This month Australian actor DAVID WENHAM returns as the beloved Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitieri in the dramedy Spit, the sequel to cult classic Gettin’ Square. MAXIM sat down with the man himself to talk hidden talents, worst hangovers, fight scenes and why this character is an Aussie legend…
As one of Australia’s most successful actors, David Wenham is used to being quizzed about his iconic characters. He first shot to international fame as Faramir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and has since played pretty much everyone from a villainous cattle station manager in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia to country singer Hank Snow in Elvis. But the single Wenham performance Aussies most cherish is undoubtedly Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitieri in the cult classic Gettin’ Square. Now, over two decades after first burning up the screen as Spit, he reprises the role in an all-new adventure hitting cinemas this month. Here, Wenham tells MAXIM why he agreed to reintroduce the beloved larrikin to a whole new generation…
Hey, David, congrats on Spit. How does it feel to be revisiting this legendary character again after over 20 years?
It was strange in the best way possible, as I haven’t worn a pair of thongs since I wrapped Gettin’ Square 20-something years ago. The next time I put on thongs was the beginning of filming Spit. And the really strange thing is, with time, it sort of just condensed, and it felt as though it’d only been about six months. Really odd, because pretty much it was the same crew. We had the same screenwriter, Chris, same director Jonathan and shot by Gary, the same cinematographer, same wardrobe design, makeup designer – it was literally the same team, and a lot of the same actors from the first film came back. Once I put on the thongs, the character of Johnny seems to just miraculously appear.
It’s surprising that Gettin’ Square only did okay at the box office but then really grew over the years to become a cult classic. How important is it for you to come back and support the Aussie film industry?
I’m passionate about essentially telling Australian stories, because that’s who we are. Our culture is reflected in the films we make, the television we make, the music we produce, the books we write. It’s really, really important, and this character, for whatever reason, seems to have struck a chord. And it’s strange that even now people literally, maybe not every day, but at least every second day, somebody will bring up this character. So, there’s something that obviously resonates with people in this country. Maybe, if I tried to think about it, it’s the fact that essentially, he is a good man. You want Johnny as your mate. He may be flawed, and he’s got some quirky traits, but you can always trust him. He’d always be there for you.
You’ve worked with so many amazing directors: Baz Luhrmann, Jane Campion… What appeals to you in a project and what are you looking for these days?
Look, it always comes down to the script itself. That’s the blueprint. The script must resonate in some way, shape or form. Otherwise, it’s ultimately just not going to work. You know, it’s going to be like alchemy. There’s got to be a character in there that I’m going to want to be fascinated by. Then it comes to the team – as you mentioned, two great directors there. The chance to work with really talented people is obviously a very attractive proposition. And Jonathan, who directed Spit, I did his very first film Better Than Sex years and years ago. And then I did his second film, which is Gettin’ Square. So, it was an absolute thrill to get back and work with Jonathan again, because he’s a very generous, supportive director.
There’s a real balance with your filmography, between these Aussie comedy films, indie films, but also big blockbuster movies. The Lord of the Rings is an iconic film series. What was that experience like and being on set?
It was an extraordinary period of time. It is probably the only film that I’ve ever been on that when I walked on set, I knew instantly that it was going to be a very, very big production. It was going to work because you’re working off incredible source material. That book is, obviously, a brilliant piece of literature. Then the scale of the production, we knew when we arrived in New Zealand it was going to be something pretty extraordinary. Like, I’ve done some big films since, but the scale of (LOTR) was just madness. I don’t think you could do a film that big again, now, in the same way that it was done then.
Why is that?
You know those sets were built and they were real. The horse scenes and hundreds of soldiers on horses, it was real. Peter built these real environments in a real sense. It would be prohibitively expensive to do it again in the same way. Technology has advanced since then and a lot of it can be computer generated, but the audience sort of sniffs it, if it doesn’t feel completely real.
Most superhero movies are done with green screen and there isn’t a lot of direct acting going on, so you’re almost isolated from the other actors. Is this unappealing?
It’s things where you’re acting and reacting to stuff that’s not there, whether it be a creature that’s coming at you or whatever. And you feel as if you are a bit of an idiot because you might be wielding a sword at absolutely nothing and you don’t know exactly what they’re going to put in afterwards. There’s a film I did years ago called 300 and it was different in a way because the whole film was done on blue and green screen. However, all the actors and all the fight scenes were completely real. So, we were on set every day and all the action was completely real. We did all the fight scenes and none of it is computer generated. It’s just the environment around the actors that was computer generated later, which made it an enjoyable experience.
Are there any films you’ve done where now you think, hang on, people should give this a second look?
There’s a few, for want of a better word, arty films I was involved in that I thought, you know, that’s a really well-made film about a good thing. One of them is a film called Oranges and Sunshine – the true story about people known as The Forgotten generation. The UK government, the Australian government and other governments, the Canadian government, the South African government, etc… struck a deal to basically clear out the orphanages and send these kids around the world into schools and whatever in other countries, promising them, essentially, in Australia’s case, oranges and sunshine. And these kids arrived, and they were put into different schools and boarding houses, and a lot of them were horrendously abused. And the film is the story of this incredible woman called Margaret, who, years later, reunites lots of those kids with either their parents or their relatives that they didn’t even know existed. It’s a really horrendous tale, but a really beautiful film.
Changing the pace a bit, what’s the worst hangover you’ve ever had?
Oh, my God. Probably my very first night in New York, many, many years ago, where I accidentally ended up in an illegal drinking establishment and the place got raided. Then I got back to the hotel at about four or five in the morning and got a phone call that I had to be at the other end of Manhattan at 7am that day. I got a taxi there, you know, 126 blocks or something, and stopping at every red light – that’s probably the worst hangover.
What’s your best party trick?
I’m sure I’ve got at least one… Oh, I know! You see this in Spit a bit – I can make my toes move independently.
Do you have a scar that tells the story?
I have many. Basically, they’re all on my face. The first one I got, actually, was the Hills Hoist clothesline, swinging off one of those when I was a kid, and it snapped and the middle bar got me on the head and split my forehead open. The recent ones on my face are skin cancer. I’ve actually had to cut it out – both of them just over 20 stitches each, 20 stitches in the deep dermis and 20 stitches on top. So, yeah, wear your sunscreen.
Finally, what are the best and worst jokes you’ve ever heard?
I think the worst one is… I’ll just say Donald Trump. And the best? There’s not one particular joke, but there’s a comedian who sadly is not with us anymore – George Carlin, American comedian. I watched this three-part documentary on him on a plane a little while ago and I just thought, Oh my God, what a clever, clever, clever man he was. ■
Interview by REILLY SULLIVAN
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