Article: The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), April 18th 2007
Drawing the Curtin
Sarah Le Marquand
Despite his glowing description of the ensemble cast with whom he co-stars in his latest venture, William McInnes is acutely aware the project rests squarely upon his shoulders.
While some of the country's most acclaimed actors - including Noni Hazlehurst, Asher Keddie, Geoff Morrell and Dan Wyllie - also grace the screen, the telemovie Curtin is ultimately about one person: Prime Minister John Curtin. And that creates a daunting task for the man who portrays him.
"If it stinks it's going to be my head on the chopping block," McInnes candidly admits. "You can't be in every scene and think, 'Well it wasn't my fault'. If people think I'm a bit of a plank and I'm hopeless, then there's nowhere to run really."
Set in 1941, Curtin recalls a defining chapter in Australian history in which World War II dominated the national agenda as the country faced the threat of a Japanese attack. Only newly installed as prime minister, Curtin played a pivotal role in navigating Australia's changing relationship with Britain and the US - all the while battling personal demons, including a history of alcoholism and poor health.
"He was a man of contradictions - he could be quite cutting and very brutal, but also sentimental and melancholic about things," McInnes observes.
"You could call it (the telemovie) How I Won The War By Worrying. But there's a lot more to it than that. It's also a story of a guy who was constantly thinking he wasn't up to it and people around him were thinking he might not be up to it. It's an underdog story, I guess."
While he's considered by many as one of the greatest Australian prime ministers in history, Curtin's shortcomings could well have stopped him from attaining political office today.
"I don't think he'd stand a chance," McInnes says. "In many respects it was a real age of substance over style. Maybe if there was less cynicism and less opportunism we'd see those leaders today. It just seems to me if you don't make an impression straight away and can't make sense in a 30-second grab, you're gone.
"He spoke to the press as equals and they appreciated that. I think there was a great deal of respect for him. He was a very brittle man and it's interesting to see a leader who didn't just switch off after a decision was made.
"There was a cause and effect - many politicians understand that but they don't live the effect. He did, I think. It was his ultimate misfortune to be a man who wanted to be a peace-time prime minister but was a war-time leader."
McInnes, best known for his roles in SeaChange, Blue Heelers and the feature film Look Both Ways, particularly appreciates that Curtin has opted for realism, rather than falling into the trap of glorifying or simplifying the past.
"If you're going to make a historical miniseries you don't need to be running about with ball and chains and bad Irish accents," he laughs.
As a veteran of series television, he also enjoyed the experience of working on a telemovie. "The benefits of a series are fantastic - you learn a lot - but there's a real pie factory feel about a lot of it," he says.
"You've got to get this done and that done and character development sometimes takes second place to storytelling, that's just the way it is. But you can't really be choosy, because there's not that many being made."
Regardless of format, McInnes believes any film, miniseries or serial will ultimately be judged on its entertainment value.
"People won't watch crap," he says.
"They'll sniff it out and they won't go there because they've got better things to do. The whole idea of television's changing anyway. It seems more actors are presenting shows rather than acting in them - which is a bit sad because most actors are as adept at presenting as a cane toad is at riding a horse."
So we're not likely to see McInnes follow in the footsteps of co-star Hazlehurst and his former SeaChange co-star Sigrid Thornton in presenting a program along the lines of Better Homes And Gardens or What's Good For You? "Well you never say never, but I don't think you'll find me on a lifestyle show," he says.
"It's not my cup of tea. Most of those guys just know what they have to do to get by, they're realists. You'd be a pretty rogue sort of a dog to chip them for it."
* Curtin, Sunday, ABC, 8.30pm
Sarah Le Marquand
Despite his glowing description of the ensemble cast with whom he co-stars in his latest venture, William McInnes is acutely aware the project rests squarely upon his shoulders.
While some of the country's most acclaimed actors - including Noni Hazlehurst, Asher Keddie, Geoff Morrell and Dan Wyllie - also grace the screen, the telemovie Curtin is ultimately about one person: Prime Minister John Curtin. And that creates a daunting task for the man who portrays him.
"If it stinks it's going to be my head on the chopping block," McInnes candidly admits. "You can't be in every scene and think, 'Well it wasn't my fault'. If people think I'm a bit of a plank and I'm hopeless, then there's nowhere to run really."
Set in 1941, Curtin recalls a defining chapter in Australian history in which World War II dominated the national agenda as the country faced the threat of a Japanese attack. Only newly installed as prime minister, Curtin played a pivotal role in navigating Australia's changing relationship with Britain and the US - all the while battling personal demons, including a history of alcoholism and poor health.
"He was a man of contradictions - he could be quite cutting and very brutal, but also sentimental and melancholic about things," McInnes observes.
"You could call it (the telemovie) How I Won The War By Worrying. But there's a lot more to it than that. It's also a story of a guy who was constantly thinking he wasn't up to it and people around him were thinking he might not be up to it. It's an underdog story, I guess."
While he's considered by many as one of the greatest Australian prime ministers in history, Curtin's shortcomings could well have stopped him from attaining political office today.
"I don't think he'd stand a chance," McInnes says. "In many respects it was a real age of substance over style. Maybe if there was less cynicism and less opportunism we'd see those leaders today. It just seems to me if you don't make an impression straight away and can't make sense in a 30-second grab, you're gone.
"He spoke to the press as equals and they appreciated that. I think there was a great deal of respect for him. He was a very brittle man and it's interesting to see a leader who didn't just switch off after a decision was made.
"There was a cause and effect - many politicians understand that but they don't live the effect. He did, I think. It was his ultimate misfortune to be a man who wanted to be a peace-time prime minister but was a war-time leader."
McInnes, best known for his roles in SeaChange, Blue Heelers and the feature film Look Both Ways, particularly appreciates that Curtin has opted for realism, rather than falling into the trap of glorifying or simplifying the past.
"If you're going to make a historical miniseries you don't need to be running about with ball and chains and bad Irish accents," he laughs.
As a veteran of series television, he also enjoyed the experience of working on a telemovie. "The benefits of a series are fantastic - you learn a lot - but there's a real pie factory feel about a lot of it," he says.
"You've got to get this done and that done and character development sometimes takes second place to storytelling, that's just the way it is. But you can't really be choosy, because there's not that many being made."
Regardless of format, McInnes believes any film, miniseries or serial will ultimately be judged on its entertainment value.
"People won't watch crap," he says.
"They'll sniff it out and they won't go there because they've got better things to do. The whole idea of television's changing anyway. It seems more actors are presenting shows rather than acting in them - which is a bit sad because most actors are as adept at presenting as a cane toad is at riding a horse."
So we're not likely to see McInnes follow in the footsteps of co-star Hazlehurst and his former SeaChange co-star Sigrid Thornton in presenting a program along the lines of Better Homes And Gardens or What's Good For You? "Well you never say never, but I don't think you'll find me on a lifestyle show," he says.
"It's not my cup of tea. Most of those guys just know what they have to do to get by, they're realists. You'd be a pretty rogue sort of a dog to chip them for it."
* Curtin, Sunday, ABC, 8.30pm
posted by WilliamWatch at 9:14 PM
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