Daniel Henshall has been performing in theatre and television steadily since graduating from Actors Centre Australia in 2006, appearing in series like “Rescue Special Ops” and “Out of the Blue”. For his big-screen debut, he chose a career-making role in a controversial film whose title alone will make Australian audiences nervous. Henshall plays South Australia’s notorious serial killer John Bunting in Snowtown, a dramatisation of events that came to be known as the “bodies in barrels murders”, leading to Bunting’s conviction in 2003. On the eve of the film’s national release, we caught up with Henshall over the phone from Sydney.
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Cut Print Review: How did you feel at the Adelaide Film Festival when you got such a good reaction?
Daniel Henshall: Well, prior to it I was incredibly nervous, because we hadn’t had a public audience before the first screening. And also there’s that bit of trepidation that was obviously because it’s very close to the heart of Adelaide, and there are still people grieving. We had no idea how the response would be, so to be received so well was a relief, and also very exciting that the city which the story came out of responded so well.
CPR: On the other hand, have you had to deal with any criticism for being involved in such a controversial project?
DH: I personally haven’t. That may or may not come. And everyone is entitled to their opinion, obviously. But I’m aware that may happen and I’m hopefully going to be as respectful as I can, when that comes.
CPR: Your performance is very magnetic and even charming. Did you guys ever feel there was a risk of glamorising the killer you were portraying?
DH: Oh no, definitely not. I think the actions speak louder than the man, you know? You can be as charming as you want to be, and likeable as you want to be, but still, at the end, the events speak volumes. I don’t think we ventured into that territory of glamorising the violence or the menace of John Bunting.
CPR: You were obviously going for a very three-dimensional characterisation.
DH: Yeah, definitely. That was one of the things that was so exciting about working with Justin [Kurzel, the director] and having the potential to work in the way that we did. It was never going to be a half-assed two-dimensional character. We took that risk of trying to make it as fleshed out as possible.
CPR: So how do you react when someone calls Snowtown a horror movie?
DH: I think there are people out there who love the horror genre that are going to be disappointed by it, because it’s not that by any means. I don’t think anyone who’s seen it can call it a horror film. It’s hard to put in a genre, but if anything, I’d call it a psychological drama, or a psychological thriller. Of course there are some extremely vivid and visceral moments. But I don’t think you can call it a horror film.
CPR: Sure. Were you ever drawing on any inspiration from a particular actor or a film or anything like that?
DH: No, it was more of a style, to begin with. A very, very raw and real style. I watched a few films that had first-time actors in them. A film called Ballast that did quite well at Sundance a few years ago. And a couple of Dardenne brothers films, the Belgian filmmakers. They worked with first-time actors, and there was a style and some performance sense that gave me an idea. But that was very early on and once we had that, we moved on, and our rehearsal period was all about getting to know each other and forming relationships that were so familiar by the time we got up there and started shooting. We also formed a family out there and the agreement between us was that if anything went wrong or was too hard or too fast or too harrowing that we could all be there and support each other through it.
CPR: When I spoke with Lucas [Pittaway], the way he described you was just like a father figure. Did you try to take him under your wing during the shoot?
DH: We all did. But I guess, me playing the role that I played, I was… I wouldn’t say a mentor or father figure, but maybe caretaker and friend. There was that power that was given to me, that was then transferred to the character in each scene. Especially with the little boys – I went camping with them and Lucas for a weekend, and spent a lot of time with them, and their father gave me the okay. “You listen to this guy. He’s your dad when you’re with him, okay? You listen to him and do what he says”. And we came up with rules and games on set to make it work. There’s some golden moments within the film where both boys are reacting to me like I’m the disciplinarian, and that just came out of the relationship that we formed, you know?
CPR: But it must have been difficult for you, being a professional actor in the middle of a non-professional cast.
DH: Not really mate, to be honest. I was the one who had to scrap everything and start again. I mean, these guys were so immediate and wonderful and giving. I’m a Sydney boy – I’m not from that area, I’m very much an outsider, so I spent twelve weeks out there, getting to know the community and learning how to relate. Justin kept saying “These people are being real, these people are relating how they do out here because they know it, better than you, so you’re the one who has to drop everything you know and learn that.” So that wasn’t frustrating. It was a gift, an absolute gift. And I think the performance that you see is so much a part of what they’ve given me, and vice versa.
CPR: So what was the atmosphere like on set?
