Best of 2024: Eric Bana on the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Actor Eric Bana returns for mystery-thriller sequel to 'The Dry'

Eric Bana is known for his comedy.

The Australian actor began his career with the sketch comedy series ‘Full Frontal’, but he began his acting career playing Con in the 1997 film ‘The Castle.’

In 2020, he starred in an Australian mystery drama thriller film, playing the role of Aaron Falk in ‘The Dry’, based on Jane Harper’s book of the same name.

Four years later, the detective has returned for the sequel ‘Force of Nature’, with Bana reprising the role.

He told Newstalk ZB’s Francesca Rudkin that slipping back into the role felt a bit like cheating, having never reprised a role before.

“I’m so used to having to, you know, do a lot of prep for a character.”

‘The Dry’ was a hit upon its release, but Bana said they were uncertain whether the franchise would continue.

“We looked at the next book for Aaron Falk and thought, well it's not enough just to, you know, is it, is the premise enough?”

“Can we justify making a big screen version of it?”

Clearly, with the movie releasing earlier this week, the premise had enough meat on its bones that they managed to justify its creation, and so off into the Australian bush in the middle of winter they went.

The film was shot in a couple of locations around Australia, Bana revealed, with scenes shot in the Dandenong Ranges, the Yarra Valley, the Latrobe Valley, and out near the Otways National Park being stitched together.

“It’s funny because the cabin that we used for the retreat is privately owned, and we joked at the fact that people were going to go and say there and want to walk down to the waterfall. It’s about a four-hour drive away.”

Being out in the wilderness and on location is Bana’s preferred method of shooting, telling Francesca that he doesn’t like shooting in a studio, and so he rarely does it.

“I feel like it’s a more level playing field when you’re using natural light as an actor.”

“You know how long the day is going to be, there’s a real, natural ticking clock.”

The downside to filming on location, however, was the weather. Filming in the middle of winter is unpleasant at the best of times, but doubly so when you’re hiking out into remote areas of the bush.

“It was pretty brutal.”

Showcasing Australia on an international scale is quite important to Bana, telling Francesca that sometimes it feels like Kiwis and Australians are good enough for our talent to be poached internationally, but they’re never allowed to sound like they’re from there.

“It’s really important when you make products from your home, that’s an original story that can travel, it’s great because that's how people see and hear us, hear our stories and hear who we are.”

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