Eric Bana on Munich

26 January 2006

Eric Bana - ""I'm an actor, not a bloody politician!

HE'S played characters torn from classical literature and comic books, but for his latest big screen outing actor Eric Bana has got his teeth into a role more at home on the front pages of our newspapers.

Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg, is the retelling of the aftermath of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

It had been dubbed "The Olympics of Peace and Joy", but it was the catalyst for a bloody campaign of revenge which still reverberates around the globe today.

In the film, Bana, 37, plays Avner, a special agent charged with leading a small band of Israeli assassins to kill the Palestinians responsible for the Munich tragedy.

It is a story that has, unsurprisingly, drawn criticism from all sides, but the star of Troy and Hulk is unapologetic.

"I think the controversy is a healthy sign," says Bana. "No-one can sign off on what actually happened. So there are some facts and some poetic licence involved. How you join the dots doesn't change the central themes of the film, about notions of home."

It's a subject close to Bana's heart - as he says he isn't tempted to leave his native Melbourne for the glamour of Los Angeles - but Munich is also about the cycle of violence at the heart of terrorism. However - like Spielberg who has stayed silent about his views on the film - Bana prefers to let the film do the talking.

"I'm an actor, not a bloody politician! But I couldn't be more proud of the film. I think it achieved what it wanted to do and it's a different movie for different people."

He freely admits to not knowing that much about the situation before signing on for the part - "Growing up in Australia, you aren't really taught Middle East politics," he says - but once on board, he made sure to get to grips with the history... as much as anyone can.

"I was aware of events but nowhere near aware enough," he says. "The more you know, the better equipped you are to play the role.

"I did meet the real Avner and he was generous and very helpful. You can never do too much research, it all affects the character."

And Avner goes through something of an emotional rollercoaster ride during the film. And as it becomes clear that his team's "righteous" mission isn't quite a righteous as it first appeared, he begins to question everything he thought he knew.

"The part took its toll," admits Bana. "Ninety per cent of it is what's going on inside his head. The emotions stayed with me and it was a really hard part to get rid of at night. I didn't really get a lot of sleep."

But it wasn't just Bana enduring some sleepless nights. With a film so tuned into current events, the film-makers kept a close eye on the news and hoped nothing would happen that would stop the film being made.

"We just had to hope," says Bana, who also starred in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down which opened just after the events of 9/11. "The bombings in London actually happened during filming and that was quite a poignant moment as it was a predominantly British crew."

But away from the troubles of the real world, Bana says he had a wonderful experience on set with Spielberg, a director well known for his lightening fast shooting schedules.

"Steven is like an audience member and his enthusiasm is wonderful to be around. He felt so passionately about this story, it was exiting to be on set with him.

"And it's great to see a director like Steven not be set in his ways. The shoot had a very loose, organic dimension as he was deciding what to shoot as we went along."

With so many high profile movies already behind him, it feels like Bana has been a fixture in the Hollywood A-list for years but in fact, he only came to worldwide prominence in 2001 with the Australian movie Chopper about real life criminal Mark "Chopper" Read.

And although he may now be best known for his intense characters, Bana started his career as out-and-out comedian.

"I did stand-up and sketches. I much preferred the sketch shows," he says, adding that the nature of comedy is good training for getting the best out of a dramatic scene.

"It helps you understand when something just isn't working. Plus it makes you braver - you can't ever be embarrassed."

But with a string of high-quality roles behind him, that's not something he's going to have to worry about.