OUT IN THE AFL
Actor, tradie and real-life footballer, Ethan Panizza plays Rusty on TV’s Playing For Keeps. He may be fictional, but Rusty is our first out gay AFL pro!
Actor, tradie and real-life footballer, Ethan Panizza plays Rusty on TV’s Playing For Keeps. He may be fictional, but Rusty is our first out gay AFL pro!
If you believed the promos, you’d think Network Ten’s drama Playing For Keeps centered on a salacious group of footballer’s WAGs (Wives And Girlfriends). But it’s more than just Mean Girls in an AFL corporate box. In fact, this new Aussie production has legs – and hairy, muscular ones at that.
Granted, the WAGs at the fictitious Southern Jets Footy Club play a pivotal role in the drama, but so do their hunky HABs (Husbands And Boyfriends – a term we’ve just invented).
A major plotline involves the surprise coming-out of Rusty O’Reilly, played by Ethan Panizza. The back-flanker is accused of having an affair with another player’s wife, but the affair, it turns out, is with her husband Jack, played by James Mason. That Jack has also mysteriously drowned during a training camp adds to the drama.
For Ethan Panizza, playing Rusty was not only challenging but also eye-opening for the straight actor/athlete.
“When I auditioned for the role I didn’t know Rusty was gay,” says Ethan. “But when they told me, I thought, ‘What an incredible opportunity and privilege to play this character.’
“I’ve got a close group of gay friends, so I talked to them about the role and took my research seriously, watching YouTube videos of people coming out, and speaking to a lot of LGBTIQ community members.
“But, as much as I try, I’ll never be able to fully understand what it must feel like for Rusty, and people in his shoes who are forced to come out. I got the vibe that a solid support network means everything, and I’m so happy that in our story the character is backed up by his club, friends, family, and even the media.”
Ethan says he felt passionately about last year’s marriage equality debate and supported the Yes campaign. “That was huge,” he says. “Love is love, and everyone should be able to love whoever they want! It’s certainly never been a problem for me. When the Yes vote came through, and I saw how happy and overjoyed people were, well, it was just an amazing moment. To see people finally able to marry who they love was just fantastic.”
Having played for the Claremont Tigers in Western Australia, Ethan brings authentic Aussie Rules spirit to the show, even guiding the other actors.
“The camaraderie is the biggest thing,” he says. “At a football club, you can walk in and no matter what you’re going through, you’ll always feel welcome. Your team is like your family, and that’s what they wanted with this group of actors. So we hung out a lot and I connected with all the boys, particularly Jackson Gallagher, who plays our captain.
“When it comes to footy, I reckon I had the ball in my hand before I could breastfeed! Football was where my dad [also an AFL footballer] and I really connected. I thought that would make him proud, but there comes a time when you realise you can’t just do things for other people, and you need to take on your own persona. I honestly thought playing football would be my life, but then the acting bug caught me. I was doing plays in and out of school and discovered a love for entertaining people.”
As for playing Rusty, Ethan understands the responsibility that comes with such a unique and pivotal role, especially when representation is important to the LGBTIQ community.
“I’m hoping Rusty’s storyline could be a bit of a blueprint if an AFL player ever chooses to come out,” he says. “I think one of the best parts of this role is the amount of layers to Rusty’s character. He’s a hard-as-nails footy player and fiercely loyal, who just happens to be gay. His sexuality isn’t his only defining quality, which is really true of everybody. It’s good to see him as his own person, and not put into a mould.”
As for his own defining qualities, Ethan is as superstitious as most athletes. “I’m very superstitious when it comes to playing footy,” he admits. “I never let my jersey touch the ground; I always hang it up and speak to it before a game. I tie up my right boot, but not my left because that’s my kicking boot, so I wait until I go out on the grounds.
“As for auditions, I always carry a football premiership medal that my dad won back in 1991. That seems to do the trick!”
The best part of this role are the of layers to Rusty’s character. He’s a hard-as-nails footy player who just happens to be gay.