DH: It changed every day depending on what scene we did. In between all the dark stuff there was a lot of love and humour. I mean, not to take away from the sensitivity of the story that we’re portraying and the events that took place, but there was a lot of humour. We joked around a lot, I guess to blow some steam. And there was a lot of understanding and caring for each other, that if anything felt like it went wrong, or you weren’t feeling up to it, that you could have a conversation. The whole crew and cast embraced that, and I think there was a non-verbal agreement when we went in together, that that was how it was going to be. Not to sound wanky or a cliché, but that’s exactly how it was. There were hard days, don’t get me wrong. There were days when you just wanted to go home for the week and sleep. But you’d get up and do it with everybody the next day, and everybody was there for you.
CPR: On those days when things didn’t go well, how did you deal with it?
DH: You know that you’re playing a character in a dramatised interpretation of events. And also, like I said before, any time that anyone felt a certain way, we went to the pub and had a beer, had a conversation, had a laugh, and just debriefed. And then some kind of sanity came back to you and you realised that it was okay.
CPR: Snowtown is your first feature film. Has the experience made you eager to pursue a career in movies?
DH: I’d love to, mate. If I was given the opportunity, if I could do a film of the calibre and risk and bravery, and work with someone like Justin and the team again every two or three years, that’d be a dream of a career.
CPR: Is there any actor or director in particular, besides the ones you’ve already worked with, that you’d like to work with in the future?
DH: Oh, I got a handful. Steve McQueen, the guy who directed Hunger – I’d love to work with him. Or the Dardenne brothers in Belgium. And there’s up-and-coming Australian actors who will be making their foray into feature films in the next two or three years that I know and really respect. I’d love to work with them.
CPR: How about your impressions of the director of Snowtown, Justin Kurzel?
DH: A wonderful guy, and a very passionate man. Hard at times, but unbelievably supportive.
CPR: And how were your experiences with the locals while you were filming?
DH: Generally really good mate, to be honest. I mean, because the community embraced us, they were very much a part of the film, the authenticity. We shot on the locations – the locations are another character in the film – and through the conversations that we were having with people in the community, we learnt things about the characters. I think it was a strongly positive response. I mean, there were a couple of times where people would yell and say “How dare you make this film!” and then walk off. But the majority of people were really interested and took an ownership in that. “Why would you make a film out here in Davoren Park or Elizabeth? You’re putting us out there and telling our story – this is great. I can actually have input into how it is. You don’t know what it’s like, but I can show you.” But of course it’s not as dark and bleak as the film. I mean, that’s that family’s story, and then there’s the story of John Bunting, and it’s not necessarily all like that at all.
CPR: The negative people were basically just venting?
DH: We did auditions all around the community, and there was one woman who walked past the audition room and just yelled something and walked off. And then we were in the shopping centre and one person yelled at us as well. But that was it. I was out there for three and a half months, and those were the only two times I experienced.
CPR: So, not being a local boy yourself, what do you think of S.A. and Adelaide?
DH: Well, I can only speak for where I lived, really, which was out in Elizabeth, and I have to say I’ve never felt so invited and welcomed into a community before in my life. The majority of people were just so welcoming and warm.
CPR: Great. Going back to your character again, was there anything about Bunting that you felt you could really relate to, when you were figuring out your approach to the character? Anything you’d learnt through your research?
DH: There was not a lot known about him. Debi Marshall has a book called “Killing for Pleasure”, which is one of the books that the events of the film are based on. And in her first five or six chapters she attempts to describe possibly why John is the way he is – sort of her interpretation of his childhood from what she’s heard. And there was a vulnerability, and some sort of love that he missed as a child – I’m not saying that I missed out on that, but there was a key for me there – someone who wanted love, I think we can all relate to that. That was something that I could empathise with.
CPR: Sure. Were you ever worried that as an actor you might always be known as “the Snowtown guy”?
DH: You know, I never thought about that. I mean, you try not to think about the outcome before you do the role. All those things that could happen that you have no control over you try not to think about, you know? You just want to do the best job you can.
CPR: If you’re approached to play a serial killer or a psychopath again in the near future, would you be interested?
DH: Depending on the director and the story, for sure.
CPR: So you’re not afraid of typecasting or anything like that?
DH: Oh, look mate (laughing), if I get typecast, I’ll buy you a beer! Usually I play very jolly characters, you know – the loser, the laughable guy, so I don’t think that’s going to stop. But hey, maybe it will. That’d be great. I’d love to get my teeth into a dark role. Maybe not another Australian serial killer, but there’s some fascination with playing those roles, so far removed from yourself, you know.
CPR: Yeah. Well you never know where these things end up.
DH: Yeah, stranger things have happened!
CPR: Thanks very much for your time. It’s been very enlightening.
DH: No worries. Really good to talk to you.
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Snowtown opens across Australia on May 19, 2011.
