I love the Backwater cruises; I will be back as a tourist!: David Wenham

For the fans of Hollywood films like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Van Helsing and 300: Rise of an Empire, David Wenham needs no introduction. His good looks apart, David is best remembered for his sharp performance. However, the man says he is still someone who can blend into the crowd and walk peacefully, not only in his country but anywhere around the world.David, who was in Trivandrum recently for the shoot of Paul Cox’s Force of Destiny, shares his observations about film industries around the world.
Excerpts:
Being a global actor
I am lucky to have been able to work with various film industries. While travelling across the world with my craft, what I have observed is that, basically, film industries everywhere are just the same, regardless of cultural or language barriers. Even in this project, which is directed by Australian filmmaker Paul Cox and co-produced by Baby Mathew, a Keralite, there are actors and technicians from different continents, but the passion exuded by all of them to make meaningful cinema is no different.
It’s a wonderful business that way, which helps creative forces come together from across the globe. I might be in the show business, but I am someone who can escape into the crowd wherever I am. Even in my own country, I am able to walk peacefully and enjoy my freedom, which I really like. Here too, not many tried to bother me or our work.
I love backwater cruises!
This is my first visit to India and I was quite excited, thanks to all the great feedback I have received about the place from various quarters. Once here, I felt extremely comfortable and even at home! We stayed by the beach and I even went for a backwater cruise, which I loved. The only problem I had was the humidity, which sucks energy out of you. But I will definitely come back as a tourist!
Working with Paul Cox
I am quite happy to see how popular Paul and his works are, in Kerala. This is my second project with him and Force of Destiny is a film inspired by Paul’s life experiences. There was a time when he went through a ‘death sentence’ period, as he required a liver transplant and finding one was next to impossible. My character in the film, a sculptor named Robert, goes through similar situations in life and at this juncture, he meets someone with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. The film is a tale woven around love, life and death.
I can be seen next in…
I would love to do a Bollywood film! (laughs) Jokes apart, I would soon start working on a BBC project titled Banished. It is a seven part fictional series, about establishing a colony in New South Wales and the struggles faced by the first set of settlers in the continent. I play Governor Arthur Phillip, who tries to set up the colony despite the oppositions.