The Hard Word: Interview

Review by By Clint Morris

Interview with Damien Richardson
Star of The Hard Word film.

When Damien Richardson walks into the room you don't feel as though you're in the presence of a rising movie star - but the truth is, Richardson, a veteran of theatre and independent film - is well and truly on his way to becoming one of Australia's hottest talents, as Clint Morris discovers.

A Brazilian sequel?

In the new Australian film, The Hard Word, Richardson plays Mal, one of three bank-robbing brothers. As the former Adelaide boy explains though, just knowing leading man Guy Pearce didn't automatically guarantee him the gig.

"We had worked together before - on Face to Face, a David Williamson play - and got on really well and Guy read it and said 'gee I can really see Damien being Mal', he gave it to me I had a read of it, of course I thought great! When do we start!" he laughs.

"They said 'alright let's get him in and have a look at this geezer.' Al wasn't totally convinced first time around, so said I'll need to see him again. It was Scott's first film too, so they wanted people around him who knew what they were doing, so they too got a look in on casting. But, in the end, they liked my professionalism - not that I'm that professional - and I got it."

"What I loved about this film was just that it's quintessentially Australian without having the whole gidday bluey cobber mate dialogue and, therefore, it could have a greater appeal because it's truthful to the human experience.

"We're good (Australians) at taking the piss. I mean how long did it take those Lindy Chamberlain jokes to come out, I bet the Refugee jokes are just around the corner too. I suppose its human nature, but there's something quintessential about the Australian experience. I mean there's so many stick 'em up movies these days you can't do it the same, it has to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, and we've done that.

"An interesting story. The film was originally called Blood and Guts, but a lot of people thought 'hmm, blood and guts… don't think I'll be going to see that,' so we went ok, let's call it something else. Also, I think Warner Brothers had a film called Blood and Guts and I don't think they could afford the legal costs to take Warner Brothers on. So, The Hard Word is what they come up with," Richardson explains.

"And I think it's called The Hard Word because everyone's putting the hard word on everyone (in the film) in a lot of ways. Frank's putting the hard word on Carol, the establishment's putting the hard word on frank, who's putting the hard word on the boys to do another job, so yeah."

"I put the hard word on Kate (Atkinson) of course too," he laughs. "She's great though, so that was easy. She had good energy, she's a great performer, and she really does the job. Easy to fall in love with her, you know," he says.

"I think the film's got such a hard edge at times, and I mean even with Rachel (Griffiths) and Guy (Pearce) you don't feel they love each other, just inexplicably linked to each other, and Joel (Edgerton) is slightly damaged. So the film really needed that genuine awkward love, two people that could honestly lead a happy life, unfortunately circumstances conspire so they can't do that."

Richardson admits that his look probably had something to do with him winning the part. "I mean they look at my mug and they said what am I going to do with this guy? He's a criminal for sure, I mean even when I'm a copper I'm a bad copper. There's a rough edge that comes with me. I mean, people like me could play a romantic lead too, but funnily enough people don't want to see that. I mean, you never know, they might, there's that romantic thing that happens in the film."

"Must be an aspect of Mal in me - yeah. I recently started seeing this girl and I took her to the premiere and it's funny afterwards, she said the scene with me and Kate made her feel awkward, because that's some of the stuff you did to me. Definitely a part of me, the way I talk and that."

One of the talents Richardson had to learn for his part was to speak 'butcher talk', a truly original way of speaking to people, when you don't want other people to know what you're saying.

"That's a bit of backwards, putting it out the front, add an I, or Y, the whole thing is quite fascinating. A Lot of short hand and a bit all over the place and each butcher you talk to has a different way, but nothing very specific. I mean, how many times have you been on a tram and Italians start speaking and you wonder what they talk about. It's like learning French though, I learn what I have to learn, and then it's gone."

Richardson's star may be on the rise, but he says he's not sifting through the oodles of offers just yet, despite the fact that he would be interested in doing film in the states.

"Who wouldn't be? I'm not sitting at home thinking about it, though. I mean, I graduated from VCA, wrote my own work, performed around Melbourne. It was great, loved it. But making feature films, I mean, how exciting! I grabbed it with the best of my ability, if something else was to roll out of it, then great.

"When we were on the way to the Melbourne premiere, we were talking about the sequel (to The Hard Word), and how it would be set in Brazil. But we decided we better get this one out of the way first," he laughs. "But Australian's don't do sequels, do we? Oh, suppose we had the Max's, the Mick Dundee's.

"Something that's happened to me in my career all along is I have stops and starts, and bits here and there. Not because I'm on a break, but because I have no work - but I love writing, that's a passion. So that's what I'm working on. And hey, there's always Star Wars. I'm waiting for George to call me; I could be in the Jedi bar. I could be skulking around in a mask in the background Hunting down Ewoks or something."

Next up, Richardson can be seen in a new horseracing comedy, alongside Jimeon and Jason Donovan. "I did Horseplay, another Australian film, which is coming out later this year. Had 5 or 6 scenes in that, good little storyline. If it's a failure, It's not my fault," he laughs.

Click here for The Hard Word interview with Guy Pearce.

The Hard Word commences May 30th.

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