1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: Richard Roxbrough is in the studio with us. Good morning, now, 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: we welcome you to the studio because you're in town 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:12,039 Speaker 1: to talk about The Correspondent, which is in cinemas on Thursday. 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: The Correspondent is based on the incredible true story from 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: a bit over ten years ago now of Peter Grestor, 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: the journalist who was imprisoned in Egypt, and you play Peter. 7 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 2: Yes, So what can you tell us. 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: About about the film? 9 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 3: It's a I mean, it's incredible, it's a it's an 10 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 3: amazing it was the most amazing story when it first happened. 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 3: I can remember vividly just thinking what the hell is 12 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 3: going on? Yeah, so it was kind of respected known correspondent, 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,319 Speaker 3: dragged off the streets in charge with terrorism and then 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 3: imprisoned and sentenced to seven years, and so it always 15 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 3: just it was GOB's making that nobody seemed to be 16 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 3: able to do anything about it. So it's this kind 17 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 3: of kaff caesque nightmare. But the story itself, so the 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 3: film kind of focuses on his relationship, these amazing sort 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 3: of pockets of relationships that he had in prison and 20 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 3: the kind of wonderful weirdness of those. Yeah, as well 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 3: as the you know, the various unfolding attempts to spring 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 3: him out, and it's done with the lightness of touch. 23 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 3: There's moments of great levity. It's actually really beautiful. It's 24 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 3: beautiful work. 25 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: One of my memories of that the whole time was 26 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: the involvement of his parents too. They were very involved, 27 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: which was you know, I mean it spoke to his character, 28 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: you know, just the way he was raised. 29 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, very passionate. Yeah. 30 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 3: They were actually in the audience in Brisbane three nights ago. 31 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 3: They were almost mobbed superstars. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they really were. 32 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 3: So they featured in the film as well. It's it's yeah, 33 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 3: it's really moving Richard. 34 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 2: In your job, your craft, you have to try and 35 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: yourself emotions and things you can relate to to perform 36 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: and do things. But you've never been dragged out of 37 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 2: a hotel room and arrested and charged in jail for 38 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 2: seven years. How do you go about that? That's I've 39 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 2: got a pass. No, look, you know, it's obviously the act. 40 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,959 Speaker 2: The actor's job is it sort of is the act. 41 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 3: Of imagining and the act of kind of trying to 42 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 3: go there empathetically. It was a strange shoot. It was 43 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 3: a really hard shoot. We had a fabulous director. I 44 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 3: kind of isolated myself for one of a better expression. 45 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 3: We were filming in awful little places like the kind 46 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 3: of Deercommission what used to be called the Mental Asylum 47 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 3: in Balmain, and so they're really sort of not very 48 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 3: cheerful places, which actually helped to for me to kind 49 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: of get where I needed to get to because it's obviously, 50 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 3: you know, it's a very emotional piece as well, and 51 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 3: we had Peter. I always had Peter in my pocket 52 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 3: to like who I could message you know, how did 53 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 3: you feel in this moment and so on, So that 54 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 3: was great having his support as well. 55 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, you have you have great form in playing real 56 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: people real well. If I may fam for a moment. 57 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: Blue Murder is to this day the best Australian television 58 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: that's ever been made. Your portrayalers Roger the Dodger was incredible. 59 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: Cley was talking about talk before, when when it's a 60 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: true story, do you feel extra pressure as an actor 61 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: to you know, to do it the the justice that 62 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: that it needs. 63 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 3: Look, you do, there's there's obviously a strange additional pressure 64 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 3: when in somebody, especially somebody who's very much in the 65 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 3: public eye, whether it's Hawk or Rogerson, who were both 66 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 3: kind of you know, very much in the public imagination. 67 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 3: I mean, people you know a way to could show 68 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 3: you his hawky when you order your dinner, and they so. 69 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 3: So that brings additional difficulties. 70 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 4: In this particular instance, playing Peter. 71 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 3: We in early discussions with the director it became clear 72 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 3: we didn't well, I didn't want to do an active 73 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 3: imitation because it doesn't it didn't serve any particular purpose. 74 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 3: I don't particularly look like Peter, right, and so there 75 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 3: were elements of his character that were useful to bring in. 76 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 3: He has a real kind of he's quietly spoken, he's 77 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 3: always the most rational, calm person in the room, and 78 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 3: so there were really useful elements, but all of the 79 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 3: exterior stuff was was kind of pretty pretty irrelevant. 80 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 2: You must see stories like this as as an actor, 81 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 2: see the stories, not just this story, but many stories 82 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 2: as they were evolving there in it. Because this was 83 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 2: very much in the news, as we've mentioned, and see 84 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: id like a crack at that. It must have seen 85 00:04:57,839 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 2: that many of those over the years. 86 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,840 Speaker 3: I guess there have been this one I would never 87 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 3: have imagined. 88 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 4: I mean I. 89 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 3: Suppose, because I don't you know, I don't think nobody 90 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 3: would have thought, well, this actor looks a lot like 91 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 3: Peter grest So it was a surprise when the script arrived. 92 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 3: To be honest, and like all actors, the first thing 93 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 3: I thought is, why would they choose me? Surely there's 94 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 3: somebody better who could who could do this role. So 95 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 3: and once you get through that and start having conversations 96 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 3: with the director, who who I have enormous respect for, 97 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 3: he's a he's a great creative lateral thinker, because a 98 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 3: film story is a really difficult story to tell because 99 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 3: you're stuck inside closed spaces. 