CAST AND CREW
As well as being filmed entirely in Australia, the movie also has an all-Australian cast and crew. This page features a cast and crew list, and some production details.
CAST
Lady Sarah Ashley -
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman was the very first cast member to be associated with Australia as far back as June 2005. At the time, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe were being lined up for the lead roles. However, Crowe was replaced by Hugh Jackman in June 2006. Filming of Australia was originally supposed to begin in early 2006, however the movie shoot was pushed back by a year due to various reasons. On 26 April 2007, the very first pictures of Kidman and Jackman rehearsing together were released (click here). And on 2 May 2007, the very first official picture of Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley was revealed (pictured above left). For more production images featuring Nicole Kidman, click here.
"The Drover" -
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman plays the lead male character in Australia, simply referred to as "The Drover". Originally, Russell Crowe was set to play the lead role, but he dropped out of the project in April 2006 due to creative differences with the studio. Jackman was announced as his replacement in June 2006. On 26 April 2007, the very first pictures of Jackman rehearsing were released, which were taken at Strickland House, Sydney, and featured Hugh Jackman in character wearing a white tuxedo (click here). For more production images featuring Hugh Jackman, click here.
Jackman's actual character name has been the cause of much speculation. On 3 June 2007, local resident, 'A Bowen Womun', was lucky enough to meet Baz Luhrmann while filming was taking place in Bowen and asked him about Jackman's character name. Luhrmann confirmed his name was simply "The Drover". She then asked, "Does he have a REAL name though? You seem to be keeping it a secret". And Luhrmann said that he does have a real name but it's part of a twist. However, on 14 June 2007, The Townsville Bulletin reported in an article entitled 'War-hit Bowen lit up' that Jackman's name is actually Noah. However, this has not been confirmed and might have been an error by the publication. We will have to wait and see what significance the Drover's name has as part of a Luhrmann's "twist"!
Young Nullah - Brandon Walters
11-year-old newcomer Brandon Walters plays a young Aboriginal musterer. On 17 April 2007, ABC Kimberley reported, "Young Brandon plays the Aboriginal boy Nullah, who lives on Lady Ashley's property and becomes a central figure in Jackman-Kidman relationship. It's a role the director describes as substantial. Baz Luhrmann says Brandon hasn't acted before but will bring something unique to the role. There was already an on-screen magic between him and Nicole." The article was accompanied by the above picture by Bazmark, and also a 6 minute, 47 second audio interview with Baz Luhrmann talking entirely about Brandon Walters. Click here to view the full story and listen to the informative audio from Luhrmann.
Adult Nullah -
Aaron Pedersen
On 21 October 2007, the The Herald Sun reported that Aaron Pedersen was going to be in the movie. His character name was not specified in the article, however a Pedersen fan e-mailed me to advise she had got in touch with his agent, who revealed that he would be playing the role of adult Nullah. There is now much speculation among Australia followers as to how the role of adult Nullah will feature in the storyline. It has previously been reported that the timeline of Australia will span over four years, from 1938 to 1942, and so it is unclear how the jump in age will be covered in the plot of the film.
King George -
David Gulpilil
On 19 December 2007, Moviehole reported, "Gulpilil's co-starring role as King George, a magic man in his tribe, requires the actor to sing a great deal of his role in several pivotal scenes in the film. The actor took this requirement seriously and is proud to showcase this unique aspect of his culture in Luhrmann's film. As the actor states, "Our tometic ancestors created the land in the dreamtime. Everything you see, including animals, tress, rocks and rivers were created in the dreamtime. Our ancestors called the land into life, giving names to places and animals through song. Our songs represent our stories and our connection to this land. Without our songs we would have nothing."
King Carney - Bryan Brown
Lady Ashley's Love Interest -
Ben
Mendelsohn
On 11 January 2007, the Townsville Bulletin revealed that Bryan Brown was going to be in the movie. On 25 January 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported, "Bryan Brown's suitably weathered features will perfectly suit the role of cattle baron King Carney, the single greatest landholder in the country's north."
On 16 April 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, "Ben Mendelsohn has been cast as the third romantic lead in Australia." This indicated that Mendelsohn might play a mysterious love interest to rival "The Drover".
Kipling Flynn - Jack Thompson
On 12 December 2006, the Courier Mail, revealed that Jack Thompson was going to be in the movie. On 17 January 2007, the Bowen Independent reported, "[Jack Thompson] plays a cattle baron in the Baz Luhrmann epic, so it is most likely his scenes will be shot in Kununurra in Western Australia." And on 25 January 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported, "In a role almost seems penned especially for him, Thompson has been announced to play Kipling Flynn, a drunken accountant and flamboyant bon vivant." Click on the image above to read a scanned article about Thompson from the January 2008 edition of the Australian Women's Weekly.
Neil Fletcher - David Wenham
On 21 January 2007, the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that David Wenham was going to be in the film. And on 25 January 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported, "...it is understood David Wenham has joined the cast as the third lead, and will raise the dramatic stakes of the plot as Neil Fletcher, a station manager who plots to possess Faraway Downs." Click here to watch and read David Wenham's interview with The Daily Telegraph in March 2007.
On 31 December 2006, the Sun Herald reported, "From the set of Baz Luhrmann's new film Australia... comes word that Barry Otto and Joel Edgerton are being considered for support roles." On 16 April 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed that Barry Otto "has scored a role in the film." However, on 10 February 2007, The Daily Telegraph clarified that Joel Edgerton is not in the movie. Edgerton himself was quoted as saying with a laugh, "Look, I'd love to work with Baz, but I'm not involved in that project. Not unless Hugh falls off his horse."
On 16 April 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Ray Barrett and Bill Hunter would feature in the movie.
John Jarratt,
Bruce Spence,
Essie Davis,
Sandy Gore
On 29 April 2007, The Sunday Telegraph revealed that John Jarratt, Bruce Spence, Essie Davis, and Sandy Gore would feature in the movie.
Lillian Crombie,
Ursula Yovich,
David Ngoombujarra
On 16 April 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported, "Australia will also sport a strong indigenous cast, including Lillian Crombie, Ursula Yovich, David Ngoombujarra"
Additional Cast Members
Jacek Koman, Wah Yuen, Kerry Walker, Nathin Butler, Matthew Whittet, Jamie
Gulpilil, Tony Barry, Eddie Baroo, Crusoe Kurddal, Arthur Dignam, Sean Hall
CREW
Director/Producer: Baz Luhrmann
Associate Producer and Set/Costume Designer: Catherine Martin
Executive Producer: G. MacBrown
Co-Producer: Catherine Knapman
Associate Producer: Paul 'Dubsy' Watters
Post-Production Supervisor: Aaron Downing
Supervising Art Director: Ian Gracie
Second Unit Director: Guy Norris
Location Manager: Phillip Roope
Visual Effects: Animal Logic
Production Companies: Bazmark Films and 20th Century Fox
Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood and Richard Flanagan
For a more complete crew list, visit the Australia IMDb page
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Estimated Budget: AU$130 million
Estimated Release Date: November 2008
Filming
Dates:
Shooting began in April 2007 and continued until October 2007
(Pre-production began in October 2006, with rehearsals in December 2006 & early 2007)
Locations: The movie
was filmed entirely in Australia. Locations included Sydney, Bowen, Darwin and
The Kimberley region.
Please see my Locations Page for further details.
Compiled
for Baz the Great
Copyright
