Ben Mingay shares how a construction site dare launched his acting career

Australian stage and screen actor Ben Mingay says that his foray into performing was not only unplanned, but the result of a dare among his tradie mates.

I never had any plans of becoming a singer or an actor. They weren’t things I dreamed of as a kid. It wasn’t so much that I was a natural performer, either – it was more that growing up as the youngest of five, I had to be that little bit louder than everybody else in order to be heard.

When I left school, I went straight into construction. My family and a lot of my friends were in that game, so it was just the go-to. On Friday nights, I sang in a rock band because I thought that was cool, but it wasn’t something I took very seriously.

“I have my tradie mates back at home to thank for throwing me into this world.” (Picture: Dylan Coker)

It wasn’t until one day, when the guys and I were sitting around the construction site having lunch, that everything changed. They thought it would be funny to dare me to audition for a scholarship at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

They all had a good giggle at the prospect of me auditioning, so threw in some money and beers, and the next thing I knew, I was singing my heart out in front of the panel.

I chose ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison, which of course was a completely inappropriate song to impress these classical opera people. But they must have seen some potential because to our amazement, they gave me a scholarship.

“The more I trained, the more I realised how much I loved it.” (Picture: Dylan Coker)

From then on, it became this bizarre, secret side-passion. The more I trained, the more I realised how much I loved it.

One thing led to another, and all of a sudden I was in Hair The Musical and Dirty Dancing, touring the world, and living in New York. Back in Australia six years later, I started trying to crack into the world of TV, but was knocked back time and time again. I persevered, and eventually managed to snag roles in some Aussie favourites, from Packed To The Rafters and Blue Heelers to Home And Away.

“I had to undergo this entire transformation each performance.” (Picture: Courier Mail/Josh Woning)

In 2016, I was cast in the film Hacksaw Ridge, alongside Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn. And let me tell you, nothing can prepare you for the moment when Mel walks into the room.

Seeing him in action was just incredible. The whole thing was pretty surreal. I’m such a big fan of the movie Wedding Crashers, too, and there I am playing barefoot bowls at the local bowling club with Vince Vaughn after takes. That was a life highlight for sure.

Last year I donned a giant green suit for the titular role in Shrek The Musical. The amount of times people said to me, “Oh, what a perfect role for you, you won’t need any make-up” is too many to count. Really funny, right?

Ben Mingay features in this Sunday’s Stellar.

But in all seriousness, I had to undergo this entire transformation each performance, and sitting in hair and make-up for three hours, and then on stage, with a face and body that wasn’t mine, taught me a lot. It felt like being locked up, like I was in prison. But taking everything off felt so good – so freeing.

In a few weeks, when I appear as Billy Bigelow in the iconic musical Carousel, not only do I get to tick off a bucket-list role, but this time round I won’t need quite as much make-up.

Thinking back, it seems crazy now that there was a time when I wasn’t performing – that’s the thing that makes me happiest.

So, as it turns out, I have my tradie mates back at home to thank for throwing me into this world. And to this day, they’ve supported and stood by me every step of the way. All in all, it’s been a pretty good outcome for a stupid bet.

State Opera South Australia presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel: A Concert on March 26 & 27 at the Festival Theatre, Adelaide; visit stateopera.com.au.

Originally published as Ben Mingay shares how a construction site dare launched his acting career