THE PRO-FILE

WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT THE JUVE LEAD? (Part One)

Greg Stone is an actor who is fairly constantly in work. Greg also works as a Musical Director and composer. He has a clutch of musical theatre credits, he has performed for the major Capital City Theatre Companies, he has a Greenroom Award to his name and is reasonably regularly on TV but thus far not in a lead role. Richard started the interview by asking him about this …

Greg: Most of my work is in theatre, I think. I have a lot of theatre work. There's the Keene Taylor Theatre Project, lots of stuff at Playbox and M.T.C., then I do musicals as well, because I sing - so I sometimes I get those sort of gigs and I go up to Sydney and work for the Sydney Theatre Company. …. And so between all of that, theatre keeps me fairly regularly employed.

Richard: Why is that? Most actors would make their living from television.

Greg: I don't know. I think, that over the years you build up the contacts … you come out of drama school and you don't know anybody and then as the years go by (its twenty years I have been out of drama school now), you just build up so many contacts that you can cover a lot of bases.

Richard: And you work at maintaining contacts?

Greg: Yeah. Yeah!

Richard: So the networking thing is important.

Greg: Yeah … not in a heavy duty way. I am not very good at that self promotion sort of thing, but as you work with people you find that after the years go by you practically know everybody in the business.

Richard: But do you make an effort to keep in touch for example?

Greg: Um …

Richard: Or is it just because you are working together and you are in the acting community and you are known … ?

Greg: I write letters. If I go in and read something that I really want to do I'll write a letter and say "I want to be seen for this" … so I keep in touch that way.

Richard: So that implies that you also keep your eye out for things you might like to do?

Greg: I certainly do. At M.T.C. and at Playbox at the beginning of the year I always check out what their season is and if I can I read the plays and find out who's directing them and who's in them, then I do - and if I am interested I put my hand up.

Richard: That's actually putting in the spadework …

Greg: Yes, it is. Pamela Rabe taught me to do that. Years ago when I worked with her she said you have to be more pro-active about it. You can't wait and think, "Oh, they know I'm here and I'm a good actor" … because directors forget. Or they need to be reminded. When they're reminded then it's "Oh! Yes! Of course." … I have been cast at a party once.

Richard: Because they saw you and suddenly went "Ah! That's what I have been looking for!"

Greg: That's right. Terry O'Connell cast me in Buddy Holly. He saw me and went "Oh! …" The penny apparently dropped. He was half drunk and I was half drunk and I thought I would never hear of it again but the next day the phone rang.

Richard: You mentioned drama school. Where were you trained?

Greg: NIDA. I graduated '83.

Richard: Can I ask how old you were when you went to NIDA?

Greg: Oh, I was young. I was eighteen.

Richard: So you came straight out of school?

Greg: No, I spent a year as an exchange student in California - I had just got back. It was the year I turned 19 … No, hang on! I was nineteen turning twenty.

Richard: I have a lot of young actors saying to me, "NIDA said I was great, but I should come back in a year or two." However you walked in the door when you were ready did you?

Greg: I was two years out of high school really.

Richard: And that was your first NIDA audition?

Greg: Yeah.

Richard: And you wouldn't have got in straight from high school?

Greg: No 'cos they said that. And even then, I believe, I was too young for NIDA. I reckon I would have got more out of the school if I had been a bit older. You are so busy trying to please everybody at that age … really … I was.

"Is this right?"
"Am I doing it right?"

If I had been twenty-four or twenty-five I would have been a bit more "What can YOU DO for me?" "What have YOU got to offer me?" … I would have been asking those sorts of questions.

Richard: The other impression I have of you from the performances I have seen you do on television is that you get cast for a broad range of roles. Our first experience together was with you playing the arch villain.

Greg: That's right! Yeah, yeah! So it was.

Richard: But I have also seen you playing Mr. Charming? Often it's the case that people get type cast but that doesn't seem to have been the case with you.

Greg: I don't know why. May be because of my theatre background or something. I think I started to get more interesting roles and get more work actually, in my thirties. I was never the young juve lead … sort of guy. I was more of a character actor. I find them more interesting roles, but also there is something a little bit quirky about me (laughs). I am not as good in those really straight roles. So, yes, I have played axe murderers and lovely nice guys.

Richard: What enables you to do that? What makes you so versatile? If it is the theatre experience … what part of the theatre experience assists you with this?

Greg: I don't know. I love playing characters.

Richard: But every role is a character.

Greg: Yes. But … I don't know. I love the transforming thing …. ????

Richard: O.K. So how do you approach playing a baddie? 'Cos you play a good baddie.

Greg: I just immerse myself in the role … and love the character. And try and flesh it out with as much detail as possible. I also bring myself to it. I bring a lot of truth to it.

Richard: So you bring yourself to the baddie?

In Part Two Greg talks about process and working without a need.

GO TO PART TWO >>