KING MAKES HIS MARK

Last King Of The Cross charts the life of nightclub heavyweight John Ibrahim. By nadia Salemme

THERE’S a scene in new TV drama Last King Of The Cross where a young John Ibrahim and his older brother, Sam, take shelter in war-torn Tripoli, Lebanon. At the ages of seven and 12, they forage for live rounds among spent casings in the ruins of bombed-out buildings, as bullets are fired from helicopters above.

It’s a stark contrast to the neon-lit strip clubs and violent streets of Kings Cross, where the real-life siblings would later preside over Sydney’s nightclub scene.

Based on Ibrahim’s 2017 memoir of the same name and starring Lincoln Younes as John Ibrahim, the show isn’t just about his ascent from immigrant to night-life baron amid tensions with Sam (Claude Jabbour).

It also marks a departure from past presentations of Lebanese culture on Australian TV, which often leant on satire.

“The powerful, fractured relationship between the brothers – John and Sam Ibrahim – is at the heart of [the] story,” the series’ executive producer Mark Fennessy says. “This bond was forged in the ruins of bombravaged Tripoli during the 1970s.”

As a result, he adds, the pair had a “fractured sense of identity, culture and family”.

For Younes, whose background is Lebanese-Australian (his dad is Lebanese), playing into his ethnic identity was one of the drawcards when it came to taking on the role of John Ibrahim.

“My father had left Lebanon in the civil war because it was so dangerous,” Younes says.

“I’ve been to Lebanon, I have spent time with family there. It’s a part of me that I would love to portray more in my life, in terms of [roles].”

The 31-year-old adds: “There’s an ambition and there’s an integrity to work and family [in Lebanese culture] that I’d love to show on Australian screens more.

“This was an opportunity to show one story, and such a vibrant one.”

Jabbour, whose background is also Lebanese, says Sam’s childhood was key to his portrayal of the character, and the pain of the siblings’ experience simmers under their interactions throughout the series.

“To understand that the brothers survived a brutal civil war in Lebanon before coming to Australia is crucial in understanding the complexity of their bond,” Jabbour says.

“Sam in particular, as the eldest, was John’s protector through that traumatic period.

“Coming to Australia as immigrants and fleeing a civil war, the family is even more dependent on one another, and the values of loyalty and work ethic are not just ideas, but matters of survival.”

Last King Of the CrOss

Streaming from friday on Paramount+