybe you saw a lot of leadership in 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:41.839 your life. Could have been your dad, it could have 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:45.960 been anybody's school teacher. Whatever. Do you think that virtues 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:49.199 are important to you know all usually leadership, strength of character, 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:51.720 you know, respect, blah blah blah, those sorts of things. 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:53.720 A lot of these come out in your character. By 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:56.559 the way, Aaron's he has a lot of these virtues. 0:10:57.280 --> 0:10:59.680 Are they natural things for you? Do you think today 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:01.240 if we just talk about that for. 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.439 A second, I'm definitely mindful of them one hundred percent, 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:07.360 you know, as a as a parent, and I love them, 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.400 and I love those virtues in my sporting heroes as well. 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.720 It's not just enough for them to be really really 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:14.720 good at what they do. I'm looking for something else 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.040 and not just skilled, not just skilled, Yeah, I'm looking 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:20.480 for something else that enables them to carry the team, 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.280 you know, and lead by example and just have that 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:26.920 little X factor that's a little bit different to the 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.240 guy that's just being able to do whatever they can do. 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:34.000 So yeah, maybe maybe a bit of it comes from 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:35.120 my dad. 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:37.959 Or you know, other people that I that I've noticed 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:39.959 as I was, as I was growing up or so 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:45.240 I guess subconsciously there's probably a connection between you know, 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:47.720 that ideal and some of some of the characters. 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:48.400 I've played some. 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:52.000 Really awful characters too, like I've played I've played some 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:56.439 absolute shockers who don't really have that side to them, 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:59.240 and that that comes quite easily as well, which is 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.560 a bit scary, right, So it's not always the case, 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:05.080 but I guess there is a bit of a connection because. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:06.920 I don't want to get back to chop again, but 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:13.800 some people considering to be not a nice person. But 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:16.320 what's interesting about the way you play You made him likable. 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:18.840 He's funny, He's. 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:21.319 Not getting around that, like you can't hide from that. 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:25.040 It's what made the film quite controversial at the time, 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.280 you know, because people were uncomfortable with people laughing in 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.920 the cinema at moments when they just technically shouldn't. 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:33.920 Yeah, he's holding a gun at someone, or you're getting 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:34.560 stabbed or whatever. 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:36.040 That was him like that. 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:38.600 That was the easiest part to play because he was 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.160 one of the funniest people you'd ever come across. And 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.480 in terms of reading a room mate, forget it. In 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:48.200 terms of like distilling a character in three seconds. To 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:51.360 this day, I've never met anyone who could look at 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.920 a bunch of people and just have their measure within seconds. 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:59.040 You know exactly what you're thinking, know how to manipulate 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:04.600 you mentally, just unbelievable. So that's there. So you just 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:06.400 try and work out, well, how do I how do 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:09.040 I capture that? I remember being so exhausted after I 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.880 spent a couple of days with him, and I was like, 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.600 how do I capture that? How do I capture that 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:20.719 energy sucking persona someone you know? So again, it has 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:21.560 to be on the page. 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:21.920 You know. 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:23.840 If you don't have the words to do that, if 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:26.680 you don't have the freedom to try and exude that, 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:28.079 you're you're limited. 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.040 What do you mean on the page? How do you mean? 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:33.319 So you can have all the intentions in the world. 0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:38.319 But if the script doesn't have the basic elements of 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.040 a good story, if there are holes in the scene, 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:45.040 if there are things that don't work, they don't work 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:48.040 and you can't fix them on the day. Usually I 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:49.600 like to have a crack at it if a scene's 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.079 not working on the data to say hey, this is 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:53.840 a bit long, or this is a bit boring, or 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:58.360 this just doesn't work, and that that comes with time, 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:00.600 also comes from a stand up background, because when you're 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:02.680 on stage, if your material shit, guess what you know 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:04.679 about it really quickly and you better fix it before the. 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:05.559 Next gig, you know. 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.040 So you need that rigor sometimes in filmmaking as well, 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.000 because I don't want to come back in six months 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:12.080 and reshoot this scene. 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.520 Yeah, there's more of a practical outcome, So I. 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:17.640 Can be a bit a bit pragmatic in that in 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.000 that sense, but yeah, it has to be. It has 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:22.240 to be right on the page, and so the script 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:24.880 you hope is the best it can possibly be before 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.880 you arrive, because you know, there's not a whole lot 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:30.080 of time to be meddling with that stuff. Once you're 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:30.640 up and running. 