Following on from our quick chat back in April, I was recently privileged to sit down for a longer chat
with Australian actor Steve Bastoni.
Currently starring on the
Melbourne stage as ‘Barassi the Stage Show’ as the titular Australian Rules Football
hero, humble Steve has the experience of someone who has sat through a lot of
interviews, but with the warmth and banter of your favourite Uncle. Choice of
football team aside, of course.
Aaron Ware: Having seen Barassi, how did you
approach the heightened reality of the show- Are you portraying Ron Barassi as
a “character” or as the “real person”?
Steve Bastoni: It was a bit
of a mish-mash, any theatrical production I do I look at really in the realms
of heightened reality purely because that’s the nature of theatre. It’s unlike
film where you do have to step into
another dimension, it has to be a little bit bigger for the audience to read
it, so really, the performance is based in realism but needs to be elevated. So
automatically You can step into a realm of fantasy, whereas film you’re into a
more real-realism –if you like- and with Ron, ‘cause he’s almost such a
mythical figure and so many people know of him- enough has been written about
him, it was a combination. I didn't have the luxury to meet him so I was going
purely off uh-you know, what I've read about him and seen in terms of archival
footage, luckily there was a lot of material available… on You Tube and stuff
with Ron, so I had a chat with his daughter and stuff, so, there was a lot of
research material available with was great… I didn't want to do an
impersonation of Ron, I wanted to do my Impression of Ron Barassi. So, in terms
of a style, I guess it was more impressionistic than more of a presentation.
AW: Looking at You Tube
videos of him, I noticed there was an uncanny resemblance between yourself and
younger Ron, did that play any part in your casting?
SB: No, not at all, without
the moustache and my bald noggin’ I look nothing like RB.
AW: I saw it.
SB: Yeah? That’s interesting,
‘cause a lot of people have said that, but a lot of others have said the
opposite… I think it’s more the mannerisms that create the illusion of Ron,
certainly the moustache helps, the moustache and the hair certainly help put it
into context.… We do have similar eyes; we have a similar intensity in the
eyes. Ron’s trademark was intensity… I think that’s the passion for what he was trying to communicate via a
level certain (of intensity) and I think that’s what they liked about my audition
because I was able to deliver that.
AW: Ron came and saw the show
recently, was this the first time you’ve played someone real who isn’t now dead
or in prison- that would be seeing your performance?
SB: Nah, I have played other
people that are alive, namely I suppose the one who comes to mind is Mick Drury
and [MD] on Blue Murder was quite an interesting figure as well… He was an
undercover cop so obviously there was no footage of him, he was very much a
chameleon, but with MD I was lucky enough to hang out with him for a couple of
months during the rehearsal process so that was, um, that was incredibly useful for me as an actor
to become “Mick Drury”. So yeah, it’s always interesting when you play someone
who’s alive, you do feel a certain obligation to get it right.
AW: And they’re not in prison
so you know they’re most likely to see it.
SB: Yeah, that’s right, we
were really lucky and very relieved, happy when Ron came down to see the show,
he came on stage afterwards and introduced himself and his wife and they all
had nothing but high praise for the show and our efforts so we were all very
happy.
AW: You must have been
humbled by it?
SB: It was a humbling
experience, we were all close to tears, and it was quite an emotional sort of
experience for all of us, including Ron… It was very much a tribute to the man.
AW: You could feel that, more
of a Celebration than anything, helped by the disclaimer at the start. Well, as
a Carlton
SB: (laughs a knowing laugh-
that tells me everything) Yeah, look, my sense of shame about putting on the
Melbourne Guernsey at the start of the act is overshadowed by my sense of pride
that takes over when I put on the Carlton Guernsey.
AW: I can imagine. There was
an interesting way of adapting the sport to the stage which I found to be
almost dance-like. Did you explore other ways of executing it?
SB: No, no, that was always
(Director) Terrence’s take on the action stuff of the play, the football stuff
was always going to be interpretive, and was always going to be done without a
ball which is always a unique approach. I was actually quite sceptical at the
start, I thought it could go terribly wrong, I could see it turning into this
ballet and I thought that’s not going to represent AFL well at all. But as it
turns out, the way they worked it and honed it… it’s… I think it’s really
evocative of the game. I think it’s a great way to portray it on stage because
obviously you can’t put a ball on stage; there’s too many variables. But the
fact we use that device of an imaginary ball it really allows the focus to go
on the actors. And that’s a testament to their work to create that illusion
too.
AW: Did you have to work-out
much to prepare for the tiny short shorts?
SB: No, mate, I didn't do much.
It’s funny with a show like this that requires so much adrenaline and energy
you get fit doing rehearsals. I mean, I surf nearly three times a week so I
manage to keep- and I've got two- three kids so that keeps me fit.
AW: Barassi was big in China
SB: Ah, I don’t know, but we
were on the cover of the local Chinese paper, the Epoch Times, which was
interesting- I didn’t even know Ron was big in China
AW: I thought the sport
itself was? How would you describe Aussie Rules in 5 words to someone who’s
never seen it before?
