Jason Clarke takes the spotlight

Jason Clarke isn’t the kind of actor whose name alone can get a film made. And he recognises that. Ever since he arrived in Hollywood — already in his mid30s, a veteran Australian television star with a handful of cop procedurals under his belt — he’s been cast by directors rather than producers.

“It’s not producers saying, ‘This guy can bankroll our film,’” said Clarke, now 48. “It’s always been directors saying ‘He’s right for the part.’ That’s who I am, and I accept that.

“Do I get hurt when I hear, ‘Oh, they’re out to get such and such actor and you’re way down the list?’ Yes. Does it upset me? Yes. But I’m pretty happy with my lot.”

In fact, that’s what Clarke first heard after he read the Black Listed-script for Chappaquiddick, a political drama detailing the cover-up that followed after Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge in 1969 — an accident that left his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, dead. In-demand directors like Reed Morano were interested in making the movie, and Clarke wasn’t anyone’s pick for the lead role.

But when what Clarke describes as “bigger names” pulled out of the project, the actor and his manager went to bat for the part. With his team at William Morris Endeavor, Clarke found “a way to make the financials work,” surrounding himself with a strong supporting cast and finding a respected director in John Curran.

Judging by his resume alone, it’s kind of surprising that Clarke isn’t more famous. Since his breakout role in 2012’s Zero Dark

Thirty — he played a CIA operative with a penchant for waterboarding — he’s gone on to lead action franchises (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Terminator Genisys)

and work with award-winning directors like Terrence Malick (Knight of Cups), Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby) and Dee Rees (Mudbound).

“It’s odd — people do get surprised, like, ‘Geez, you did this, you did that?’” Clarke said. “Well, yeah. I did.”

Even if the movie goes over well this weekend, Clarke’s realistic: He knows it probably won’t change his perceived bankability.

“I can go home and hang out and not get hassled, and that’s great,” said Clarke.