Spotlight on actor Ben Mendelsohn
The Australian actor takes on the supernatural in his latest role as a grieving cop in The Outsider
VILLAINOUS STREAK He’s been called Hollywood’s favourite bad guy because he’s played so many villains over the years, but the Australian actor says he takes it as a compliment.
“It’s sort of like looking a gift horse in the mouth, really – worrying about whether I’m playing too many villains, you know what I mean?” says Ben (51).
He started his acting career as a teen in the mid-’80s with roles in various TV series, including the popular Australian soapie Neighbours, and describes himself as “a working actor”.
Numerous lead roles on Australia’s big and small screen led to a string of international movies and series that have often seen him cast as a menacing villain or disreputable criminal. These have included Darth Vader’s ally in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the evil billionaire in Ready Player One (2018) and Talos in 2019’s Captain Marvel.
SUPERNATURAL TWIST In crime/ fantasy drama The Outsider he plays detective Ralph Anderson, who’s tasked with investigating the gruesome murder of a young boy while also dealing with the death of his own son. Although the evidence in the murder investigation points toward beloved baseball coach Terry Maitland ( Jason Bateman) as the key suspect, confusion reigns as the facts don’t add up and it seems dark supernatural forces may be at play.
The 10-episode series has been adapted from the chilling Stephen King novel of the same name. “What I really love about The Outsider is the Trojan Horses inside it,” says Ben. “I think there are ideas and themes about being a man. There’s an evolution in this story, of moving forward from that classical, police detective protector-type.”
NOMADIC CHILDHOOD Ben had a nomadic upbringing as his mom, a nurse, and his father, a neuroscientist, travelled for work. He spent his early years in Europe and the US.
“It was a sad and shitty time,” recalls Ben, whose parents split when he was six years old. “My mother and father weren’t having a good time and there was a patina of a lot of sadness that went on for a long time.” SOURCES: HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM, GQ.COM, SMH.COM.AU, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK