Whether it is behind the camera taking astrophotography, or tinkering with vehicles for his YouTube series Dodgee's Garage or even donning his actor hat for film roles, Bruce England has an undeniable magnetism on both sides of the lens. This down to earth, genuine nice guy has the ability to switch from psycho axe wielding maniac to Mr Fix it farming Dad. I had the pleasure of chatting to Bruce about film, Dodgee's Garage and his role in an upcoming feature Sci-fi film.
Welcome Bruce England to the Australia Film Network Journal
BE- thanks for having me here!
When did you discover that you were comfortable in front of a camera, and wanted to dabble in acting?
BE - I've been in a photography group here in Perth for over ten years so being in-front of a camera is no big deal as sometimes you can't get models or action shots so a bogan swinging from a tree has to do!
What is your favourite Australian film?
BE - Gallipoli or Mad Max 2
What is your favourite genre of film?
BE - mostly Sci-fi with a touch of action
What television series did you last binge watch?
BE- well I don't have a TV so its all streamed and I do watch a fair bit of Anime so I'm all over the shop with those, but I think it was "After Life" with Ricky Gervais.
Who or what inspires you?
BE - Not so much people as actions, seeing things get done in a way that inspires me to go out and do my stuff rather than sit and veg, people can go for a while then stop but actions can continue from a set point to completion by a number of different people.
Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
BE - retired hopefully and doing my own projects or film roles would be nice!
You have your own You Tube show, could you tell us more about that?
BE- I'm a car guy, so its all about my many car projects that I have here and what I do with them, I'm not a mechanic so it's all trial and naps but I hope its entertaining enough for people watching!
Can you tell us about your latest role in a film?
BE - That would be "High Strangeness", as I have a small part in that , I play a father on a farm who sees a UFO and goes blank. and one of my cars is the, shall we say 'stalker' vehicle, which was good as I haven't driven it much since I bought it so was good to actually drive it for once.
If you could remake any film, what would it be and why?
BE- I'm not keen on remakes as there's just so many of them in the last 10 yrs and not a lot of them are any better than the original to say the least, but back in the 80's I had a car used in a local film that was being shot near Canberra by Kennedy Miller, "The Year My Voice Broke" that starred Ben Mendelsohn, Noah Taylor, Judi Farr, Bruce Spence and a few other Aussie greats, it was a love story and I think that would be a good one to do again.
If you could work with any actor or director who would it be and why?
BE- I'm really out of my depth with directors and actors of note as I'm such a noob at acting just now so I'd hope that whoever I'm acting with or being directed by would go easy on me and my role would fulfill what they envisage so I don't look like a right goose, cause I can do that with my eyes closed ;)
Where can our readers find you?
BE- On my YouTube channel I guess, though not a lot of content right now as work is taxing but I do have a few things to fix before summer events start, but I'm all over the place so they're bound to see me with a camera in my face somewhere!
What is next for Bruce England?
BE- I'd really like to do more on the YouTube side but if I could do more films that would be great but not like a bearded old bogan can do a lot (hahaha) but if I'm in-front of a camera or behind it and people like what they see then I'm happy.
Thank you for your time.
BE - I may need a nap now but thanks for the invite!