Hidden territory
LUKE ARNOLD SAYS HIS LATEST CRIME DRAMA OFFERS A WINDOW INTO AN AUSTRALIA MANY OF US DON’T KNOW
He’s been Long John Silver and Michael Hutchence, but playing a cop investigating a murder in a First Nations community has been a rare privilege for Luke Arnold.
Arnold knew from the first moment he read the script for True Colours that it was unique and he had to be part of the joint SBS and NITV production.
“First and foremost it is really a good, tense mystery and in each episode we keep twisting and turning, but then through this great story you do get a window to a part of the country and a culture – and even an Australia – that a lot of us don’t know about. Certainly I didn’t know a lot of the things that were revealed in this show,” he says.
“And then the fact that we were shooting in Alice Springs and in the community with the Arrernte people involved in the show, playing major characters and speaking their language was all just beautiful and exciting.”
True Colours is a gripping fourpart crime drama that takes viewers deep into the world of a First Nations community as never been seen before. What starts as an investigation into a car accident, soon turns into an epic hunt for a killer. It’s a murder mystery like no other, exploring culture, community, family and one woman’s (Wentworth’s Rarriwuy Hick) pursuit to find her place within it. Set against the backdrop of the Northern Territory’s Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Yeperenye (East MacDonnell Ranges), the Arrernte people’s connection to art and culture is at the heart of the drama.
Hick leads a stellar cast including Arnold as fellow detective Nick, acclaimed singersongwriter – and co-creator of the show – Warren H. Williams, Miranda Otto, Errol Shand, Emilie de Ravin, Trisha Morton Thomas and Ben Oxenbould.
The cast and crew formed tight bonds as they spent months in Alice Springs. The entire production was hastily flown to the Red Centre as Sydney and Melbourne headed into their lengthy and final lockdown of the pandemic.
“It actually ended up being great for me. It meant I flew over earlier so I had more time in the Territory beforehand to, one, just enjoy the beautiful country as well as to settle into getting ready for the show,” Arnold explains.
“We got to have lots of rehearsals and to connect as a cast and crew. And then to have a lot of time to spend in the community listening and meeting people, So even though Covid was almost the worst thing, it ended up creating a real community feeling between everyone.”
Arnold took to Instagram as production wrapped on the shoot, posting: “Most of my friends know me as a pretty lucky person, but the last couple of months really take the cake.
“I can’t put into words what a life-changing experience it has been. I’ve been welcomed, educated, protected and supported by the Arrernte people of Amoonguna and Alice Springs, and found a whole crew full of new friends and collaborators. I’m so proud to be a part of this show and I can’t wait for you all to see what we’ve created.”
Arnold says it was a testament to Bunya Productions, SBS and NITV that everyone felt represented and heard. And he relished being a minority for once among the mainly First Nations cast.
“I think – especially in this country – a lot grew up with an idea of what it means to be Australian and what this country looks like and sounds like and feels like.
“And I think this show is a great window into another part of this country – not just on a visual level where some parts of Australia are often seen through a white lens before – you know, the desert being seen as this desolate, empty place. But here it’s a rich, beautiful, powerful place with so much culture and life.
“Getting into that as an actor and an audience member is really important.”
While there are a few cops in Arnold’s extended family, it’s a hard no from the 38-year-old actor when asked if he was ever keen to follow in their footsteps. “I’d be terrible because I’m awful at following orders,” he laughs.
“I’m drawn to the arts because I like examining things from all sides and really trying to not take anything for granted and questioning, you know, when you follow orders, exactly whose orders you are following and who gains by these things being done.”
Arnold has just released One Foot in the Fade, the third book in his Fetch Phillips series. He released the first two in 2020, so the planned world tour became a few Zoom calls. He’s hoping 2022 will see him reprise some of that schedule to head to the many countries where his stories have been translated into their languages. There’s some more writing ahead, for an as-yet unannounced project.
“I do my best to focus on one thing at a time – I’m not always afforded that luxury,” Arnold says.
“While I was shooting True Colours … I was doing the final edits so I had to balance my time a little bit, but I don’t think that’s compromised either of them.”
Arnold’s currently shooting a project around someone else’s classic novel – Nautilus, the Disney+ prequel to Jules Verne’s classic sci-fi adventure Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
“I can’t really say anything apart from the fact that it is … well, that it is going to be very exciting.”
Seems it’s another mystery we’ll have to wait to be solved.
It’s a rich, beautiful, powerful place with so much culture and life
True Colours, Monday-Thursday, 8.30pm, SBS and NITV