Iconic Aussie actor in town:
WHEN Australian screen legend Michael Caton was handed his latest big screen role, someone had to tell him he wasn’t dreamin’.
The iconic Australian actor is back on the big screen in a far more dramatic role than fans of his larrikin characters in The Castle and Packed to the Rafters would know and love.
In Last Cab to Darwin, Caton plays Rex, a Broken Hill cab driver who is told he has terminal cancer.
Deciding he wants to die on his own terms, he packs up and jumps in his cab and heads to Darwin, where he can legally be euthanised.
But the story is much more than that – it is at its core, a love story, a dark comedy full of “should I laugh at that?” moments.
Caton was in Townsville yesterday with director Jeremy Sims promoting the film he says is one of his finest.
“I must admit, at my age ... you tend to think about this stuff ( dying) more than you did earlier, it was in my mind all the time,” the 72- year- old said.
“It wasn’t like one of my comedy roles, where you walk away and that’s that. This film had a bit of a residual effect.” Caton said playing Rex was one of his greatest roles, being the central character with such an emotive story.
“At my age to get a role, so in the centre of the film, and it’s probably the most dramatic thing I’ve ever done.”
Sims said the film had some wonderful landscapes and a lot of depth.
“This film has made audiences react so strongly ... I may not have the chance to make a film so personal as this again,” Sims said.
Last Cab to Darwin opens August 6.