Directed byJustin Kurzel, the crime dramaTrue History of the Kelly Gangtells the story of legendary outlaw Ned Kelly (George MacKay), as he led a band of young bandits to wreak havoc across 19thcentury Australia. Driven by revenge and a desire for anarchy, his brutal life and his warrior roots made Kelly something of a rock star outlaw, but was also his ultimate undoing.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, British actor George MacKay talked about wanting to work with filmmaker Justin Kurzel, the appeal of playing Ned Kelly, his own present identity journey, forming a punk band and playing a gig to prepare for the role, the level of full commitment to the character, how his work on1917(which he shot directly after) compared, and what he looks for in a project.
Collider: Obviously, Ned Kelly is a name that people know and it’s a character that other actors have played before. What was it about this script, in particular, and the vision that Justin Kurzel had, as a director that, that made you want to be a part of this telling of his story?
GEORGE MacKAY: Well, first and foremost, it was Justin. It was the opportunity to work with Justin. I’ve been a massive fan of Justin’s work since I sawThe Snowtown Murders.Snowtownis genuinely the most affected I’ve ever been in the cinema. I was just blown away by that film. I actually auditioned for one of the roles inMacbethand got to meet him, and I just remember being put through my paces so much and thinking, “I would love to work with him. And then, when I sawMacbethand the visuals of that film, to me, he’s genuinely a proper master and a real auteur.
So, it was the opportunity to work with Justin, coupled with the fact that, at the time that the audition came through, probably about a year and a half before, I had a conversation with my dad, who’s from Australia, when I was away on location for another job, and I was asking him some questions pertaining to the character that I was playing and his experiences growing up, and he started talking about his life growing up in Australia. I realized that was something that I’d never really asked him about because we grew up in London and his family was so far away. I just found myself being really moved by the conversation that we had, being in my mid-‘20s, and looking at who you are and what you wanna do, and looking to where you’re from and the people that made you and the experiences that inform where you want to go, and looking back to look forward.
That kind of present identity quandary was something that was very pertinent in Ned. As a young man with family, and Australia being so entwined in those kinds of questions and explorations, I felt this yearning to go back to Australia. And then, as I was feeling all of this stuff, the opportunity to audition for Justin, in a role with this man, I knew it would be a much more extreme search for identity and meaning, in this cipher of this man who has been claimed to be the archetype of Australia. It just felt so perfect. And then, when I actually auditioned for the role, the hour that I spent with Justin was the most I’ve ever been put through my paces in an audition. It was just so exciting, the way that he completely tore open and expanded and flipped upside down my interpretation of the character, within that audition. I just thought, “I wanna work with him, more than anything.” So, it was all of those things. It was Justin and the timing of that character that drew me the most to the part.
As someone who is a big fan of music, I love that you got to listen to punk albums, and even form a band and play a gig for research for a role. That’s awesome. What did you get from the experience of doing that, and what was it like to actually play live like that?
MacKAY: It was amazing. It’s the best feeling. Everyone should be in a band. It’s just so brilliant. So, basically, Justin said, “We’re gonna let go of the history of this film. The whole point is about, what is true? What is history, if it’s told by someone else? Even if I say it, what if I’m lying to you? What if I don’t even know what’s true?” There’s this whole exploration and expansion of these ideas. He was like, “I see the Kelly gang as a punk band. They’re a bunch of ambitious, confused, angry young men, and I think that they were punk.” A lot of great punk music comes out of Australia. Because Australis is such a new country, it has that sense of young and old wrestling of identity. So, we booked this gig and we had to write songs, and it was just the best experience because it opens you up and gets you listening to each other, in a different way. You’re offering such personal stuff and trying to make something together, and it was just really fucking fun, to be frank.
When we played that gig, and we played it in this bar, we felt such a sense of ownership that we made something that was our own, and we created a feeling, it was so special. That kind of attitude and that rock ‘n’ roll joy was so infectious and informative to the tone of the film that we just took that with us. Sometimes we’d play music before we’d do a scene. To get a vibe, to create a mood, and to get the energy up, we’d play our songs sometimes on set. It was a lot of things at once, but it was a masterstroke by Justin. The playing of the gig and the writing of the songs was really special. As much as it is just really funny, it’s also quite emotional, too. When you’re singing or playing songs together, it really means a lot.
Even though1917came out first, you shot this first, and then made that film. What did you learn from making this film that informed your work on1917? Did you feel like a different actor, going into1917than when you were working playing Ned Kelly?
MacKAY: Yeah, absolutely. I’ve never committed to a project as much as I have with Ned Kelly, and that informed my understanding of what commitment can bring. It’s not a straightforward equation, but there is something in terms of understanding. You get out what you put in, in terms of a character, an experience, inhabiting someone, and the physicality. I just felt more match fit than I’ve ever felt before, in a way, and understood myself and my limits, a lot more. With Ned, we’re not going down a mine or working in a hospital – it is all make-believe – but I’ve never committed to something, in that way, before. Physically and emotionally, I went beyond where I’ve ever been before, and the feeling of doing that is really profound. And then, it also teaches you where those limits are.
And1917was so rigorous. The process of doing things, again and again and again, and having to be accurate, again and again and again, I knew how to pace myself a lot more, which was essential to the filming of it. And I also knew when I was cutting myself slack. I knew when I was not working hard enough, and I knew the feeling of getting to my limits. At the end of Ned, I couldn’t have gone on anymore. But with1917, you would have to approach the first take assuming that, if it’s good enough, it will be in the film. But sometimes we’d do 50 takes, after 20 rehearsals, of a five minute scene. You would have to begin, not knowing if you were gonna finish in two takes’ time or two days’ time. You had to come in at 100%, but also meter yourself, knowing that you might be doing it, all day. And also, the beginning and end of the scene is not the beginning and end of the scene, at all. It was just a milisecond, next to the milisecond of tomorrow’s work. That kind of self-awareness, as well as letting go, came from the rigor that was the experience of Ned.
At this point in your life and career, what do you look for in a project and what gets you excited about the work? Do you have a personal wishlist?
MacKAY: All of these projects, I felt so blessed to be a part of. It just felt right, at the time. So, it’s difficult to name something. You recognize it, when it comes. I’m always drawn to process and trying to learn more and experience more, in ways of working, and that is often made by really strong directors and their commitment to a vision, and not knowing specifically what that vision is, but a belief and a commitment to the idea of what it will be. I’m learning more and more that committing yourself, in service to the story, told in a particular way, is what I’m going towards. That comes from really strong directors.
I learned that, when looking at projects, first and foremost, it’s just wonderful to have work, and any element of choice of work is a blessing. But there’s the big and the small, in terms of the personal draw, which is something that I might want to figure out in a character or experience, and the personal learning that I can take, either from the process or the context of the script. And then, there’s the biggest thing, which is when you get out of the way of yourself and ask, “Is this a story that that need to be told?” If it’s you, or if it’s part of the camera team or the costume or the make-up, you’re all equal in being small cogs in this giant machine. And so, you have to a belief in that team, and the value of what the project might be saying or exploring or challenging. So, recognizing that bigger thing that you’re a part of is difficult to name until it’s there, but you know that when it comes.
True History of the Kelly Gangis available on-demand and on digital.