SB: Ah, someone who’s never
seen the sport before? Ok… Um, well I’d have to say it’s a cross between Gaelic
Football and Rugby , but that’s kinda not- you
know, if you don’t know what Gaelic Football is then that doesn’t help you. (SB
thinks) A more athletic version of Grid
Iron I suppose, with more of a kicking game. How many words is that?
AW: I’ll let it slide this
time, it’s slowly on the growth worldwide, which 2 people from throughout
history would you want to take to a game?
SB: If I could take 2 people
to the people? From any time in history? Geez, well, um, well I’d have to say
my Father, no longer with us, who was an Olympic champion in Kayak, and he
appreciated athleticism so my Dad would be one, and um (SB thinking) and maybe
Napoleon, Napoleon would have appreciated the battle-like structure that’s
involved in the coaching aspect of the game.
AW: You've worked extensively
across 3 mediums, any chance of venturing into a 4th and releasing
an album.
SB: I already have had an
album out.
AW: I should do my research
better.
SB: I’ve ticked all the boxes,
mate, I've done film, television, theatre and music. Because on Bad Boy Johnny the
musical we released a cast album in 1992, I think… I had to sing a song called
What U Want on it.
AW: Which I think was taken
off your character in the recent London
SB: That’s right, yeah, I
very much enjoy singing, I find it a very satisfying creative outlet, so don’t
be surprised if I do more of it in the future.
AW: Good, so what cover songs
would you put on this hypothetical album?
SB: Um, (thinks about it)
Stay Together by Al Green.
AW: That’s pretty slick…
SB: (still thinking) Maybe,
ooh, geez, I don’t know… Stone Me by Van Morrison, maybe some Frank Sinatra or
something like that, maybe some Witchcraft by Old Blue-Eyes.
AW: Interesting, would get
some ladies and guys swooning I’m sure.
SB: (laughs) yeah…
AW: What theatrical roles, or
shows, do you want to sink your teeth into?
SB: Ah, look, I would love to do Glengarry Glen
Ross, the Mamet play, would love to do anything by David Mamet. I would also
love to do Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter. And uh, John Osborne, I think wrote
The Entertainer, I would love to do The Entertainer, which is a one-man show. I
also want to write my own but I don’t know where to start.
AW: Well you've done
everything from Neighbours through to a Marvel Comics movie (Man-Thing, 2005) –
What was more fun to play; Steve Parker or –as you put it- “Native American
Environmental Vigilante” Rene LeRoque?
SB: Rene LeRoque was a lot of
fun,. Because he was kind of like the Phantom, he was kind of like this
mythical dude that no one really knows anything about he kind of just appears and
does stuff. I thought it was kind of fun, having that mystique, that veil, that
mystique around the character which was really good fun.
AW: And did you get killed –
a spectacularly corny death?
SB: Ah, yes, I got shot by
Jack Thompson.
AW: Ah, really? Spoiler
Alert! Did you get to meet Stan Lee, I know he likes to show up on Marvel film
sets.
SB: Nah, he didn't come out
to our set unfortunately.
AW: Bugger, have you seen the
finished product? Was it good?
SB: I have, ehhh, you know,
it was ok, nothing to write home about.
AW: Just my curiosity; I
understand as an actor, an artist, you go where the work is, but when you watch
back something like that is there a sense of embarrassment, like thinking “What
have I done?!”?
SB: Nah, not really, no, the
thing is, with everything I do, I don’t do it unless I believe I can do a good
job on it, you know what I mean? If I don’t think I can walk out of something
going “Ah, well, I did my best and it’s a good piece of work” – I've got no
control over whether the film’s good or not, I can only bring my performance to
it, there are so many elements that make a good project. Sometimes you make
choices of work based on financial insecurity, other times it’s based on
artistic merit, the reality of it is most actors don’t get to choose the work
they do, sometimes I have to take roles that feed my family, so, I mean, but
anything I do, I never walk away feeling embarrassed because I know I did my best.
AW: What are your favourite
B-Grade movies? We all love a good B-Grade.
SB: Ah, Re-Animator was
pretty good. Other B-Grade movies… Well, Scarface was kind of a B-Grade movie,
and I thought that was fantastic…
AW: What have been your
career highlights?
SB: Uh, Blue Murder, Oliver!
(Bill Sykes, 2002-04 Australian Tour), 15 Amore (1998 Film) and Barassi.
AW: What was working on
Prisoner like?
SB: Prisoner was
intimidating, because those ladies were tough-arse bitches, you know they were
really tough. They were in Prisoner mode, so it was really full-on. You know,
the young kid going into that environment was really intimidating. They’re all
sweet ladies now, I know them all now, but at the time it was… Wow, “Bea’s
sitting over there, shit”.
AW: You did (hit Australian
cop show) Police Rescue, do you still abseil?
