Meet the Aussie actor staring in a new prison break drama mirroring recent protests sweeping the US
Aussie actor Daniel Webber is starring alongside Daniel Radcliffe in a new prison break drama based political activists imprisoned for campaigning. It is timely following the death of George Floyd.
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Australian actor Daniel Webber says the recent release of his new prison break drama Escape from Pretoria could not be more timely.
Based on the true story of two South African political activists imprisoned in the 1970s for campaigning against apartheid – and their subsequent escape from jail – the movie’s themes are mirrored in the protests which have swept across the US over the last few weeks, following the death in police custody of African-American George Floyd.
“It’s very much an interesting time to have the film come out … because it does touch on a lot of topics that are currently going on,” Webber said of the movie, which also stars Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe.
“A lot of the values in the Black Lives Matter movement that has really erupted in the last couple of days, those values are what these guys were all about during Apartheid. It speaks to that audience and what is going on right now.”
Usually based in Los Angeles, Webber has been watching the chaos unfold in the US as he isolates with family in NSW.
“I’m getting all the reports from friends over there and it’s very chaotic, it’s just a tragedy what’s gone on, the mishandling of the whole situation is really something to behold,” he told Hibernation.
“I really hope it clears up but who knows. It’s just nice to be home and not be among it for now.”
In Escape from Pretoria, Webber and Radcliffe play Stephen Lee and Tim Jenkin, civil rights activists who were labelled terrorists for aiding the anti-Apartheid movement and locked in maximum security Pretoria Prison.
Webber admits he didn’t know much about the pair’s incredible true tale prior to taking on the role but says it was nice to tell a story about “good, genuine human beings”.
“It’s rare you get to tell those stories … of people who are on the right path and have their values in the right place,” he said.
“It’s always a little bit nerve-racking meeting the real life counterpart (but) I got to spend quite a bit of time with Stephen … it was nice to get to know him (personally), to get a sense of him as a man and the goodness and the humanity and the strength that he has.
“It drives home that these guys went through the experience. For Dan Radcliffe and I to chat with Tim and Stephen … we came away pretty fired up to tell their story.”
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Webber also paid tribute to co-star Radcliffe for his performance in the film, which was shot around Adelaide last year.
“He was wonderful to work with … just seeing how he functions on a film set, it was great to work with him,” he says.
Webber, whose other credits include playing Lee Harvey Oswald in TV series 11.22.63 and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil in The Dirt, is currently writing a film script while in lockdown about Ancient Greek king Alexander the Great.
Escape From Pretoria is available to rent on digital platforms including Foxtel, Apple TV, Fetch and Google Play now.
Originally published as Meet the Aussie actor staring in a new prison break drama mirroring recent protests sweeping the US