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.560 You sound like you've got a really good family life, 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:38.720 a really good family, and you've definitely got a great brother. 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.320 Grace is a great mum. Your dad's of course passed away. 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:45.080 You've got your family's got a really good reputation. Then 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.640 there's Ben Fordham, though, who has to build his own position. 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.800 You know, you're doing all the things early days. You know, 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.240 we've got went to camber be a political correspondent, all 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.240 that sort of stuff. But there's Ben who comes along 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:59.360 into Channel nine. Back to Channel nine many years later. 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:01.880 It probably knew late thirties, I guess. And you started 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:05.840 doing feelings for Carl and then you did the Today 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:08.800 Show for a while. Then you did Ninja Yeah, Australian 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.800 Nina Ninja Warrior. You weren't really doing what you're doing now. 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:15.920 You were sort of, but it looked like someone was, 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.520 someone from above was preparing you for all these things 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.920 during that period, though. Did you ever feel unstable? Did 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.560 you ever feel like I want my own gig, I 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:28.240 want my own You were happy just because you're sort 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.040 of like a feeling dude to me. 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.200 I did. What happened is I was offered two great 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.840 jobs at the same time, drivetime host on two GB 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:40.800 that's in the afternoon yep, and being the sports guy 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:44.200 on the Today Show on Channel nine alongside Carl and 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:49.440 Lisa and Georgie and Richard Wilkins two at the same time, 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:51.400 one in the morning, one in the afternoon. 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.640 I said I'll do both yeah, which worked. 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:55.920 Yeah. And I did it for four years. I said 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:57.200 to Jodie, I only do it for a year. I 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:58.640 did it for four years, and I loved it. 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.080 Did you do that the time? You did that? Only 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:01.680 for four years? 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:03.480 Yeah? No, No, I did Did it for longer? 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:03.720 Yeah? 0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:06.080 I thought so, but I but I did so. I 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:07.840 was wake up in the morning doing three and a 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:10.360 half hours of Today Show and then three hours of 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:14.040 Drive Time in the afternoon, a lot of broadcasting. But 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:16.360 I thought, no, I'd take every opportunity as it comes, 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:18.640 and if there was someone above who was kind of 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:20.560 looking out for me or there probably are a few 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:24.480 of those people. David Ginjel is one of them. David Ginjel, 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:29.080 who when he was running Channel nine was a great 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:32.480 friend of mine and also a great boss. But he 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:36.000 also knew that I loved radio. So one stage, I said. 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:37.360 Mate, there's also a great fan of yours. 0:16:37.480 --> 0:16:37.800 Yeah. 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:39.520 But I said to Ginge, look, I want to go 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.640 and do this, and that means I'm going to leave 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:43.920 the Today Show. And he goes, well, let's not make 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:45.840 any drastic decisions. I said, no, I just want to 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:49.320 focus full time on the whatever I did. He'd eventually, 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:51.520 he tried and talk me out of it, but then 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.760 he'd eventually he'd come on board and he'd support me. 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:54.520 You know. 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:56.920 So Tom Malone is another one, who's my boss at 0:16:56.960 --> 0:16:59.360 nine Radio. He used to be the boss at the 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.480 Today Show. A bit of a lesson there as well. Dad, 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:04.520 you saw always say be good to work experience kids 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:06.800 because one day one of them will become your boss. 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:09.680 Tommy was my work experience kid. He was one, really yep, 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:12.320 and he's now been my boss twice, once at the 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:16.639 Today Show, once at nine Radio. So thankfully I was 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.840 good to him when he was a work experience kid. Yeah, 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.600 Ginge kind of was very good to me in allowing 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:25.600 me to chase my dream in radio, and you know, 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.240 I got my own show doing the drivetime thing. And 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:31.000 then all of a sudden Tom said to me one day, mate, 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:34.000 Alan Jones is retiring and we need you to step 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.439 into breakfast And I said, no, I think six times. 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.080 But Tom then basically he showed me a chart that 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.640 showed me the success of my show in the afternoon 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.479 on Drive and the revenue that came to it. And 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:50.240 he said, and it was successful, and he said, we 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:53.080 need that at the start of the day. And in 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:57.800 the end I thought, I trust Tom, I trust my mum, 0:17:57.880 --> 0:17:59.800 I trust my brother, I trust my sister, I trust 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.840 my wife. They all think it's a good idea. I 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.879 think it's a shit idea. Maybe they're right and maybe 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.439 I'm wrong. And it went against everything in my DNA 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.400 because I trust my instinct Mark, but on this one 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:15.399 I went hang on a moment, and this was a 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.800 lesson for me as well. Why is my instinct any 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.160 more accurate than theirs. There's five of them, there's one 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:24.520 on me. Five of them think it's a good idea. 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:26.960 One thinks it's a bad idea. So I thought, you 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.760