Australian actor Geoffrey Rush gained international recognition after his Oscar-winning performance in 1996's "Shine". His recent schedule has been hectic, and he stars in four more films in 2003: the Coens' "Intolerable Cruelty"; yo-ho-hoing "The Pirates of the Caribbean"; Pixar's "Finding Nemo"; and Aussie biopic "Ned Kelly".
You get to pay another repressed man in "The Banger Sisters"...
Yes, anally retentive men are my forte! I did "Quills" and I thought I was doing a really daring thing by being in "The Banger Sisters". Then I thought, "No, I'm playing a writer again." At least I'm celibate in this one!
How would you describe your character, Harry?
Well, he's a writer! He's a failed Hollywood writer in his 50s and he's going back to Phoenix to address a problem he has with his father. This is where I think [writer/director] Bob Dolman has been really clever. He picks up on something - which is that whether you're a 50-year-old or an adolescent, you're on some kind of hormonal rollercoaster in those two age groups. So I'm not quite sure if it's serious comedy or funny drama.
You get to ham it up a bit with Goldie. Was that fun?
Goldie was beyond generous. We first met at the BAFTAs in London, when she was there with her daughter Kate. I was there with "Quills" and we just hit it off. We went dancing, which is something I never do. We hit the dance floor together. I think we made the tabloids. She's very funny - and serious and wise!
Unfortunately I didn't really get to work with Susan. We only overlapped in a couple of scenes. But I knew it was their film. It's their story, and I got to be the guy in the back while they were in the foreground.
You must have your pick of roles these days. What convinced you to join this project?
Bob Dolman, who wrote it, can write great dialogue. That was the real attraction for me, because the script had great Billy Wilder-type zingers. And he said to me that he was writing the story about Goldie's character heading off to Phoenix to meet up with her long lost friend and this guy just popped out of a Greyhound bus and came into her life. He said his fingers were moving in front of him and he had no idea where it was going but he just went with it. I think this guy might be semi-autobiographical for Bob!
