The Twelve’s Ngali Shaw says scene was based on his real-life

Art imitates life in Australian courtroom drama The Twelve, when Ngali Shaw’s character is wrongfully arrested and subjected to police brutality.

Wiradjuri man Ngali Shaw says his character on Australian drama The Twelve was based on his real-life experiences.

In courtroom dramas, all eyes are usually on the lawyers – the silver-tongued crusaders of justice, or the perversion of it.

However, early in Foxtel’s 10-part series, Sam Neill’s snooty member of the bar, Brett Colby, tells Kate (Kate Mulvany), a photographer charged with the murder of a teenage girl: “The jury is everything”.

The myriad complexities of the jury members’ personal lives, and how that impacts their judgment, is the series’ focus.

Ngali Shaw at the House of the Dragon Australian Premiere at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter. Picture: Jonathon Ng

Shaw, an acting newcomer who previously modelled and dances, plays indigenous university student Jarrod, one of the titular dozen who attends the University of Sydney on scholarship.

In an early episode, Jarrod is wrongfully and brutally arrested by police officers while riding his bicycle home, they rough him up, injure him, confiscate his laptop, and toss his bike into the bushes.

The cast from Foxtel drama The Twelve pictured at the Carriage Works. L to R: Bishanyia Vincent, Ngali Shaw, Pallavi Sharda, Brendan Cowell, Catherine Van-Davies and Damien Strouthos. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Then, they hold him on suspicion of a drug charge because he “looks like” a description they were given of a suspect.

Jarrod subsequently misses an essay deadline, and has his scholarship revoked. School officials refuse Jarrod’s story, choosing to believe instead that he is making the incident up to excuse for his unwillingness to “do the work”.

His storyline tackles police brutality and everyday microagressions towards First Nations peoples head-on.

Dubbo's Ngali Shaw was named a rising star by the Casting Guild of Australia. Picture: Supplied

Ngali Shaw at the launch party for the new Foxtel drama The Twelve. Picture: Richard Dobson

Shaw told Confidential: “The police scene where I get arrested was actually built around my real-life experience.”

Adding, that for him, there was little acting involved. It was more like documentary, placed in a fictional setting.

That’s why being a part of the TV series is “so special,” to the 21-year-old.

“To have experiences from your life and chuck them into a project at this type of level is a blessing.”

It’s his hope that the scene will be an eye-opener for some Australians watching at home, and that more indigenous stories will soon make it onto the small screen.

“I don’t know what I can or cannot say [about the finale] … but it is going to be an unexpected ending,” Shaw said.

*The Twelve finale airs on Tuesday at 8.30pm on FOX Showcase or watch On Demand on FOXTEL.