ERIC BANA IS ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.
HERE HE IS.
NOW ERIC, YOU ARE JOINING US FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
HOW ARE THINGS THERE?
DO THINGS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE CLOSE TO NORMAL.
WHAT IS THE MASK-WEARING SITU OUT THERE.
>> IT'S PRETTY NORMAL HERE AT THE MOMENT, MATE.
YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK IF YOU ARE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT BUT WE
CAN GO TO FOOTBALL AND YELL AND SCREAM AT EACH OTHER AND DO ALL
THE THINGS THAT WE LOVE TO DO AS AUSTRALIANS, SO IT IS PRETTY
GOOD.
IT IS PRETTY GOOD HERE.
A BIT ROUGH LAST YEAR IN MELBOURNE BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S
EXCELLENT.
>> HAVE I SOME FAMILY IN MELBOURNE, AND WHEN I WAS
TALKING TO THEM, THEY WERE SAYING THAT THE LOCKDOWN WAS
INCREDIBLY STRICT FOR AROUND ABOUT FIVE MONTHS.
WHAT SORT OF STUFF WERE YOU DOING TO PASS THE TIME?
>> WELL, I'M SURE YOU THOUGH THIS ABOUT ME, JAMES, BUT I'M
PRETTY ROCK 'N' ROLL.
>> James: OH YEAH.
>> I'M PRETTY ROCK 'N' ROLL.
>> James: YOU CAN SEE BY HOW WELL ORGANIZED THOSE SHELVES ARE
BEHIND YOU, YOU ARE ROCK 'N' ROLL DUDE.
>> I AM.
AND SO MY WIFE AND I, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE JUST BASICALLY
MAIN LINED BRITISH BAKEOFF AND LANDSCAPE AND PORTRAIT ARTIST OF
THE YEAR.
I MEAN IT IS PRETTY ROCK 'N' ROLL.
>> James: THAT IS THE DREAM.
I THINK THAT IS WHAT EVERYBODY DID, DURING, WE WERE EITHER
BAKING OR WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE BAKE.
THAT WAS BASICALLY IT.
NOW I DO-- I WASN'T 100 PERCENT SURE, YOU WERE A STANDUP
COMEDIAN FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE YOU GOT YOUR TELEVISION
BREAK.
IS THIS SOMETHING, WOULD YOU EVER TB BACK TO STANDUP IN
ANYWAY?
>> WELL, I DON'T THINK I HAVE A CHOICE, JAMES, BECAUSE EVERY
TIME I KIND OF LIKE JUST MENTIONED IT IN PASSING TO MY
ADULT CHILDREN WHO WERE GROWING UP, THEY REALLY HAVE THE WILDEST
LOOK OF FEAR IN THEIR EYES THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN.
NO HAUNTED STORY I COULD EVER TELL THEM AS A CHILD INSTILLS
MORE FEAR THAN THE THOUGHT OF DAD GOING BACK TO STANDUP.
I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE ME IN A STRAIGHT JACKET IF I DECLARED I
WAS ON MY WAY TO IT, SO THE ANSWER IS NO.
>> James: SO THEY ALWAYS SHOW AN INTEREST IN WHAT SORT OF
PROJECTS YOU ARE DOING AND THINGS?
>> AN INTENSE AMOUNT OF INTEREST, I'M EITHER AT HOME OR
NOT AT HOME, AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
>> James: AND THAT'S IT, AND THEY ONLY INTERVENE IF IT IS
STANDUP COMEDY.
>> YEAH, NO, SERIOUSLY, THEY WOULD WRESTLE ME TO THE GROUND.
I WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE IF THEY THOUGHT I WAS
ON MY WAY TO A GIG.
I DON'T KNOW WHY, MAYBE BECAUSE THE THEIR WHOLE LIFE I WAS JUST
AN ACTOR AND THEY NEVER KNEW DAD AS A STANDUP, SO IT IS SCARY.
>> James: I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THEY WOULD LOVE YOU TO
SURPRISE THEM WITH LIKE ON A LANDMARK BIRTHDAY.
>> LIKE-- LIKE 30 MINUTES IN FRONT OF ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS.
>> James: THE GREATEST GIFT YOU COULD EVER GIVE A CHILD.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW MOVIE THE DRY WHICH HAS BEEN THE
BIGGEST HIT IN AUSTRALIA.
AND I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU.
IT HAS BEEN SO WELL-RECEIVED.
FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, TELL US WHAT IT IS ABOUT AND WHO
YOU PLAY.
>> SO I PLAY A DETECTIVE WHO HAS LEFT THE COUNTRY TOWN AS A YOUNG
MAN FOR REASONS THAT WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE OF, TO RETURN TO THE
FUNERAL OF MY BEST FRIEND.
AND WHEN I ARRIVE, WE DISCOVER THAT I'M NOT AT ALL WELCOME AND
WE SPEND THE FILM UNDERSTANDING THE REASON FOR THAT.
AND IT'S BASICALLY A WHO DUN IT BUT SET IN A TINY COUNTRY TOWN
IN AUSTRALIA CALLED KIA-WARA BASED ON JANE ARTHUR'S BEST
SELLING BOOK, THE DRY AND BASICALLY A WHO DUN IT FOR THE
AUDIENCE HAS PLENTY OF WORK TO DO.
THEY WILL FEEL LIKE I SPENT A COUPLE OF HOURS IN A LITTLE
COUNTRY AUSTRALIAN TOWN BY THE END OF IT.
THAT IS FOR SURE.
>> James: HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY THE INCREDIBLE
REACTION TO THE MOVIE?
>> YEAH, LOOK, THE FILM IS A MONSTER HIT HERE IN AUSTRALIA.
WE REALLY WANTED THE FILM TO WORK HERE, WE FELT LIKE THE BEST
CHANCE WE HAD OF THE FILM WORKING WAS WORKING REALLY WELL
HERE FIRST.
WE THE PUBLIC JUST WENT BANANAS FOR IT.
SO WE'RE BESIDE OURSELVES.
WE ARE REALLY THRILLED STVMENT NOT EVERY DAY YOU FILM THE HIT
STRAIGHT AWAY, SOMETIMES IT TAKES A BIT OF TIME.
AND REALLY SUPER EXCITED ABOUT AMERICAN AUDIENCES EXPERIENCING
IT.
>> James: I'M EXCITED TO SEE IT, FIRST FOR THE STORY BUT ALSO
THE FACT THAT IT WAS SHOT IN THIS TINY TOWN OUT IN THE
OUTBACK.
WHAT IS IT LIKE FILMING OUT THERE.
I DON'T IMAGINE THAT THEY ARE USED TO BIG FILM CREWS TURNING
UP.
DID THE LOCALS PITCH IN TO HELP AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
>> THEY WERE AMAZING.
WE WERE BASED IN A TOWN THAT DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF
ACCOMMODATION, INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT EVEN LIKE A SMALL CREW
AT THE TIME.
SO WE MADE FRIENDS WITH THE LOCAL PUB AND HE BASICALLY
SORTED OUT THE ACCOMMODATION BY TELLING PEOPLE AT THE BAR WHERE
I WOULD BE SLEEPING, GARY YOU ARE MOVING BACK WITH MUM, ROGER
MOVING IN WITH BILL.
HE BASICALLY SORTED THE WHOLE TOWN OUT AND MADE ALL THESE
HOUSES AVAILABLE FOR US SO THAT WE COULD LIVE AND STAY THERE.
IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
>> James: THAT'S FANTASTIC.