EXCLUSIVE: John Jarratt Talks Stalkher, Wolf Creek 3

I had been looking out for the opportunity to interview this fellow.  Especially since the Wolf Creek series is right up ManlyMovie’s street.  You could say we consider Mick Taylor to be the real Crocodile Dundee.  So we start this week off with a quick back and forth with the man himself and what he has coming down the pipe for us in the future, which includes some unique stuff and, thankfully, Wolf Creek 3.

ManlyMovie: G’Day John, we are big fans, sir.  How are you doing this week?

John Jarratt: Not too foul.

MM: I’d like to ask you about a movie of yours that is on the horizon, StalkHer, great title by the way.  It sounds like a unique project, can you tell us anything about it?

JJ:  My producer and business partner, Kris Maric, wrote the script. I read it and I thought it was brilliant. What drew me to it were the language and the twists and turns of the plot. It’s a cross between Misery and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

MM: It’s almost like a Mick Taylor from an alternate universe is getting his comeuppance!

JJ: The character, Jack, is nothing like Mick Taylor. It’s a two-hander set in a house over one night. Jack is the victim for most of the film.

MM:  You’re listed as director for the movie.  Is directing something you’re seriously considering at the minute, you’re a veteran actor of 40 years this year as an actor, surely you’ve learned a thing or two?

JJ:  Essentially it is the first time I’ve directed, but after doing over 40 films and umpteen mini series since 1974, I had a very good idea of what was required. I learnt to trust my instincts and be very thorough when making changes from my big picture of the film. Sometimes others made an amazing improvement and I learnt to acknowledge the many experts involved in the complexity of filmmaking. I gave my acting partner Kaarin Fairfax a co-director credit in recognition for all the help she gave me on set when it was my turn to act.
 
MM: Speaking of Mick Taylor, your work in the Wolf Creek series appears to be the biggest to date.  What is it about Mick Taylor that fascinates people?

JJ: I think because he’s a likeable, funny, typical outback Ozzie who does dreadful things and gets away with it. The audiences like to be frightened and feel guilty for liking an arsehole.

MM: You seem to have a helluva time playing the guy!  Are any of his one-liners ad-libbed, any of those classics yours?

JJ:  Yeah Mick has fun and there’s plenty of ad-libbing. The classic one is “The Winnaaaah” from the first Wolf Creek film.

MM: Some people, a minority, seem to take offence to the movies.  It seems to me that they either don’t get it, need thicker skin or both.  Is that a fair observation?

JJ: I find “Pride and Prejudice” offensive. I hate those pooncy fuckin’ films. Each to their own I guess.

MM:  Indeed.  What about Wolf Creek 3?  Tell us that it’s happening.

JJ:  It’s being developed, should shoot it next year. Great plot, secret of course.

MM:  Among the many directors you’ve worked alongside, you’ve also worked with Quentin Tarantino, that must’ve been a lot of fun…

JJ:  Yep, it was. Consummate film maker, knows exactly what he’s doing. Genius, photographic memory, breeze to work with, eccentric. I like to describe him as “beautifully mad.”

MM:  Finally, after StalkHer, what’s next in the pipeline for John Jarratt?

JJ:  A feel good film we’re developing called Who Cares Sal. It stars a down syndrome man trying to gain control of his life.