David Wenham
David Wenham
David Wenhamis an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire and Neil Fletcher in Australia. He is also known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth21 September 1965
CitySydney, Australia
CountryAustralia
I have a sort of long-term plan to direct. I'm pragmatic about it. I realize I don't need to rush it or force it.
Acting, to me, is being given the freedom and ability to play, and that's - that's what I love most about it. I feel very comfortable in playing, whether it be in front of a camera or on stage.
Australia is a phenomenally beautiful country, and every time I go away and come back, it never ceases to amaze me.
Well you just have to own it, I suppose. Own the character, which is difficult.
My life at the moment is a bit like my wardrobe. Organised chaos.
I think you have to find the humanity in the character and then the deterioration is a part of the process - the journey of the character. It's like playing King Lear. You can start off as a nice old man who finishes up crazy.
I'll never forget anything about Middle Earth. That's part of my memory now so I won't miss anything.
I'm becoming a frustrated director, I think, in an actor's body.
I would love to direct a feature and have Robert Connolly produce it. That would be really fab.
I've ended up spending more time in front of a camera than on stage, but the stage is where I come from.
As we mature and grow older we collect a lot of baggage, and a lot of that stuff you collect on life's journey gets in the way of acting. My kids can imagine a character and transform in the blink of an eye. It's so simple for kids, so complex for adults.
I always loved putting on shows - when you're the youngest of seven and five are older sisters, you've got to get noticed somehow! I did puppet shows and magic shows... even ventriloquism. My doll's name was 'Dan,' and I used to write these scripts, and my schoolmate hid under the table and supplied Dan's voice.
Id love to work with the people who really got the film industry going again through the 70s: Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, Gillian Armstrong, Fred Schepisi.
In very general terms 'Top Of The Lake' is about good and evil. It's a deep dark mystery. It also deals with lots of fascinating human relationships, and it's also about the battle of the sexes.