My working history as an actor is definitely in the theatre; it certainly was in Australia.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The Australian film industry is a small industry, so you have to really be flexible within working in different mediums. A lot of actors work in theater, film, and television, because there's not much opportunity in terms of employment there.
I did well as an actor in Australia, and then Paramount invited me over... to have a look at me.
I started off in musical theater, yeah. It was one of my first jobs; it was in Spring Awakening in London, which was amazing.
Theatre is relatively easy if you're British - you're living in the theatre capital of the world, London - there are so many places you can work, still. If I had begun to think of myself as a film actor, I think I would have got distracted.
I grew up in suburban Brisbane, so to say you wanted to be an actor was a ridiculous concept.
Before I ever acted as an amateur - which I did a great deal at school and at university - I used to go to the theater with my parents in the north of England, where I was born and brought up... Theater of all sorts.
To have a job you can count on as an actor is so rare, whether that means belonging to a regional theater company or being on TV.
My family weren't actors, and we didn't know any actors. It wasn't even something I was aware you could do as a job. I thought you had to be a Redgrave or a Barrymore before you were allowed to go to drama school.
There's not a long, entrenched tradition of theatergoing in Australia.
The beginning of my acting career was in London, England.