Australian film and television legend John Jarratt is getting back in touch with his darker side this year, starring in his directorial debut film ‘Stalkher’.
Backpacking tourists need not worry however – the outback murderer that film lovers came to know in the ‘Wolf Creek’ franchise is a far cry from John’s role in this new comedy/ thriller.
Mystery is a key element in the release of ‘Stalkher’, and John says revealing too much will spoil it for fans. “The thing about this film is, if you know too much about the plot, it gives the game away,” he says. “I can’t say a lot about it, that’s what the concept is all about. It takes most people about 90 per cent of the film to figure out what’s going on.”
‘Stalkher’ is ideally about a man’s obsession with a woman, as Jack (Jarratt) decides to take his stalking obsession to the next level and break into Emily’s (Kaarin Fairfax) house to get what he wants with her. His plan is turned on its head when he wakes to find himself strapped to a chair in her kitchen, and thus the hunter becomes the hunted.The film, although classed as a thriller, is also described as “inappropriate, funny and romantic,” and in John’s words, “'Misery’ meets ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf’.” The pair are both destined for each other and yet destined to be each other’s demise, creating an extremely engaging connection on screen.
“It’s kind of wordy, and there’s plenty of action going on,” John says. “The circumstances lend themselves to humour, the script is very well-written and they’re quite witty people.”John’s stirring role as backpacker murderer Mick Taylor in the ‘Wolf Creek’ films is one that has reached international recognition, and having to play the target as opposed to the perpetrator is a big change for him. “It’s harder work playing a victim,” he laughs. “The ‘Wolf Creek’ guy is having a tremendously good time because it’s a game for him. Jack is nothing like Mick Taylor; he’s an educated pharmacist.
“The thing about ‘Wolf Creek’ when it first came out, is that people had only ever seen me play good guys, and nice guys... I’ve had plenty of opportunities to play all sorts of characters throughout my life.”Along with being in charge of direction and the lead role of his new project, John has also recorded a song to promote the film – ‘Killer In Me’. “I love singing, when I was younger I was in a band for a little while, and I’ve done a few musicals in my time... For fans of ‘Wolf Creek’ it might be fairly unexpected that I sing a grungy country rock song.”
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Not only is John playing a role he’s not exactly used to, but the film is also the first he’s ever directed. “I’ve given myself a very hard task as my first time as a director; it’s extremely tiring... I had to get up in the morning and work as the director all day, then go home and run the lines for the next day... Endless bloody lines, then go to bed and get up and do it all again.”
John reveals that his intentions were far from directing the film to begin with. “I didn’t particularly want to direct, it never occurred to me to direct,” he says. When he discovered budgets for the film were, in John’s opinion, too pricey, he opted to direct the film himself. “It has worked out, I like the idea of directing now, but it was never a burning ambition.”
Fans of ‘Wolf Creek’ will, according to John, appreciate seeing him play such a vulnerable role in comparison to what they have seen him do previously.
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“The film has everything in it,” John says. “Even if you don’t like it, you won’t be bored. It’s a romantic comedy, and a dark drama.”
At the end of June, John will be headlining at the upcoming Queensland Film TV Event evening in Broadbeach. The event will showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the film, as well as a Q&A with John and the producer of the film, Kris Maric.
‘Stalkher’ premieres later this year, and ‘Killer in Me’ is available on iTunes. John Jarrett will attend the Queensland Film TV Event evening at East Broadbeach, 30 June.