SB: No, don’t abseil anymore.
Not unless it’s an emergency.
AW: The entry period into
your short film festival – Peninsula Short Film Festival (see below for
details) recently closed, are there any that have caught your eye so far?
SB: Yeah, I've ear tagged
about 6 films so far for finalists, and still have another 50 or so films to
get through, we’ll have a very strong programme this year with some entries
from America, some entries from Canada and one from China; entries from all
over the world, so we’re very excited.
AW: One thing we share in
common is we both have founded Short Film Festivals- I went through the local
council to achieve mine but what advice would you give to other people wishing
to create their own?
SB: Well, it’s a very
difficult undertaking, there’s a lot of logistics to take into consideration,
and you need a strong group of people, you know, trustworthy people around you,
it’s a lot of work for no money. You have to have a passion for it if you don’t
have a passion for it, don’t even try it.
AW: Do you think Tropfest has
helped raise the profile of short films – especially in the past 15 years or so?
SB: Definitely, yeah, look,
Tropfest was one of the reasons why I started this festival, I was around at
Tropfest in the first years, the first couple of years, when it was just 30
people in a café and it was great. I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the
possibility that anyone could make a film, I found that very exciting. And
having watched it evolve into what it is today, I’m using that, very much, and
I’m not too proud to admit, but it’s very much the model that we’re working on for
our festival.
AW: No shame in that, so who
would be your ultimate director to work with?
SB: Martin Scorsese.
AW: Let’s just put that out
there in the universe. You’ve worked with a lot of cool people, is there anyone
you’d love to work opposite?
SB: I’d love to work with
Jennifer Jason Leigh… De Niro… Pacino… Malkovich, Sean Penn… Uh, Meryl Streep,
Susan Sarandon...
AW: All the “Big Guns” aye?
SB: All the big guns, mate.
AW: Did you enjoy your time
on Ramsay Street
SB: It was work, it was hard
work.
AW: I’ve heard a bit of
negativity come from out of there…
SB: Ah look, it’s a difficult
gig, you know, um, it is, Neighbours is not an easy job to do, it was perfect
for me at the time but it was difficult.
AW: Any gossip from set?
SB: Nah, no gossip here.
AW: Bugger, what’s a soap
opera without gossip?
SB: Yeah, I slept with everyone.
AW: I’m not surprised.
SB: They’re all awaiting my
babies.
AW: Yep, that is just what
the world needs, mate.
SB: (laughs) No, no gossip.
AW: What medium do you prefer
to work in?
SB: Theatre and Music I love,
but Film’s good too. I don’t know, I don’t \really have a preference it depends
on the individual job, I suppose.
AW: Any desire to move into
directing?
SB: Yeah, I’ve directed a few
shorts, I’ll probably direct some more, I’ll probably direct a play in the near
future.
AW: If you could have any
other skill, what would it be?
SB: Teleporting. Would save a
lot of time.
AW: Tell me about it… Taking
it back a little, how did you get started in acting.
SB: I started when I was 8
years old in an amateur production that my Mum was involved in called
“Minestrone” it was for the Melbourne University Italian Theatre Group. I did a
4 minute monologue in front of about 1500 people at the Adelaide Festival.
AW: Was it daunting?
SB: Yeah, it was- (SB ponders for a moment) Actually, not
really, no, because at that age I didn't really know what I was doing and the
audience just loved a little kid on stage.
AW: What were some of your
earlier crappy jobs?
SB: I did a commercial for
village cinemas once which was pretty crappy, I did a guestie on- I played a
one-episode guestie on Neighbours a few years ago which was shitty.
AW: So no Table Waiting or
Garbo? Toilet cleaner?
SB: Yeah, I cleaned bricks, I
tended bars, done all kinds of things, restored antiques.
AW: Brilliantly dull, back to Barassi, what
would the Steve Bastoni stage show be called?
SB: What would the Bastoni
stage show be called? A Life.
AW: Which of the current 20yo
actors would you have playing you in the future?
SB: Oh god, I don’t know, I wouldn't have a clue, I don’t know many actors… Firass Dirani.
AW: Awesome. Thank you for
taking the time to talk to The Puzzle Hub, One last question; if you were a
Super-Villain, what would your name and evil deeds be?
SB: The incredible Snowman!!
Why? Cause you can't snow the snowman!
Barassi the Stage Show -
Closes October 14th at the Atheneum Theatre, Melbourne
http://barassi.net.au/
for further details.
Peninsula Short Film Festival
– November 10th, 2012
http://www.peninsulashortfilmfestival.com.au/
for further details.
Part 1 - http://puzzlehub.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/celebrity-interview-steve-bastoni-part-1.html
Follow @SteveBastoni on Twitter
Interview by @azzaware
Part 1 - http://puzzlehub.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/celebrity-interview-steve-bastoni-part-1.html
Follow @SteveBastoni on Twitter
Interview by @azzaware
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