100 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 4: But his sound design and. 101 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 3: He's cut the way he's cut it, it's that he's 102 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 3: managed to make it really suspenseful. It's quite quite brilliant. 103 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 2: He directed Red Dog. 104 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: Did I mean, what did you do with that? 105 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 3: Yeah? 106 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: Incredible. You mentioned Peter was in your pocket. Did he 107 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: have much to do with it? Did he ever go? No, 108 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: no matter, don't do it. 109 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 3: Like that with your face. If you're done do this, 110 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 3: stop doing that thing. Well, you've got too much hair. No, look, 111 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 3: he stayed, he stated at a respectful distance. He was 112 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 3: actually on set only on one day, okay, And he 113 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 3: sidled up to me at one point and he said, 114 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 3: is this really weird having me here? I said, no, mate, Look, 115 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 3: it's actually fine because I'm not trying to mimic you, 116 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 3: so I don't feel self conscious in that sense at all. 117 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 3: I'm just trying to explore as empathetically as I can 118 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 3: where it took you to. 119 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I'd love to know how you feel when 120 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 2: you see the trailer for the first time and then 121 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 2: you see the actual finish film for the first time, 122 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 2: and how that makes it feel. Because this is a 123 00:06:57,560 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 2: brilliant trailer. 124 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 4: It makes me feel like throwing up horrific. Yeah. 125 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 3: Look, you know, my wife is always like, send me 126 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 3: the link. So I'll send a link and I'll say, 127 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 3: you know, I'll say to her, I got a link 128 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 3: to the film. I'm not watching it, and she'll go, okay, 129 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 3: just send it to me. 130 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: I'll watch I'll watch it, so she reports back the Correspondence. 131 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: In cinemas on Thursday, Richard plays the journalist Peter Gresta 132 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: in that incredible story about when he was arrested and 133 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: jailed on terrorism charges in Egypt. Now, I would be 134 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: remiss of me not to ask is there any charts 135 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: that we could ever see some more rake? Or is 136 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: he well and truly done? Because you don't want to, 137 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: you know, drag something out that doesn't. 138 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 3: No, you don't want to squeeze the absolute life out 139 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 3: of it. Look, I guess my feeling is I loved 140 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 3: it so much, and sometimes to keep trying to squeeze 141 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 3: something is a shame. 142 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: No one wants you to. 143 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 3: No, No, but I do. I miss I miss him. 144 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 3: I missed the experience, and I missed that company act. 145 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 3: It's like going back. It's a very unusual thing in 146 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 3: an actor's life to go back every year into this 147 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 3: kind of family environment. So I really missed that with 148 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 3: those with those brilliant people. 149 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 2: It was a great character so so damn good and 150 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 2: your body of work. Now we will ask you, will 151 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: pepper you with questions about all kinds of things. But 152 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 2: have you I wanted to know, have you ever been 153 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 2: to a super and ova or a comic con? Having 154 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,679 Speaker 2: played Count Dracula and that Van Helsing and seeing those 155 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,559 Speaker 2: those fans of sci fi and fantasy are so. 156 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 4: Rabid, you've experienced that? Yeah, I did, I love it. 157 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 3: Yes, they do come a costume for you they did. 158 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, no, we did. 159 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 3: We did one of those in San Diego one time, 160 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 3: and I did one in Sydney as well one. 161 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 4: Time san Diego. 162 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 3: That's the off, Yes, it went. It went right off, 163 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 3: right in my face. I was, it's a shock to 164 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 3: the system. 165 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 4: But God bless them. They just love it so much. 166 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 4: They really love that the hell out of that stuff. 167 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 2: They all come tos stuff. I went to one with 168 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 2: my son last year and they were there. 169 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 4: Yeah. 170 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 2: John Jarrett was there going look at this. 171 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, it's a. 172 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 3: Whole sort of parallel universe of that that fandom stuff. 173 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 3: But you've got to say, I mean, they just they 174 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 3: just love it. I have a fourteen year old boy 175 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 3: who was so into he can tell you every single 176 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 3: element of the Marvel universe. Yeah, yeah, that you never 177 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 3: wanted to know about it, of course, but he's a passionate. 178 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: I just have to say, we've got a lot of 179 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: things being made in Wa at the moment. I don't 180 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: know if you've noticed. We're very popular for filming stuff, 181 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: and we've got new film studios opening next year, so 182 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: we hope that you might come and take advantage of 183 00:09:55,760 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: our beautiful light, our beautiful locations. You're welcome at any time. 184 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 3: I adore shooting over here. There was a there was 185 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 3: a really happy space of four years where I shot 186 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 3: four separate films. 187 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, so you're familiar. 188 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, all in the most beautiful little pockets down south 189 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,079 Speaker 3: into one in Denmark, one in Albany, one in Bustleton. 190 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 3: I mean, it was just a privilege to be to 191 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:26,199 Speaker 3: spend time in those pretty Yeah. It was pretty good 192 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:27,680 Speaker 3: office to work every morning. 193 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, congratulations mate, you're a first guest in the studio 194 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 2: who's been early all year, so well done. 195 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, it is unprecedented in my life. 196 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:40,080 Speaker 3: So I have to thank a really crack publicity again 197 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 3: for that. 198 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 4: There's been on your stuff. 199 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: Well, the Correspondent is in cinemas on Thursday. Looks fantastic, 200 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: which a drug sword. Has been an absolute pleasure to 201 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,119 Speaker 1: have you in our studio. Thanks for coming. 202 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 4: In, absolute pleasure to be here. Enjoy your break.