Stepping out from behind the mic and onto the silver screen, Australian hip hop artist 360 is starring in his first acting role, in homegrown feature film ‘Is This The Real World’.
Directing his first feature film, Melbourne-based Martin McKenna also wrote the independent production, which tells the story of 17-year-old Mark who struggles with family, with love and with school.
Matt Colwell, better known by stage name 360, plays Mark’s older brother, Jimmy, who runs into trouble with the law and can’t quite get himself together. “Jimmy is a bit of a lost cause," Matt says. "He’s one of those kids who got kicked out of every school he went to and he was just a troublemaker the whole time. He didn’t really ever grow up, hit the drugs pretty hard and ended up landing in jail.”
Well-known for his strong-willed, often controversial social commentary, the Melbourne born and bred rapper says that despite being his first acting gig, he stepped in front of the camera without much issue. “When I first started doing music videos I wasn’t comfortable and I was nervous. But because I’ve done so many now, having a camera there is not that hard. So that was one thing [that really helped].”
Though his seamless entry into a bad-boy role is hardly as surprising when you learn that up until early last year, the 29-year-old battled with a prescription drug addiction, with an overdose resulting in the cancellation of a string of tour dates. “The character, that’s who I was… [I didn’t do much in preparation], I just took a lot of drugs,” he says now, with a laugh. “I got in the zone and did a lot of method acting.”
Although the realistic storyline and the message embedded within ‘Is This The Real World’ are undoubtedly themes that audiences will relate to, but none more so than Matt himself. “I was that kid in school. When I grew up, I don’t know what it was, but if I didn’t enjoy doing something, I just couldn’t do it and I refused to do it, for some reason. Teachers hated me, I went to a private school first and got kicked out of that,” he says.
Matt Colwall (left)“[Mark] was the kind of kid that just does what he wants, and doesn’t do what everyone thinks he should do. I think that’s one thing I really wish we’d change in the world. People are raised, almost conditioned, that you’ve gotta go through school, then go through uni, then get a job - and that’s how it is - instead of figuring out what you like doing.
“I think the main message [is that] you’re young and you’re going to fuck up… If you do, you’ve just got to grow up, and eventually you’ve got to face up and get over that little phase.”
Luckily for Matt’s debut acting role, he had the guidance of industry favourites, including lead actor Sean Keenan ('Puberty Blues'), Charlotte Best ('Home And Away', 'Puberty Blues') and Greg Stone ('Underbelly'). “For a first acting debut you couldn’t ask for something better. Everyone was just relaxed and chilled, and no one was an arsehole. No one was putting pressure on anyone,” Matt says.
As for his future in music though, 360 fans can rest assured he’s most certainly not pressing pause. “At the moment, all I’m doing is making music and I’m in a good place, so I need to take advantage of that. “Hopefully [acting] offers come in when I have the time to do it, but if I get something massive then I’ll take it and just see how we go.”
‘Is This The Real World’ has selected screenings in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
