NO PLACE LIKE HOME For me there simply is no other place like Australia. I'm a dinky-di Aussie boy who grew up in Sydney's working-class western suburb of Bankstown. Life wasn't easy but my mother did manage to instil in me her values and her strong work ethic and also encouraged me in whatever I did. I was like a lot of other typical Aussie kids, who went to the pictures on Saturday afternoons to see what, in those days, were primarily British movies.
I started my working life in Australia, as an actuary at one of the country's biggest insurance companies, but quickly realised that the only people at work who had a smile on their faces were the salesmen, so I opted to become an insurance salesman. However, this didn't last very long and eventually a mate and I decided to head overseas, to the United Kingdom.
LOVE AT FIRST SNIFF In 1964, my mate and I purchased our tickets, which gave us the option of two stopovers along the way, so I opted for Hong Kong and Athens. Back then, most Australians flew what we referred to as 'the kangaroo route' to Europe, via Singapore, so Hong Kong was a complete unknown for me. Also remember that Australia was a land of neat suburbs and streets and streets of one-storey houses, so the sight of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong with washing hanging outside the windows on nearly every floor was something completely new and strange to me. I was intrigued by this huge city of millions of residents and loved everything I saw - the smells, the way people were dressed, the food, the customs. I was immediately hooked on Hong Kong and it was the first place that had an influence on me beyond [that of] my mother country.
This also explains why I have returned here time and time again, including the time in 1986 when I had the lead role in the film Tai-Pan, which was shot across the border, in Guangzhou. Hong Kong continues to fascinate and intrigue me, hence [I'm] here now with a group of very young and talented Australian filmmakers. I want them to get a taste for Asia with a view to possible future collaborations here and on the mainland.
LOVE LETTERS TO TOM CRUISE I had done a bit of acting in Australia, although nothing of any note, but was lucky enough to get a few minor roles at the Old Vic, in London. My first [film] role was in a 1977 movie called The Love Letters from Teralba Road. In 1983, I starred in The Thorn Birds, based on the book of the same name by Australian author Colleen McCullough. It was on the set of this movie that I met my wife, Rachel Ward. However, my real break in movies came in 1986, when I was offered the lead role in Tai-Pan. This was followed in 1988 by Gorillas in the Mist, with Sigourney Weaver and filmed in Rwanda. It still ranks, after the birth of my children, as one of the most amazing experiences I have had. To be in the presence of these amazing and magnificent creatures, especially the large silverbacks, is an experience that words simply can't describe. After that it was back onto the silver screen in 1988 and having lots of fun with Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail.
TELLING STORIES In the early 90s, my wife and I established a production film and television company called New Town Films, in Australia. I'm happy producing ... but do not regard myself as a director - and have nothing but admiration for the difficult and often unappreciated job they do. One of our productions, Beautiful Kate, which was televised in Asia via the Australia Network, was written by and starred Rachel and many people during this visit to Hong Kong have made very nice comments about it. The series focused on the story and journey of one woman and proved to me that we all have stories to tell. We are all on that wonderful journey through life and we all experience similar things, albeit in different ways, and this common thread of experience is what allows us to appreciate and feel the emotion of other people's stories, regardless of whether you are an Aussie actor or a farmer in northern China.