Eric Bana to the Max | FilmInk

[THIS INTERVIEW WAS COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE SAG-AFTRA STRIKE]

Deep in the bowels of Malta’s conference centre, Eric Bana has just stepped out of a lively masterclass at the inaugural edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival. For the Australian, who rose to fame in Andrew Dominik’s Chopper after years as a stand-up comic and comedic actor, the feeling of being back visiting the beautiful Mediterranean island is overwhelming.

Two of Bana’s biggest films, Troy and Munich, were shot here. More recently, he’s been back in Australia, shooting Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the sequel to 2020’s The Dry, with Bana once again playing federal agent Aaron Falk.

After the pandemic, how were you feeling towards work. Did you want to change something?

“No, I just wanted to go back to work. Where I lived in Melbourne was very, very extreme, a very strict lockdown for a very long period of time. So, I was dying to go back to work and to travel. I did a film in Berlin [Jordan Scott’s Berlin Nobody] just before Christmas; that was the first time I traveled since I did Dirty John, which was four, five years ago. That’s why I said ‘yes’ to come here, being a part of this festival. The sort of thing you dreamt about when you’re in lockdown, the places that you’ve been to before and amazing experiences you’ve had. So, to get a chance to come back here… it’s amazing how much is just in your body, you can sort of feel it.”

After making Troy and Munich here, Malta must be a home away from home for you?

“It really is. I don’t know if it’s the Croatian side of me but being in the Mediterranean… I remember the first time and then the second time I was here, and now this is the third time… there is something that feels very familiar.”

What’s changed for you in terms of the industry these recent years?

“Mainly in terms of doing press, that has really changed. Because, obviously, living in Australia, when it comes time to promote a film, unless you got on a plane and flew to the other side of the world, you weren’t a part of a junket or anything like that. But it suddenly became not a disadvantage. So, for instance, I had a film that we released in Australia called The Dry that I produced with some friends of mine. And when we released in America, I was actually able to do more press from my home in Melbourne, than I would have been able to do if I actually physically traveled to America.”

What can you tell us about The Dry sequel, Force of Nature? You’re producing again, right?

“Mainly because I physically can, we’re producing at home in Victoria. And it’s a waste for me not to use the skills and experience that I’ve gained being on productions. And [director] Rob Connolly’s a partner of mine, we share an office and have for 13 or 14 years. We don’t have any kind of official structure; we just get together when something comes that we want to do. And the first one was Romulus, My Father, many years ago and we got together again on Blueback and The Dry and now Force of Nature. And for me, it’s great, because I always want to support the filmmaker. And so, when I can step into the producing side, it also means that I’m able to practically help the filmmaker and support them. And also, physically I could, because unlike all the other films that I do, it’s not on the other side of the world. In this case, we’re producing from our own home state. it’s a far more practical contribution that I can make through the edit, pre-production, putting crews together, going after cast, editing, all that sort of stuff. And I love that side of it. And it makes the success of the film a lot more fun.”

And you love the character as well?

“Yeah, it’s an amazing string of books. Jane Harper is an amazing author. And we really love the premise for the second story for my character. We didn’t think about it too much when we made The Dry. We just tried to make the best possible film we could. But we knew there may be in a dream world an opportunity to do a follow-up – sequel’s not really the right word, because it’s a different story. But yeah, I’d say ‘follow-up’ with that character. So, it’s the first one I’ve ever done, and I’m really thrilled.”

Have you stayed in touch with Andrew Dominik since Chopper?

“He doesn’t live in Australia. So, I don’t ever run into him. But yeah, I’ve watched all the stuff that he’s done since. He has been incredible.”

Do you see Chopper as a huge cult movie now?

“Yeah, it’s different in different countries. It’s hard for me to kind of calibrate which film in which territory or which age group. Because there’s been so many different ones and so many different kinds of genres or styles… this person is going to ask me about a film, I can never pick which one it’s going to be. Sometimes it’ll be surprising. Chopper definitely falls into the cult category. I’m always surprised when someone mentions it, because obviously, it’s probably the least seen film compared to all the others in terms of pure eyeballs. But it was definitely very much an underground kind of film for a long period of time.”

Given you starred in Ang Lee’s Hulk, which arrived before the MCU, were you amazed to watch how the Marvel Cinematic Universe has unfolded?

