JAIL HOUSE COCK
After roles in Days Of Our Lives, NCIS and CSI, Bernard Curry is back in Oz and behind bars! He tells Matt Myers about life in Wentworth Detention Centre.
DNA: You play bad-boy warden Jake Stewart in Wentworth. When your character was introduced, was there some sexual tension between Jake and fellow warden Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) in the locker room? Bernard Curry: Oh, yes! When I read the character breakdown in the script it said that sexually Jake couldn’t be pigeonholed. He’s an opportunist and will entertain any opportunity that comes his way. He’s probably tried the other side and enjoyed it, but also likes women. Fletch had left the show, and he was quite blokey, then Jake comes in, who’s a little more fluid. There were a few of those moments in the locker room where Jake’s come out of the shower and Will’s like, “Other people use this locker room, too!” I think it’s fair to say they explored a little sexual tension between them… but I don’t think it was ever an intention to go down that road. It helped the audience understand that Jake is able to cross the line.
Cross the line?
There’s a line that most people won’t cross but Jake will gladly cross it to get what he wants. It’s a survival instinct and one of the great themes of Wentworth.
Survival of the fittest? Yes, on either side of the bars. Wentworth is about power, how to get it, keep it and what to do with it. That applies to the prison guards as well as the prisoners. Another theme is family. The inmates create their own family and the guards do, too.
Is Jake a bad boy just to survive?
I don’t think he sets out to be a bad guy. Whenever he’s backed into a corner he’ll cross that line to survive. People love to hate Jake; I think he’s a kind of anti-hero. Last season he realised he’s in love with Vera, but he’s done all this shit to her to serve the purposes of Ferguson, and regrets that. Wentworth has such a huge following. What do you put that down to?
It already had a devoted following because it was
Sexually, Jake can’t be pigeonholed. He’s an opportunist and will entertain any opportunity.
a reimagining of Prisoner, which, for its time, was groundbreaking. Women in prison bashing each other up had never been explored on television until then. It also had homosexual relationships. Wentworth is much darker than Prisoner: more gritty and real.
The production quality is higher! Fundamentally, and each season has been better than the last. The cast and crew are genuinely passionate about Wentworth – you can feel it on the set.
What about the attraction of a man in uniform? You and Robbie look pretty good in those crisp white shirts and ties.
[Laughing] That’s one of the ways we explore power in the show and how it shifts when we put on that uniform. It’s very structured with the shirt and tie and, for me personally, I take pride in doing the right knot for the tie! I like to have a slight bit of shirt cuff showing, too. Then there’s the utility belt and a few stances that create a visual sense of power – there’s a sexy thing about that. Something about a guy in uniform that works.
Have you ever played a gay role?
Well… I played a guy on the US show Hit The Floor, called Jesse. He’s a real bastard to one of the main dancers. They have a kid together and he’s a real prick, but she gets him back. Jesse really wants this contract, and a big, fancy basket baller says, “What can you really do for me?” This basket baller is basically saying, “I want to fuck you,” and you see my character thinking, “Will I go there for the sake of the contract?” The next thing, you see him in bed being fucked by the basket baller! Then the woman comes in and starts taking photos, and he gets his comeuppance. He wasn’t gay, but it was close.
Who is your music diva?
Eva Cassidy. She’s an obscure songstress with the most magical voice. A friend put me on to her album Songbird and I was blown away. I could listen to Eva Cassidy all day.
What do you do to keep fit?
Keeping in good shape a major factor in acting. A friend of mine in LA, Luke Milton, does Training Mate, which has a great, lighthearted grouptraining atmosphere. It’s high intensity interval training and I’ve had great results from it. I’ve actually set up – in what’s meant to be the formal dining room of my home – my own little circuit training course. I also go to Jimmy Taylor’s Fitness XO in Richmond. Jake often has to get his top off on screen!
Who, in the industry, has inspired you the most? Working with Pamela Rabe on Wentworth has been pretty inspiring. Given the work we did together, I really feel I stepped up another level in terms of my acting experience and skills. It was wonderful to watch her work and it was a joy to dance with her, so to speak. Every single actor on Wentworth brings me up to a higher standard.
Tell us about A Boy Called Sailboat.
It’s a film my brother Andrew has coming out that I have a small role in. It’s a truly beautiful and magical film. It just won a couple of awards at the Newport Beach Festival in LA and they’re hoping to get it into the Melbourne Film Festival. I do a lot of charity work with One In Five, which is helping hands for mental illness. They have The Extremely Long Lunch on August 18, which is their main annual fundraiser at Federation Square, Melbourne. I’ll be emceeing and my band Johnny Wonderpants will be playing.
Have you ever had an on-set wardrobe malfunction?
The first TV show I ever did was Snowy. Rebecca Gibney played a teacher and I was a student who had a sexual encounter with her. She was sitting opposite me and I was a bit star-struck and I knocked a cup of coffee all over her. I was mortified! This is our Sleepwear issue. What do you wear to bed?
I used to wear undies [briefs] and I’ve never liked the loose boxer shorts, so I moved to the tighter boxer briefs that keep everything in the right place and packaged. They support the bum a little bit as well!