(the_interview) ACTOR GEOFFREY RUSH He’s always taken a shine to extreme roles and now the Oscar winner, 62, is ready to play a mythological god I imagine, has an element of because I’d had no income and we only had pressure to it [Rush laughs]. the two fights. So Nine took her to watch the How do plaudits like that sit live feed – in those days, they used to hold with you? To know we’ve reached the broadcast ’til night-time – and when they a point where so many of our actors put up the little pictures of the nominees, now are not only household names they also added abox for my mother. You’ve in Australia, but internationally… got fve people, all with expectant looks, It’s not so much for David Denby’s when my name’s read out… And the accolade, but the fact we can now audience probably didn’t see anyone’s even be considered in that kind of reaction because all they saw was my mother reference from an American critic just all of a sudden bouncing out of frame You’ve said that what appealed to you in New York who, you know, two generations in a state of ecstasy. about the character of Hans, in the ago would have probably not even known You live in Melbourne with your wife, World War II drama The Book Thief, where Australia was, there’s acertain sense Jane, an actor, and your children was that he was an ordinary man. of reward in that. [Angelica, 21, and James, 18]. Has A lot of your characters have been more I heard the biggest diva you’ve worked making the choice to raise your family extraordinary and required you to with was the capuchin monkey that in Australia paid off? For sure. I mean, show off a bit more. Is it your natural played Jack in Pirates of the Caribbean. it’s what we wanted and it’s what happened. N TO inclination to be a bit of an extrovert? If we could ask themonkey if you had Isuppose, when the international possibilities MOR I’ve often thought about this because, before anydiva-like qualities, what would started happening for me to do flms – even K IC I seriously got into flms, I did spend about it say? That story came up on a few chat then, in the mid ’90s – I didn’t think, “Oh, RR ME 25 years honing my craft, working in shows. People wanted gossip – “Is there well, I’ll have to be LA-based,” because that X, FO repertory companies and playing lots of anyone you’ve worked with who’s had a wasn’t for me as a character actor, who was O/ SS different things. I gravitated towards the meltdown?” – and there wasn’t, actually. probably put into the too-hard basket after RU N classical end of the theatrical spectrum, I’ve chosen projects that have been very a flm like Shine. H JO : where the great plays are Greek or harmonious. But I’d always say, “There was What’s next for you? I’ll be playing Ra, the HY AP Shakespearean or Chekov, or whatever. one female performer that I worked with…” Sun God, in Gods of Egypt with Gerard Butler, GR Itend to work on a fairly bold and all- They trained the monkey to have absolutely which is flming in Sydney. It’s amadly OTO PH encompassing scale, where a whole world no rapport with me at all. If I suddenly pulled mythological role you probably wouldn’t NS. is put into a play. And so, I suppose, in terms out asword and yelled, “Fire!” the monkey VA even get to do on stage, let alone flm. But LE of the things that came my way in flms, would freak out. on flm, now, they can do that. He’s the guy ME : EK Inaturally had an inclination towards playing Is it true that when you won the Best that runs the boat that pulls thesun around WE an extreme character like Peter Sellers or Actor Oscar for Shine, your mum fell the earth every day, and Ithought, “That’s UR YO . Marquis de Sade, or even David Helfgott. offher chair in shock? [Laughs] I didn’t achallenge.” ALICE WASLEY EY SL David Denby, a flm critic for The New see it. Apparently what happened is that The Book Thief is available on Blu-ray, DVD WA E Yorker, once said he considers you theNine Network, which carried the andDigital HD from Wednesday. IC AL “notjust one of the great Australian live broadcast, really looked after her because FOLLOW ALICE ON TWITTER @ALICEWASLEY BY D screen actors, but one of the great my wife and I had gone [tothe Oscars]. At BUY THE SUNDAY STYLE IPAD APP TE FROM ITUNES mTO READ ABOUT GEOFFREY EDI actors, period’’. That sort of statement, that stage, I remember, we had no money RUSH’S TAKE ON MOVIE STUNTS SCAN THE PAGE mTO WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE BOOK THIEF. SEE PAGE 4FOR HOW TO USE BLIPPAR YOUR WEEK The hot new must-reads, must-dos and must-sees BYTE-SIZE SEE DO GO NIKON 1 AW1 CHEF Out Thursday TEMPLE & WEBSTER EMERGING FASHION DETECTIVE DESIGNER AWARD: VOTING National Gallery of IT’S A WORLD FIRST: A WATERPROOF, Winners announced May 16 Victoria, May 9–Aug 31 INTERCHANGEABLE-LENS CAMERA, $1049, THAT’S SHOCK- It’s awards season for the online This free exhibition PROOF TO TWO hub. Vote for your favourite investigates the origins and METRES.SO, YOU Jon Favreau, Dustin Hoffman and up-and-comer now at stories behind miscellaneous CAN DROP IT LIKE Sofía Vergara star in this film templeandwebster. garments and accessories from IT’S HOT. VISIT surrounding a failed restaurateur com.au. Sit on their the NGV’s textiles and fashion MYNIKONLIFE. who opens a food truck. designs later. collection. Visit ngv.vic.gov.au. COM.AU. 49 MSM04MAY14p049 49 24/04/14 4:53 PM.