David Black interviews Peter Flaherty for the Australian Short Film Network Journal
Peter Flaherty is a seasoned Aussie actor with over 20 years’ experience in the local film industry. I recently worked with him remotely on “Toxic Alien Zombie Babes from Outer Space” while we were in lockdown, and you could see his star quality in the footage that he provided. It’s my pleasure to now be chatting to him.
DB – Hi Peter, thanks for taking the time to talk to me today. Way back in 1998, you were in both the “State Coroner” TV series as well as “Blue Heelers”. Those were massive shows. Is this where you got your start in acting?
PF –Thanks David. I actually began like most people putting on my own plays in primary school, graduating to plays and musical theatre in secondary school. I always sang in bands and choirs from an early age, so I felt at home on stage.
The screen stuff began with TV extra work whilst appearing in non-professional and fringe theatre, as well as singing in bands at night. Stand-up comedy and hosting happened organically as I went along, and the Voice-acting and Voice-over stuff usually came as a result of studio singing gigs.
I got my first agent following a few successful musical theatre gigs in 1997 and started to get my first TV speaking roles. BUT….just as I was about to play ‘Judas’ in Jesus Christ Superstar, I was knocked from my motorbike in August ’98.
So as you mentioned, those TV roles seemed to be a good start, but things came to a screeching halt for over a decade of operations, wheelchairs and rehab hospitals.
Essentially during one of my hospital stays my brother gave me his old laptop and when I was bored with Solitaire, he suggested that I write the scripts that I’d always talked about. I did that; the plays started being produced; and I decided that I should act in a few of them. This led to short film scripts and roles and I was back into it. I couldn’t get an agent as I’d put on weight whilst being unwell, and I hadn’t attended NIDA, WAAPA, VCA ,etc , so nobody took me seriously. I literally just kept working constantly, often producing my own scripts , until I joined with a new agent in about 2013. Even when I was in shows such as ‘Bikie Wars’, in TVCs and on the radio doing voice-overs every day only a few agents would even meet with me. One even told me that he couldn’t see me on ‘Home and Away’ so there wasn’t much point taking me on. I guess they don’t like money.
DB – You must love being on TV! Amongst all the projects you did in the first decade of this millennium, you were also on “All Saints” and “Something In The Air”. The four TV series that I’ve mentioned so far were all in the pre digital days. What was it like being on those sets?
PF –Well as I mentioned, that was all before my crash, so I definitely feel like there have been 2 distinct parts to my career.
From what I recall, the cameras were huge by comparison, and in multi-cam dramas or soaps, you really had to hit your marks. Firstly because they couldn’t always watch instant replays to check focus, but also because the cameras and crew took up so much floorspace if you moved off your mark, you might bump into them!
Now that I’m directing and producing more, I definitely see the advantages of digital. The last time I was on ‘Neighbours’ (a few years ago) it looked like they edited the footage as they went. I can’t confirm that, but while film is ‘romantic’ and historic, digital is certainly much cheaper, quicker and easier.
DB – You were also in “Underbelly” and “Bike Wars – Brothers in Arms”. I don’t mean to keep on with just TV series appearances when you have done so much other work … but those were huge! You gotta tell us all about those two!
PF – Haha…well I’m afraid that my “Underbelly” performance was a blink-and-you’ll-missit gig. I was a taxi driver in “The Man Who Got Away’ and I pop up at the end.
‘Bikie Wars’ however was an amazing experience. I auditioned remotely, which in 2011 was unusual. My mate Mahesh Jadu read for me and I was submitted along with literally thousands of hopefuls knowing that without an agent to push my cause, I had little chance. The lovely Anousha Zarkesh contacted me to tell me I was on hold for the role of ‘Chopper’, who was described as an ‘..angry little ball of muscle..’. So, with nobody to advise me, I hit the gym, stopped eating, and became exactly that. I was angry because I was hungry!…..but I looked great.
Long story short, I was eventually cast as ‘Lard’ (Tony Melville), a tall, muscly rugby player. So I went on an eating and gym explosion, putting on about 11kgs in ten days. When I turned up for the costume fitting they had to make some adjustments…haha… and at the table read I looked around thinking “I’m the only person here I don’t recognise…” What a fantastic and star-studded cast it was. One day I hope to write a book…that chapter will have to be edited to protect the guilty AND the innocent. That shoot had a lot of beer, testosterone, mate-ship and motorbikes! One of my closest friends was Fetcher Humphrys who I’d originally met on ‘State Coroner’
I learned a lot of important lessons during that shoot. I had to sleep in my car, or in my rental car a number of times as I couldn’t always afford motel rooms. Only Sydney based actors were hired, so a number of us found our own accommodation. Toward the end of the shoot I learned that some of the more famous actors were given taxi-vouchers, but that was only after I’d almost fallen asleep at the wheel many times and they offered to pick me up on their way to set. Having no agent, I was usually given the earliest call times. I learned that if other actors were given an early call-time, they would call their agent and complain. The agent would then complain to production, and the earliest times would be swapped to the actor with no agent…me!
