Truth be told, success tends to alter people - the classic rags-to-riches stories often being followed by a swift conversion from saint to a-hole.
 Not so for Eric Bana. Fresh off the plane from Hollywood, he's returned to his home town of Melbourne to discuss his latest movie, The Nugget. The kind of stardom previously reserved for the Crowes and Kidmans of this world is seemingly just around the corner. Bana, however, is gloriously unfazed by the trappings of success.
 "Even though I'm the lead in a huge film, [The Hulk], I think the star treatment is reserved for those who want it. I'm not really big on losing my personal space, so I keep thigns very simple. I don't have assitants. I like to melt into the background."
 Besides a level-headed attitude, you need a bit of luck to get by - something that Bana is quick to point out.
 "I think the thing I was most lucky about was that I had such a weighty performance in [his career making turn in Chopper] to slap on the table. I wasn't just some pretty boy who'd rolled into Hollywood. Then, the business sat back and saw how I did in the next thing, which was Black Hawk Down, and that came out and it was great. Now, when I make a film, I don't ever consider that I'm putting all my cards on the table. I think a career just snakes along in its own fashion, but I am extremely picky and careful."
His success may have an "overnight" flavour to it, but it has actually come after a decade-long slog as a stand-up comedian and countless years in the cutthroat world of commercial television. The hard years helped forge the road ahead of him.
 "It's a very humbling experience, to stand on a stage in front of drunken strangers. There's a realisation of what's real and what's not, and what's scary and what's not. I think that exposure to potential psychological mutilation is such that, if you manage to get through to the other side as I did, performing becomes a lot less frightening."
 Bana went directly from the set of Black Hawk Down to rural Mudgee. An odd decision for someone trying to make it big in Hollywood, you could say. However, he had signed on for The Nugget before doing Black Hawk. And while it may appear a curious career move, Eric Bana has no regrets about returning home.
 "My selfish and personal reason for doing the film was that my wife had just given birth to our first son. I read the script and went, 'This is exactly the kind of film that I want my kids to see.'"
 It seems strange that a man on the cusp of superstardom has things on the mind other than fame, fame, fame, but it is Bana's straightforward approach to his career and Hollywood that dictates his day-to-day life.
 "My family has always travelled together. It's tough, no doubt about it. Now, we've decided to come home for a good spell of time. I'm not going to do another film this year. Rather than be a slave to the work, I decided to make it work for me. I think it's important not to get too caught up in the fact that, just because you're in a great position, you don't have to exploit it by doing, say, 20 movies a year."
 The Internet buzz surrounding his upcoming role in The Hulk has been startling. Not surprisingly, Bana doesn't feel the need to wax lyrical about either the film or its visionary director, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Ang Lee.
 "I find him awesome, but I wouldn't go any further than to say that I think The Hulk will take care of itself in terms of publicity."
 Of course, a small amount of insider knowledge goes a long way for hungry fans, and Eric is willing to oblige, albeit in rather an oblique way. Since the Hulk is a superhero who operates on rage alone, fans are relishing just how berserk the comic-book creation will go.
 "It's impossible for me to comment on the level of violence due to all the digital stuff. All I can say is, it's a little bit darker than Spider Man."

Go back to Press Index