Damian Walshe-Howling says role in Ibrahim’s Last King of the Cross ‘fits me like a glove’

He’s famed for his role as slain hitman Andrew “Benji” Veniamin in Underbelly but Damian Walshe-Howling says his latest role “was written for me”.

Having won the misty-eyed approval of the real-life players of his gangland TV drama, Damian Walshe-Howling is going into his latest series — Last King of the Cross — with all guns blazing.

When Underbelly hit screens in a blaze of controversy in 2008, Roberta Williams gave Walshe-Howling’s portrayal of her close friend, slain hitman Andrew “Benji” Veniamin, her seal of approval; saying she’d been moved to tears. And she wasn’t alone.

“Over the years about seven people have come up to me — who have an intimate understanding of that world — and in almost every case they ended up with tears in their eyes as they talked about it,” he reflects.

“They were so moved by that first Underbelly. It’s been really illuminating to me on that level because they were touched by the humanity in that particular first series.”

While the feedback from Williams and company was ego bolstering, there was one critic whose opinion mattered most of all to Walshe-Howling.

Damian Walshe-Howling playing Andrew “Benji” Veniamin.

Throughout his career, Walshe-Howling has consistently received constructive criticism from his mum, fellow actor Iris Walshe-Howling.

He laughs that it was Iris who pointed out that the natural rhythm of his voice made it sound like he was always complaining, after watching his performance as a young constable in Blue Heelers.

“And, funnily enough, on some level that was part of the role, but she was right [that he needed to change his intonation] and I was able to weed that out,” he says.

Underbelly was a different story.

“All she said to me was: ‘You just disappeared in the role’,” he reflects.

“That was a really proud moment for me because she felt like she had lost me completely. I felt like I was most myself in that role — in terms of freedom — and the fact that she felt she lost me, meant a lot.”

CONFIDENCE

Those rave reviews for Underbelly have filled Walshe-Howling with confidence about his latest project.

At the time, Underbelly was one of the most talked about shows in the country.

“Our pictures were on the side of trams in Melbourne and it was being advertised in a way I had never seen before,” he reflects.

“And then literally the night before [the premiere] Justice [Betty] King decided she needed to see it before it could go to air. In that moment I drove myself to NSW because I wanted to be somewhere it was going to show.

“In the end, it [the initial Victorian screening ban] did Underbelly some favours because, in making it so taboo, it ended up being seen all over the world.

“I ended up getting a manager and an agent in Los Angeles because of it.

“So there’s a fascination with these sorts of stories around the world because of the extremities of them. There’s more room for conflict and drama and, in contrast, love and passion.”

Damian Walshe Howling in The Last King of the Cross.

Walshe-Howling believes Last King of the Cross, a dramatisation based on John Ibrahim’s autobiography, presents a similarly extreme human drama.

This time though the scripts are inspired by Ibrahim’s life as a Kings Cross nightclub owner and the series has been made with his co-operation. And Walshe-Howling is playing an entirely fictional character.

“This character is so different to the one I played in Underbelly,” he says.

“It was written for me. When I read it, I fell in love with Joey instantly. He’s a real foil to everything that is happening in the series, and he fit me like a glove.”

CINEMATIC IDOLS

Joey Romano is the flamboyant and uber-confident drug dealer he plays in Last King of the Cross. And he credits his co-star, Tim Roth, with helping him nail his performance.

A fan of Roth from his work in movies such as Reservoir Dogs and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Walshe-Howling says he had to take a deep breath to calm himself ahead of filming his first scene.

“When you are working with someone as inventive, creative and spontaneous as Tim, you end up just going on the journey,” he says.

“I feel like we went on a journey together and it was a highlight of my life to work with him.”

Damian Walshe Howling (right) in The Last King of the Cross.

It’s not the first time in his career that Walshe-Howling has been on a set working alongside one of his cinematic idols.

The actor also directed David Gulpilil in the short film Messiah, in the Kimberley back in 2017.

“I was born in 1971 and in 1976 we went to see Storm Boy and my parents tell me that I came home from seeing that and started making my own bullroarers [a traditional instrument used to simulate the sound of thunder],” he reflects.

“I was really into the cultural aspect [of what I’d seen on screen] as a five-year-old.

“He was my hero. I just loved that character of Fingerbone Bill. I then went on to see Walkabout and other films he was in over the years.

“I had never met him when I wrote the part for him. The day I got the call from him saying he wanted to do it, was incredible.”

Walshe-Howling credits Storm Boy and another Australian classic, Gallipoli, with making him want to become an actor.

“I still remember there’s this one moment in the trenches in Gallipoli with the beautiful, late Harold Hopkins (who ended up becoming a friend), and his character had been bullying the main character all along and he looks at him – even though they had been enemies – and they share a tear before they go over the top [to certain death],” he says.

“Even though I didn’t have the words for it at the time, I remember I still got the concept in my head that, wow, this medium really has the power to really move and challenge people’s perspectives.”

Last King of the Cross, streaming February 17, Paramount +

Originally published as Damian Walshe-Howling says role in Ibrahim’s Last King of the Cross ‘fits me like a glove’