Likewise the number of scenes that I was in began to reduce as the updated scripts arrived weekly. As with the call-times, actors would call their agent complaining that they weren’t in enough scenes. The agents would make a call…….and in the next script draft they had my scenes!…haha….I was still happy to be there, but I learned a lot. It’s just how it works.
I was shooting a feature film (‘Monster Pies’) as well as a TV Pilot most weekends and between flying and driving back and forth between Melbourne and Sydney, it was pretty full-on.
DB – OK, I’m going to move off of TV for now. I know that you are just champing at the bit to talk about “Choir Girl”, so go for it!
PF – I had dinner with Ivan Malekin and he told me about a sensational script that he had read and wanted to produce. He sent me the script to read, and I had to agree. The script was amazing. The only thing I suggested was that ‘Eugene’ needed to be older. If he was in his mid-twenties, it was effectively a romance. Ten years is not a crazy age difference, and whilst illegal at the time, far from shocking. I suggested that ‘Eugene’ should be about 39 and completely unfit. The very last person you would expect to be a ‘hero’. That way his journey to help ‘Josephine’ would be not only more difficult, but more interesting.
I was quite shocked when Ivan called me asking if I’d like to audition for Eugene. I was even more surprised….and honoured… when I was cast in the role. I was still carrying some residual weight from having played a truckie in Nicholas Hinze’s excellent film ‘Crossroads’, but I managed to put on an extra 18kgs and reduce my muscle tone before we started shooting. I just felt that it was important, as Eugene had never been to a gym, thrown a punch or barely kissed a girl. Given there was a naked scene, I knew that there would be nowhere to hide. I find it distracting when an actor’s physicality is untrue to their character’s circumstances. I mean, I love Brad Pitt’s work… and his physique; but I doubt that his character would be as ripped and muscled as he was after 6 months in a tank in the film ‘Fury’.
The shoot itself was as brutal as the film. The Script Supervisor; Mel Killingsworth; told me that of the 115 scenes in the movie, I appeared in 111. Often we were shooting up to 6 scenes a day. Sometimes 4-5 pages long, so preparation was crucial and often I had to be told the before and after details just before we shot as like most films, it was rarely shot in sequence.
Effectively I was grabbing sleep and food whenever I could and the crew was very supportive in keeping me sane. There were many private tap-dancing sessions and I would sometimes hide in a dark room with my guitar at Docklands Studios where many of the interior scenes were shot.
CHOIR GIRL can be rented or purchased for a few dollars on iTunes, and with Covid restrictions, we’re really hoping that the new distributor will organise a cinema release soon. It would be a crying shame for a film that has received such fine reviews to be barely seen. Especially in Australia.
DB – Peter, your past has been pretty amazing and I barely scratched the surface of it here. What your fans are dying to know is what your future plans are?
PF –Well firstly I can’t wait to see ‘Toxic Alien Babes from Outer Space’!…haha…kudos to you and your team for getting that film made during the first lockdown. I can honestly say that I think it’s the first time that I’ve played the Australian Prime-Minister. Also my first scene on the toilet. (spoiler alert….)
I’ll be appearing on screen soon in Jonathan Newton’s feature ‘The Party Bus’ …. and have upcoming features which I’ve committed to from Matthew Holmes, Matt Norman, Jackson Ezard and Leigh Sheehan.
Nothing on the horizon with TV or TVCs I’m afraid. After coming home from hospital recently I emailed my (former) agent with a contract for one my upcoming films to check, only to be told that she no longer represented me, and hadn’t for about 6 months. There are no hard feelings. Apparently I had been sent a contract to sign during one of my hospital visits, but I’d missed it. Other things on my plate. So my mate Jackson Ezard, who works at the top end of the industry, and had worked as a high-end agent in Vancouver, started Creations Talent Agency. He currently represents me; and a small group of other actors; between his own writing, producing, directing projects, as well as production work with some of the biggest names in the industry.
DB – Where can our readers follow your work?
PF – I’m afraid that my own professional website is currently offline. (I’ve literally been chasing this up over the last week. Another thing I got out of hospital and checked which was down!)….
hopefully soon you’ll be able to again check out: www.peterdenisflaherty.com
In the meanwhile, here’s my IMDb profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1790271/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
I’d welcome any messages from followers on TWITTER and/or INSTAGRAM, and I do post most news and updates there, as well as behind the scenes photos.
On facebook my personal profile is: Peter D Flaherty and my professional page is: Peter D Flaherty where I post casting calls and filming information. Just LIKE the page and you’ll be in the loop!
Thanks David. Always a pleasure mate. Please stay safe folks, and #begoodtoeachother