FNQ’s own Pirate
He may be starring in one of the biggest films of the year, but Brenton Thwaites (right) hasn’t left the Far North behind. The Cairns-born actor turns in a performance as Henry Turner in the latest addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and, as befits a rising film star, is now based in LA. But the former Home and Away actor still has family in Cairns and has returned a number of times recently. “It’s always somewhat of a detox to go back up to Cairns.”
HE may be starring in one of the biggest films of the year, but Brenton Thwaites hasn’t left the Far North behind.
The Cairns-born actor turns in a performance as Henry Turner in the latest addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and, as befits a rising film star, is now based in Los Angeles.
But the former Home and Away actor still has family in Cairns and has returned a number of times in recent years.
“Usually ... I’m up at Marlin Coast CrossFit getting my arse kicked by Ashton, who owns the CrossFit gym up there,” Thwaites said. “So it’s always somewhat of a detox to go back up to Cairns.”
The hustle and bustle of the City of Angels might seem like a world away from the laidback lifestyle of Cairns, but Thwaites insists his current base does share some similarities with his hometown.
“LA is a little bit similar in the sense that it’s surrounded by mountains and it’s on the coast and so at the drop of a hat you can go run up a mountain or go surfing, run on a beach,” he said. “And so that’s how I grew up in Cairns.”
Still, the Far North city does beat Los Angeles in at least one respect, according to the actor.
“I don’t know what the traffic’s like today on Sheridan St, but in LA traffic is insane, and so instead of spending half your life in a car, in Cairns you’re spending it running on the beach, or climbing a mountain or doing something outdoorsy,” Thwaites said.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is out May 25.