Summer of Sam December 2003

A chat via email with Sam Neill about Perfect Strangers (releasing nationwide 5 February), his production company Huntaway Films, the “woeful shortage” of his Two Paddocks wine, and much, much more.

What attracted you to Perfect Strangers?
Some years of being tactfully bullied by Gaylene mainly. She’s a very forceful person. I dunno, it’s one of those things; you wake up one day, and you’re doing it. On a more serious note, it was a good yarn, which is always the best reason to do something. I also thought it might be good to do a job and go home in the weekend. I forgot it’s a seven-hour drive. Two of those and that’s the weekend buggered.

How long have you known writer/director Gaylene Preston and what’s your favourite film from her oeuvre?
I remember Gaylene at art school. She was a pretty cute little thing then. Oddly enough, she’s the same age as me now. Funny old thing, life… I loved War Stories.

How would you describe Gaylene’s approach on set?
A little bit aunty, a little bit tyrant, a little bit art film director. Gaylene’s from the West Coast, and they breed strong women down there. But they still like a nice cup of tea, and a bit of a chat.

Perfect Strangers’ director of photography, Alun Bollinger, was also your DOP on Cinema of Unease. What led you to use him on your doco – did you know him prior to that?
Alan was the logical choice for Cinema of Unease. I’ve known him forever, since the Acme Sausage Company days. He wasn’t wearing shoes then either. I not only know him very well, and like him very much, but also much of the history of New Zealand cinema is his history too. We’ve worked together on lots of things, including The Piano, For Love Alone and of course Perfect Strangers. He is a Living National Treasure.

I understand the weather conditions during the Perfect Strangers shoot were rather challenging, while the whole production was a little more threadbare (in a non-pejorative sense) than Jurassic Park, say. Did you ever find yourself thinking wistfully about 50 foot trailers?
Of course conditions on something like this will be less than deluxe. I couldn’t care less, and I couldn’t have been happier. In fact the weather was very kind for most of the shoot, as it often is on the West Coast in winter. Even the sandflies were at a minimum. I love pretty much everything about the West Coast. The only hiccup I had was, the café latte was not all that crash hot, but that’s because I’m a middle class ponce.

What are the main differences between the working methods of New Zealand crews (with particular reference to Perfect Strangers) and those in other countries?
Actually I would characterise New Zealand crews as very similar as to those in Australia. Generally our crews are smaller, faster, friendlier. And if you like Swanndris, also better dressed!

What aspect of the Perfect Strangers shoot do you remember most fondly?
The physical locality. In particular the hut we used. Probably one of the most savagely beautiful corners of the world imaginable.

What did you enjoy most about working with Rachel Blake?
With work like this, you need to be pals. There was some tough emotional and physical material, shagging, that sort of thing. Grown up stuff. So you need to be able to trust each other and have a laugh. She’s a really good sort and none of this was a problem. More of a pleasure really.

And what did you enjoy most about working with Joel Tobeck?
Joel and I had only a total of two scenes together. However, I got to know Joel well on the shoot, and I’ve tracked his career for quite some time anyway. He’s not only a good guy but also one of the best actors we’ve produced. I’ve encouraged him to look beyond New Zealand now, as there comes a time when you’ve pretty much done everything you can do here. Now he has an agent in Australia, and I’m going to direct him in something in Melbourne in January. His future looks excellent.

Your approach to acting is often described as ‘less is more’ when it comes to externals. But how do you go about preparing for a role in terms of the internal life of a character, with particular reference to The Man in Perfect Strangers?
Well I don’t know if I have an approach. If anything, more is more now, and less can be boring. As for The Man, I have a back story for him, and indeed a name, but all that is a secret and not even Gaylene knows. Let’s just say he’s a tad damaged.

I understand that your character’s journey in Perfect Strangers means that in your later scenes there’s even more of less than usual. What did you find most challenging about shooting these scenes?
There are some scenes in Perfect Strangers, without giving too much away, where I appear to be dead. Some have been unkind enough to tell me that this is the finest acting I’ve ever done. Sadly I can only agree. As far as the dead thing goes, appearances can be deceiving.

What were you most surprised and/or delighted by when you first saw the final cut of Perfect Strangers?
I saw many final cuts of Perfect Strangers. All of them had considerable virtues. Afterwards Gaylene would go off and do another final cut. I’m unclear at this stage which is the final, final cut. I’m sure it’s a cracker and I’ll catch-up to it before too long.

What’s your ‘come-on’ to the New Zealand audience regarding why they should go and see Perfect Strangers?
Gripping yarn. Great acting. Bonzer photography. Thriller/horror/love story/comedy. Actual West Coast pub.

As far as Huntaway Films goes, are there any particular film and television genres that you, John Clark and Jay Cassells are interested in, or are you intending to develop a catholic range of projects?
We’ve a number of things we want to do. One of them, a series of short films based on New Zealand short stories, got knocked back by TVNZ. But there’s a bunch of other things. We’re very interested in the Second World War, and New Zealand’s part in it, for instance.

I assume you’re aware of The Kiwi, or How We Won the War, the WWII film Geoff Murphy’s been trying to get up for some time, then?
No, this is news to me. Good filmmaker, Geoff Murphy, with an even better dress sense.

Is Huntaway actively looking for a project that will reunite you and John Clark on screen? I thought the dynamic between the two of you in the wonderful Death in Brunswick was like that of a laconic Antipodean Laurel and Hardy, and we’ve been deprived of that chemistry long enough, dammit!
How kind. Any ideas? I liked Death in Brunswick too. The fart joke was mine.

I don’t have any ideas myself, but I’m sure there’ll be a number of readers who will. What’s the best way for people to contact Huntaway Films regarding potential projects?
Please send any ideas to Helen Clarke, Minister for the Arts, Parliament House, Wellington. Might as well go direct to the money.