“Yeah, I don’t watch them. I don’t know why. But, yeah, I just don’t tend to gravitate to them. And obviously the kind of films I enjoyed doing are probably quite different. My movie-making filmography is probably representative of the kind of films I like to watch. So, I don’t tend to watch them.”

You previously directed a documentary, 2009’s Love The Beast. Do you want to continue in this direction?

“Maybe, if I found the right project. I’ve always thought as a filmmaker – it probably comes from my comedy background, always writing. I’m in awe of what directors do. And I think it’s an amazing, amazing job. I think it would have to be something that I would want to write. I don’t read scripts thinking ‘This would be fun to direct’. I think it would have to come from my own idea. It has been a long time. I directed Love the Beast back in 2008.”

Do you think it’s easier now for actors to direct, with the rise in streaming platforms?

“I won’t know until I try. But luckily enough, I think all the actors who have taken that huge leap have done such an amazing job. They’ve done us all a favour. I mean, I can’t think of any actor who’s done it who’s failed spectacularly. They’ve all done really amazing jobs. Look at A Star Is Born and the work on that film. It’s just beautiful. Amazing. So, the more times that actors step up and direct and do a great job, it helps the next person get up and do it.”

In the past you’ve spoken about how Mad Max changed your life. So, what happened?

“I loved the film so much when I saw it as a kid. I do think it’s a masterpiece. I must have been too young to see it in the cinema. I must have seen it at home the first time. And then when the second one came out, I saw it on the big screen. I still think Mad Max 2 is the best action film ever. I think Mad Max is the most unique. I think 2 is the most beautiful and just spectacular. But yeah, I think when you identify with the landscape…it’s one of the reasons why I really wanted to make The Dry. Because when I read the book, I felt in my bones, this landscape that Jane Harper had depicted of rural Victoria, an Australia that I knew so well… So, when I saw Mad Max, it was a similar thing because I know this landscape. I love cars. And so, it’s just a very visceral reaction to the film. And then on top of that, looking at all the performances, and what’s amazing about Mad Max is that no two characters are similar. They are crazy, they are all really eclectic characters in a genre that that doesn’t usually have that much character work. They’re very, very different characters, all of them. I think that’s what stood out when I first saw it. And Mad Max 2 is similar in a lot of ways… a lot of really distinctive characters.”

And Mel?

“I think seeing Mel Gibson, in such a incredible role, was probably a bit of an inspiration. But I mean, I never thought I would become an actor, but I just knew that I loved the film.”

When Mad Max: Fury Road came out, did you fan boy with Tom Hardy, given you’d already worked with him on Black Hawk Down?

“No, I don’t fanboy people I’ve already worked with!”

Given your recent work on The Dry and the sequel, do you feel it’s important to support Australian projects too?

“To be honest, I think it’s a bit of a byproduct. I used to feel almost the opposite; I don’t want to come out and take work off someone that is going to get a break on that film or something. And then, you do realise, ‘Oh, actually, there might be some films that require certain kinds of actors or they’re not going to get made’. So, I never felt that there was a real duty or anything like that. In fact, almost the opposite. I felt like I only want to work at home if I think it’s fantastic. Because the best thing I can do is try and do films that work really well. That’s the best thing I can do for my local industry, as opposed to just coming back and doing a bunch of films for the hell of it. Some work, some don’t.”

What made you stay in Australia? Did you ever think of moving to Los Angeles?

“I think it was just the practicality. In all honesty, it never made any sense. Because you look at my film career, I never worked in the same place more than once. I moved to Hollywood, and then I work in Malta, and then I work in London. And then I work in Australia. If you’re going to be away from home, you may as well be away from home-home. Very little of what I’ve made was actually made in America or in California. I think if I was in a TV show where I wanted to do seven years of a show, that’s different. But for me, I never really had to consider it, because it just seemed like it would have been a disadvantage, because then when I’m not working, now I’m somewhere, I’m not at home, and my wife’s not at home. So, what do we do now? And the next job comes up and it’s over here and you’re still not at home-home, you’re at this different home. That’s also not where you’re working. So, in all honesty, when you look at it that way, it just made no practical sense. Maybe if you’re 20 years old, you want to party. That’s a different thing. But that was never me. I wasn’t famous till I was in my late twenties. It was just a really practical thing to stay in Australia.”

Force of Nature: The Dry 2 will hopefully open in cinemas in 2023