Powerhouse actors Thomas Larkin and Julian Curtis are about to go head-to-head as rivalrous brothers in the gripping drama, 'True West'.
Set on the brink of the Californian desert, 'True West' follows vagrant Lee (Larkin), and his uptight brother Austin (Curtis) as they vie for a screenwriting career and its promise of the American Dream. The pair are fighting for a better life and, in the process, challenging what it really means to win.
But the career success of Thomas Larkin and Julian Curtis is undeniable by anyone’s standards. Both are at the top of the acting game, scoring career-making roles and prestigious awards. Larkin is the winner of Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artist Award, and has taken centre stage for all of Brisbane’s major theatre companies. NIDA graduate, Julian Curtis, has starred in productions for Sydney Theatre Company, and is fresh from a National tour with shake & stir theatre co. These two know what it means to come out on top.
We caught up with Thomas and Julian to talk all things rivalry, success and chasing the dream.
Image © Oliver EdwinYou play brothers with very different personalities. What sets these siblings apart?
JC: The lack of an answer to this question is what makes performing this play so interesting and challenging. The traits they despise and admire in each other are, as the audience will discover, common to both. In the beginning we see two very different men. One has followed a very methodical and predictable path while the other is essentially a social outcast. As the play unfolds, we discover these men are very much the product of their childhood and that this shared experience has created two men who, at their core, are as broken as the other.
TL: What I find most interesting about the relationship between Austin and Lee is that while they present as binary opposites in what they have achieved, how they behave, speak and dress, it is how similar they actually are that is of intrigue and interest in the play. They are both in pursuit of a dream and seem to think that the other has found the answer to this and as such, they attempt to recreate one another’s path, only to realise the real battle is the one within. Both are wrestling with a deep seeded fear that they may not “make it”, and the terror that accompanies not actually knowing what “making it” even means.
Their relationship is very competitive. Is this a case of sibling bickering, or a deeper seeded rivalry?
JC: From my point of view (as Austin), I haven't explored a feeling of competition (yet). I think the struggle for Austin is trying to find a common ground with a sibling who is completely off the rails but still determined to claim the status and privilege of being the "older brother." There is also a real sense of disappointment Austin carries within himself. He has followed the traditional formula for success (family, college, career) and yet real fulfilment alludes him. I'm not sure yet whether those feelings manifest in competitiveness specifically but that sense of perceived failure certainly drives the conflict between the two.
TL: Again, I think that they are their own worst enemy… Each brother uses the other as a means to purge some of their resentment at the way their life has turned out and because of familial ties they give themselves permission to attack (both verbally and physically) one another and allow the “rivalry” to become bigger than it possibly is. It is partially fabricated to enable them to release some of the anger they each hold towards their upbringing, their mother and father, their seemingly opposite lives and their inability to define their own identity and sit comfortably within this.
Image © Oliver EdwinYou both work in a very competitive industry. How do you define success?
JC: That is a difficult question because the entertainment industry does not follow a traditional career trajectory which means that the traditional attributes of success are much harder to apply. I guess, success for me is daily fulfilment and an absence of regret. This industry, although incredibly challenging and unjust in many ways, is incredibly fulfilling and a hell of a lot of fun. I guess it is a case of choosing a path where you “live to work” as opposed to “working to live”. Both choices are valid and fulfilling but for me and my personality, the former is far more appealing.
TL: The thing with success is that it is completely subjective and in a very public industry such as acting it is often judged by how many roles you get on commercial TV or in blockbuster films. I think it is important to constantly reassess and redefine your own personal notion of success in this industry so that you do not fall prey to feelings of inadequacy or envy. At the moment, success to me is having the opportunity to play a role that I am hungry to explore and to recreate in a way that I feel proud of, with fellow artists who inspire and challenge me. Hopefully, that is what I’ll achieve in 'True West'!
Image © Oliver EdwinWhat are your dream roles as actors?
JC: Theatrically, I have always wanted to do a Chekhov. Uncle Vanja would be wonderful! On the other side of the coin, I would love to be on 'Saturday Night Live' doing comedy sketches. I guess you couldn't have more polar opposite dream roles if you tried!
TL: I think my ultimate dream would be to bring a character to life onstage or on the screen which has not been seen before – to have the artistic freedom to create a role in a new work which may become a classic and be reinvented and re-staged for many years to come. I think that knowing that you set the benchmark or paved the way for actors in years to come would be exhilarating. As far as existing roles, I have always wanted to take on Petruchio in Shakespeare’s 'Taming of the Shrew' or Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ A 'Streetcar Named Desire'. There is something appealing about being gifted the opportunity to take on any iconic role in theatre or film history.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C Reilly played Lee and Austin in the Broadway production of 'True West', and would often switch roles with each other. How do you think you would go alternating roles?
JC: The play naturally lends itself to this kind of role play because the character traits of the brothers have such a pronounced switch halfway through. Playing either character you explore the same highs and lows, they are just triggered differently. I think this idea sounds fascinating. Although I'm content with exploring one very complex and wonderful character for now.TL: For now I know that we definitely want to master our individual roles and really get into their psyche, but as the rehearsal process continues we’ll inevitably learn so much about the other character that a role doubling could be imaginable, but I’ll have to get back to you after the show opens! It is certainly a formidable challenge and only taken on by “greats” such as Hoffman and Reilly for a reason. The production is billed as a “physical and psychological showdown”. How physical are your onstage fight scenes?
JC: Things are going to get very VERY messy. And sweaty.TL: The physical side of performing is one of the most appealing to me – I am very physically expressive naturally, so the chance to communicate through the body and to let the ‘beast within’ manifest in the fight scenes is one I am super excited to take on. The more intense the better I say. I think Jules is similar in that way and I think we’ll have a ball really pushing the limits in the stage fight scene work.
Image © Oliver EdwinThomas, you’re also co-producing 'True West'. What inspired you to pursue producing in addition to acting?
TL: I have been a fan of Shepard's work for a very long time and have seen excerpts of 'True West' performed, but have never had the chance to sink my teeth into it as an actor myself. It has been a long time since Brisbane has had a story like this on stage, or staged any of Shepard's work, so rather than sitting around waiting for someone else to program it and cast me, I reunited with one of my co-producers from 'Sex With Strangers' (which was my first foray into producing) so that we could produce it ourselves. Producing has certainly been a steep learning curve and a challenge, but it has allowed me to continue to take my career in the direction I desire. It is very empowering taking back even just the tiniest morsel of control in an industry like acting where it all feels up in the air and out of your hands much of the time.
Image © Oliver Edwin'True West' plays Brisbane Powerhouse Visy Theatre from 17-28 August.