I understand that Huntaway’s next project to shoot consists of two tele-features based on Australian Shane Maloney’s Murray Whelan novels, with you and John directing one each. While you began your screen career as a director at the National Film Unit and you directed Cinema of Unease in 1995, I imagine drama is a slightly different ballgame. How’s your prep going, and how do you think the style of the directors you’ve worked with will inform your approach?
I don’t know, I’ve done perhaps 50 movies plus a bunch of television, and you always think, “I could direct this”. Of course this is a fantasy. Now that it comes to the crunch, of course, I know nothing. As for influences, let’s say Ozu and Kurosawa. It’s bullshit, but it sounds esoteric.

The Zookeeper, which you filmed in Prague in 2001, is currently showing in the South Island and will screen in Auckland mid-January. What attracted you to this project, what rewards does it hold for audiences, and were the elephants generous co-stars or appalling egotists?
I’m a bit cautious of elephants now. I worked with one 20 years ago. That seemed very nice until they told me that, six months previously, it had picked up its trainer and bashed her to death. Rather puts you off. However, no trouble in Prague, except for the chimpanzee, that tried to sever the finger of the visiting American ambassador’s child. This chimp was apparently well known in certain rural Eastern European brothels. But that’s another story.
As for the film, it’s very interesting I think. Bleak in a rather European way, but ultimately hopeful. Om Puri is very good in it. Also Gina McKee.

On a more general note, what advice do you have for young NZ actors wanting to forge a film career?
If you want to be a big shot celebrity film star, go to Hollywood. Now. And good luck. If you want a more diverse, less starry, possibly more interesting career, work with what you know. Make some contribution to our culture. At the same time, don’t wall yourself in at home. And good luck. When I was a lad, any of the above seemed impossible. Now anything at all is possible.

What are your three favourite screen roles to date, and why?
Sorry, I have no favourites. And I never look back.

Okay, what have been your most important screen roles to date, in terms of your career and/or for personal reasons?
Well fair enough. Sleeping Dogs – got me started; My Brilliant Career – got me going; Reilly – got me into some good suits; Dead Calm – met the Mrs. Evil Angels – wrestled with Meryl; Death in Brunswick – had a laugh; The Dish – had another laugh; The Piano – got home; Jurassic Park I & III – more laughs… There’s lots more and once you start making a list it all gets a bit graceless. So ignore all the above. In addition to that, some of my best work, if any, has been on the telly.

What’s your view of the current state of the New Zealand screen industry, in terms of capability, capacity, funding and future? Do you think there’s a danger of the local industry being swamped by “foreign devil productions”, as some locals have quaintly dubbed them?
I have no objection to government incentives for foreign films being made here. In fact I would encourage it. However, this is no substitute for making our own films, and it’s critical that any government sees that as part of their agenda. And our films need even bigger incentives.

How’s your Two Paddocks wine business going? Are you having any more success shipping some of the Pinot Noir before you and/or your friends drink it all?
I’d like to blame my friends, and I have a lot of very thirsty ones, for the woeful shortage of Two Paddocks. The truth, however, is that I have to take a great deal of the blame myself. As well as our Pinots, we’ve just released our first Riesling, which has given me the excuse to drink lashings more. In the interests of quality control, of course.

Having seen off Warren Cooper, what’s the state of play in terms of the (over) development of the Queenstown area?
Look, I try to be optimistic, but there are days when I despair. We now have a council with good intentions and an overwhelming mandate for change. It is, however, difficult to detect much slowing in the rampant development that we have seen in previous years. In fairness, this may still be the legacy of the previous regime. In general I think the Resource Management Act has been a disaster for New Zealand, and has mostly been a way for Government to wash its hands of any responsibility for such critical matters as planning.

Do you continue to be dismayed about the NZ Government’s approach to GE?
Well it’s baffling isn’t it. It’s a funny thing about Labour governments. Generally speaking they are well meaning people who want to do the right thing by the country. But they also have a tendency to be a little naive, and are very impressed by “experts” in matters of, for instance, business and science. As a result, they are often sold dogs by vested interests. It’s no accident that New Zealand was robbed blind and asset-stripped by some pretty smart business people under a Labour Government in the ’80s. Having been in Europe for most of this year, where there is an immense resistance to GE and GM food, it seems to me to be a no-brainer that we shouldn’t touch it with a barge poll.

Given your zero tolerance attitude towards racism, I was wondering whether you’d care to weigh in on NZ b-caster Paul Holmes’ rancid on-air comments of a few months ago?
I’d like to think this was a clumsy mistake by Holmes. Hard to say, I haven’t seen him. I perfectly understand why people found it really offensive.
Racism is abhorrent wherever it’s found, and we do need to be extremely vigilant in New Zealand. I think the Mäori resurgence has been a fantastic and good thing. I also think it’s really important not to undervalue other sections of our community – Pacific Island, Asian and so on. And by the way, don’t ever let it be said that our Pakeha is some kind of second class citizen either.

Thanks for being one of the lone voices of sanity in the NZ media (on Sports Café) regarding the AB’s World Cup loss … I mean, sheesh, it’s really not a good reason for an economic downturn is it…?
Well thanks. Here’s my recipe for a healthier country. Let’s stop this absurd and arrogant idea that the World Cup is somehow ours as of right, and that any kind of loss is some sort of abject failure. This is nonsense. Better to think of ourselves as the Wallabies do – Staffordshire terrier underdog, the Anzac battler. That way defeat is noble, and victory a triumph.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
For God’s sake, save the Waitaki. And laugh Meridian out of court. Gouging vandals!

Sam Neill, thank you VERY much for your time!
No, thank YOU!