Jarratt back to stalk the road again
THE man responsible for one of the big screen’s most frightening villains is preparing to scare the pants off audiences again – and this time he’s calling the shots.
Aussie actor John Jarratt, best known for his chilling portrayal of menacing villain Mick Taylor in 2005 hit Wolf Creek, has distilled his four decades of experience in film and TV into a homegrown thriller of his own: StalkHer.
“We’ve got high hopes for it,” he said.
“It’s a gritty, tough, funny, entertaining film that relies on a bit of acting for a change. We think it will go very well.”
A NIDA graduate and qualified carpenter, Jarratt, 61, not only stars in StalkHer – he co-produced and co-directed the independent feature, filmed on the Gold Coast at Village Roadshow Studios with the support of Screen Queensland.
“It’s a ripping yarn,” Jarratt said of the feature he describes as “Misery meets Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”.
“As an actor there’s only three things you need to make a really good film and that’s a script, a script and a script.
“Over the years, I get sent heaps of scripts from people trying to get it together and there are not many good scripts, I must say.”
StalkHer’s cast also includes Kaarin Fairfax, Robert Coleby and Albert Finney. Many of the production crew doubled as extras, while Gold Coast City Councillor Jan Grew makes a fleeting appearance as a hospital matron.
Jarratt and Gold Coast writ- er and producer Kris Maric will discuss the making of StalkHer at a Queensland Film and TV Events networking night at East nightclub, Broadbeach on Tuesday.
Jarratt has enjoyed acclaim for a diverse range of roles in everything from Django Unchained to Blue Heelers, Fields of Fire, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Last Outlaw, but rates StalkHer as his “proudest achievement”.
“It’s very difficult for an Aussie film to see the light of day,” he said. “If it’s not 100 per cent as good as you can get it, what’s the point?
“Wherever we thought we could get it better, we took it back.
“We went through six or seven different kinds of final cut. We did work very hard but that’s what most people do.
“After 41 years, I know the pitfalls and try not to fall into them but even so, I’ve spent 40 years mainly as an actor. From a producer/director point of view, that’s fairly new to my career.”
Jarratt lands on the Coast fresh from filming his cameo in the new Red Dog prequel, Blue Dog, shot in Western Austra- lia’s Pilbara and due for release next year.
“I’m playing Lang Hancock alongside Bryan Brown,” he said.
“It’s a cameo with a bit of humour. I don’t try to be an impersonation of Lang but I stuck the lip out and put the glasses on and had a funny haircut.”
The Aussie family feature is a far cry from Jarratt’s R-rated turn as Mick Taylor, which catapulted him to international acclaim and earned an enduring fanbase he hopes to tap into when StalkHer hits the big screen in August/September.
Jarratt plans to “think outside the square” and embark on a road trip of Q&A screenings in regional Australia to market the film before he begins work on his next feature: a heartwarming story starring Gerard O’Dwyer, a Tropfest award-winning actor with Down syndrome.
“I’m acting, producing and directing and I’ve written it as well,” Jarratt said.
Tuesday’s networking event will also feature a first look at the trailer for Gold Coast actor and producer Steve Nation’s new film, A Turbulent Affair.