Acting nomination for ‘angry cop’
by Eloise Gibson
There aren’t many jobs that reward you for getting into fights, driving too fast and shooting at people - but actor Will Wallace has found one.
Playing an angry cop has earned him a nomination for best supporting actor at next week’s Air New Zealand Screen Awards.
Wallace worked out, drank protein shakes and put on 5kg to play Tom Bowden, the most troubled member of the fictional covert border security unit in Kiwi-made drama Orange Roughies.
And Wallace says he wasn’t afraid to tap in his angry side for the role. “I love accessing that part of my personality because I don’t do it in real life. In real life you don’t get to beat people up in the middle of the street and not go to jail.
“Some people are afraid of exploring the dark side of their personality, but I don’t have a problem with it because I know who I am,” he says.
Wallace says attending next Wednesday’s screen awards as a nominee will be a first for him. He’s up against tough competition – four of the other five nominees for best supporting actor or actress are from popular show Outrageous Fortune, with the remaining nomination going to Shortland Street’s Anna Julliene.
“I’m the only nominee who doesn’t work for South Pacific Pictures,” he says. “I feel really lucky to be recognised.” Although Orange Roughies only lasted a season, Wallace says he’s proud of the show and his character Tom.
“Because Tom was such a screw up he was always making the wrong decisions for the right reasons. “I loved that about the character, because his heart was in the right place,” he adds.
A self-confessed “peaceful guy”, Wallace says he sometimes misses Tom’s zeal. “He was the guy who got things done. “If something went down, you wanted him there. I’d love to have him around to sort out my life!”
Wallace, who grew up in Dannevirke, says he realised he wanted to be an actor at age seven after seeing one of the Star Wars films. “But took me until I was 21 to really figure it out. By then I’d started studying to be a computer analyst.”
He now uses his computer skills to make show reels for other actors, when he isn’t acting himself. Since finishing a performing degree Wallace has worked on short films, feature films, television series and local theatre, including playing a crew member on board the ship “Venture” in Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
“When I became an actor I had a list of stuff I wanted to do – fire a gun, kill someone, get the girl. I’ve pretty much ticked them all off. Now I have to make a more serious list,” he says.