A Dream Job

Coral Drouyn interviews Jeremy Kewley, A Melbourne Actor who has made sure he is always working.

We all like to name drop occasionally; but very few of us have a list like this:-

Bill Hunter, Guy Pearce, Dennis Hopper, Rachel Griffiths, Jack Thompson, Jimeon, Peter Phelps, Harry Hamlin, Frank Thring, Kerry Armstrong, Sigrid Thornton, John Howard, Lisa McCune, Susan Dey, John Wood, John Waters, Shane Bourne, Hamish & Andy, Lano & Woodley, Shane Jacobson, Eddie McGuire, Alan Dale, Brett Tucker, Andrew J Morley, Geoffrey Rush, Brett Climo, Todd Lasance, Alan Fletcher, Deniz Akdeniz, Dannii Minogue, Sam Newman, Tina Arena, Bai Ling, Bert Newton, Billy Brownless, Libby Tanner, Don Hany, Lawrence Mooney, Eric Mabius, Lincoln Younes, Martin Sacks, Frankie J Holden, Michala Banas, Lara Cox, Deni Hines, Abigail, Peter Moon, John Bowles, Johnny Young, Shane Crawford, Tracy Harvey, Kitty Flanagan, Colin Friels, Max Gillies, Mick Molloy, Livinia Nixon, Tim Ferguson, Clarence Williams III, Brian Nankeris, Colin Lane, Claudia Karvan, Gary Sweet, Ben Mendelsohn and many more(including me.)

All of these people have worked with Jeremy Kewley – or rather he has worked with them. Jeremy who? Well he’d be the first to tell you that he isn’t a household name, even in his native Melbourne. He may, however, well be the most prolific actor in the country and appears to NEVER be out of work. How does he do it? And what would he say to those still trying to “pursue the dream”? He thinks about it for a moment.

“Well I never saw it as pursuing my dream…as if it was something I had to catch which would keep escaping. I just decided that was going to be my career. My first job was a major role in Fred Schepsi’s film “The Devil’s Playground”(1975). I was just 14 and I knew instantly that’s what I wanted to do, so then I just had to ask myself ‘okay, so how do I make this work as my job on a day to day basis?’ Most actors I knew also had day jobs, other ways of supporting themselves, but I just didn’t want to do that – I didn’t want to put the energy into doing something else for most of my working day. I wanted to save it for performing.’

So Jeremy auditioned for anything and everything, even things he didn’t appear to be right for. “At least they remembered me and sometimes I could even say… ‘I’ve been thinking, maybe he could perhaps be more….’ And sometimes they agreed with me and I’d get the part; sometimes not – but we would have had a conversation, connected, started the ball rolling.”

Jeremy went from series to series on television while still in his teens, including running roles in “Bellbird” and “The Sullivans” (where he played Sigrid Thornton’s boyfriend) and at 19 he moved to Sydney for a leading role in the ill-fated serial “Arcade” (which is where we worked together). After that came a brief period of being out of work – an anomoly for him. Then he saw his agent had a brief for a gig on a cruise ship…. Sitmar’s Fairstar, but the actor had to be able to sing and dance and even adlib. It seemed like a fabulous gig for a young actor, living on board and cruising to exotic places. With all the brashness of youth he asked to audition, not knowing that I was the Director and Writer of the shows. When he entered to audition I said “What are you doing here?” Jeremy replied, “More to the point, what are YOU doing here.” Not only did he perform in 3 reviews and a play on Fairstar for 12 months, he also became Assistant Cruise Director. He then went on to intermittently, over the next twenty years or so, star in a variety of Theatre Restaurant  shows, at the same time as playing lead roles such as the Crown Prosecutor in the multi award winning series Janus, and journalist Tony Timms for seven years on Blue Heelers, and the continuing role of being warm-up comedian for half a dozen major shows. For twenty years he was the warm-up comedian for The Footy Show among others, often holding down three very distinct and different jobs at once – all  performing. As if that wasn’t enough, he then went on to produce a documentary on Young Talent Time, and several new television pilots. Turning to Musical Theatre he toured with West Side Story and played the romantic lead in Call Girl, The Musical. He was nominated for an AFI award for his role in Underbelly :Tell them Lucifer was here, and another for City Homicide.

Diversification is the key to this astonishing career. If there’s a role, an opening, a niche in the market, Mr Kewley will find a way to fill it. It’s all acting for him. “I’ve run Trivia nights in pubs, even taken ghost tours and walking groups around Melbourne. Some people might think those aren’t acting jobs – but they’d be wrong. I play a role; I convince an audience; I entertain. It’s just another layer, but it’s still acting.”

Last year, after winning two best actor awards for short films (he’s appeared in more than 30, plus two Hollywood movies) Jeremy was acting in an intense play at La  Mama Courthouse and then taking midnight ghost tours around Melbourne. He works incredibly hard, hosts charity fundraisers, special events and anything promotional. He even had a regular radio spot on Melbourne’s 3AW. “But when I’m not working, I really just relax. I’m a person of extremes.” he tells me. Jeremy retreats to a small weekender at Mitta Mitta, with no electricity but plenty of peace and quiet and just refuels when he needs to. He’s been there lately studying his script for his forthcoming role as Dr Dysart in Peter Shaffer’s acclaimed play Equus. It’s a production for the acclaimed independent company Mockingbird, directed by one of the most respected directors in the Melbourne Theatre scene, Chris Baldock. “I saw Mockingbird’s fantastic production of The Laramie Project last year at Chapel off Chapel. I was blown away and reviewed it for 3AW. I approached Chris and said ‘I really want to work with you guys.’  Because, for me, it’s not about the money – sometimes I’ll do roles for nothing, or as part of a co-operative, it doesn’t matter. As long as the work interests me.” Jeremy has found the rehearsal period to be “The hardest thing I have ever done. It’s such a huge role and let’s face it, I am NOT Anthony Hopkins or Richard Burton. But it’s really exhilarating because Chris is such a great director, and so helpful and supportive, and the rest of the cast are terrific.” Equus has a short 10 perfomance season at Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute from August 3^rd – 17^th, and really is a must-see. And after that. “Oh…lots of things. Some more short films, television and another play, but there’s always room for something exciting…even if it’s hosting a walking tour around melbourne. I make sure the walkers are entertained.” And that’s how to turn a dream job into a career.

Images: Jeremy Kewley and Jeremy Kewley in rehearsal for Equus with Scott Middleton.