Quirky New Zealand film Second Hand Wedding may glorify the humble garage sale, but it's also a reminder of what's really important in life, says actor Patrick Wilson. Shane Gilchrist reports.
If clothes maketh the man, then what to make of Brian Rose, the quiet father and husband of Second Hand Wedding? His favourite attire is a green woollen vest/cardigan and brown pants.
His favourite tipple is tea.
His favourite hobby? Tinkering on his Model T Ford, a pastime that has the retiree bordering on throes of passion when, early in the New Zealand film, he declares he's "living the dream".
The job of playing an ordinary Kiwi bloke fell to another Kiwi bloke, Patrick Wilson.
On the phone from Sydney, he explains how the quiet characters are often the most difficult.
"Sometimes it's easier to hang your hat on a big character.
Actually playing someone who is an ordinary bloke who is just battling on, is not really a provocateur as such, is a guy who sees the action swirling around him... that is a bigger challenge as an actor."
Without giving too much away, Second Hand Wedding is set on the Kapiti Coast and focuses on the Rose family, comprising Jill (played by Geraldine Brophy), husband Brian and their daughter, primary school teacher Cheryl (Holly Shanahan).
Jill's passion is collecting or - to be precise - the process of collecting.
Garage sales are her particular weakness, but her canny knack for a bargain is an embarrassment to her daughter, who fears Jill will ruin her forthcoming wedding to mechanic Stew Davis (Ryan O'Kane).
Brian thus finds himself caught between the wishes of his daughter and wife.
"I liked the role in the sense that the story is about the wedding preparations and the conflict between daughter and mother, but Brian is this figure in the background who is the glue that holds the family together in a way," Wilson says.
"These two strong personalities clash, but he's the one who is always there making the cups of tea or trying to keep the peace... They pull him in different ways. He's trying to please both of them and just wants the household back to where it was."
Besieged is a word that springs to mind when pondering Brian's predicament and it is one that conjures images of another fatherly figure Wilson has played in recent times.
In the television series Rude Awakenings , he adopted the role of Arthur Short, a gruff but good-hearted solo dad to two teenage girls.
Wilson agrees there are similarities between the characters.
"I think, for both... events overtake them. In Arthur's situation, his wife left him, the next-door neighbour wants to buy his house - it's not as if he was instigating those events. Again, it was a case of his life going along smoothly and then things hit the fan... I think both of them have that solidity about them. They are trying to do the right thing and sometimes trying to do the right thing by everyone gets them into these situations."
Wilson (51) has two grown children, a 27-year-old daughter and a son a year older.
Hence he was able to draw from his own parental experience.
"I've sat there trying to be welcoming to new boyfriends coming through the door, so I've had to play that one - for better or worse. Some you approve of; others you just think, 'oh my God', and you bite your tongue. Just living a life, I guess, exposes you to a number of elements and people."
Second Hand Wedding makes the point that growing pains are not solely the domain of the young.
Expectation, compromise and, ultimately, transformation are key themes.
The film also details the fabric of life.
Humble escapism - be it garage-sale hunting or mechanical tinkering - is explored and celebrated.
It's a Kiwiana collector's dream, too, as roller door after roller door is lifted to expose a range of treats: velvet paintings vie for attention with Tretchikoff prints; candelabra go head to head with various salt shakers; and boxes of ceramic dwarves beg to be taken home.
Then there's the crowning glory, a performance of Cheryl Moana Marie by John Rowles.
It was all part of the attraction, says Wilson.
"It wasn't out to make a huge Man Alone statement. It wasn't trying to be a copy of some American-type formula. It's a uniquely Kiwi film... those things picked up in second-hand sales and even the closeness of the community, everyone knowing everyone's business... it has such a small-town Kiwi feel to it."
Independently produced with support from the New Zealand Film Commission, Second Hand Wedding was directed by Paul Murphy, who had just four weeks to shoot his big-screen debut.
"It's one of those things where everyone was working hard to get the thing done," Wilson explains.
"It was a neat experience. Sometimes the more money, the harder the work can be. You get the urgency on something like [Second Hand Wedding] that it has to be done and it cuts out all the rubbish in a way. You're all working towards the finish line. It's a lovely sort of energy."
The premiere of Second Hand Wedding was held at Wellington's Embassy Theatre last Wednesday.
The film opens nationwide this Thursday, by which time Wilson will be back in Australia, continuing to knock on doors in the hope of securing work.
Unlike his cardigan-wearing screen character, Wilson is far from retired.
He's decided to "shake the cage up" following the news Rude Awakenings will not be renewed for another series on television.
"I've earmarked some money to put away so I could come over, test the waters as far as agents and work is concerned. I've done a short film for someone over here, and there is another project that is up in the air... I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. If it doesn't work out, so be it."
Wilson's CV is extensive, ranging from television action series such as Xena and Hercules to the satirical strains of Spin Doctors.
He also has a wealth of theatrical experience.
Recent plays include Equus, Weighing In, Hitchcock Blonde and Spreading Out, the latter two being produced by the Fortune Theatre, Dunedin.
He says he has no preference for mediums.
Stage or screen, each presents its own set of challenges. (In March, Wilson injured his eye while putting on glasses for Roger Hall's Who Wants to be 100?, forcing two shows to be cancelled at the Fortune Theatre. He had to wear an eye patch for the rest of season).
"Obviously, stage is your bread and butter as far as learning the craft and getting immediate feedback from an audience, whichever way it goes - good or bad.
Film is more a director's medium in that your performance can be monitored in the editing room.
"A lot of actors take the stance that stage is the purist form and film and TV are just tack-ons because they feel out of control, but I feel film and TV are just another set of muscles you have to use... I really enjoy both".
"Being away from one for too long, I yearn for it. I feel I'm getting a bit sloppy and I want to do it again. Yet there are no theatre bookings 'in the immediate future", Wilson says.
He has had to clear his diary; if work arrives in Australia, he has to be in a position to accept it.
You get the feeling Wilson is not uncomfortable with the concept of taking a punt.
At the age of 33, single again, he left New Zealand and a lengthy career in the police and headed for London to pursue a long-overdue OE.
He'd gone to an all-boys' college, played senior rugby, joined the force. Theatre wasn't part of the conversation in his social circles. His only recollection of a play was attending a pantomime at the age of seven with his mum.
"While I was over there, I thought, 'well, I'm far enough away from home to fall on my face without anyone taking the piss out of me'. I rang up a whole lot of places... I found this little place in Whitechapel that did acting for people who'd never done it before. It was an improvisational class and I thoroughly enjoyed it".
"From there, I did a class that was three evenings a week and after that I applied for a full-time, two-year course. I got into that and it snowballed from there."
- Second Hand Wedding opens at cinemas nationwide on Thursday, May 15.
