When fans stop actor David Wenham in the street, they generally ask about one character from his rich back catalogue of films: Johnny Francis (Spit) Spitieri.
Audiences first met the small-time crook with a proverbial heart of gold in the 2003 Gold Coast-based comedy crime thriller, Gettin’ Square. Now he’s back in Spit, a new film with Spitiri as the titular character.
Spit first appeared in Getting Square 23 years ago. PHOTO: supplied
‘I get asked about that character more than anything else,’ Wenham says. ‘More than Lord of the Rings or 300 or Sea Change. Spit is the character most people want to talk to me about, which is incredible for a film that didn’t do well originally and the character wasn’t the lead in the original film.’
Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky and written by Gold Coast lawyer Chris Nyst, the pair have reprised their director/writer roles for Spit. The film is foremost a comedy but it’s one that tugs at heart strings and has room for reflection on social justice.
Spit emerged from cult classic
‘I’ve been on this film for nearly ten years, pushing the barrow to get it made,’ says Wenham. ‘The original Gettin Square wasn’t a commercial success, but what was fascinating was, in subsequent years, it found an audience on VHS and DVD. The word spread about this film and it’s become a cult classic.’
Getttin’ square is now a cult classic
‘I’d never considered playing any other character twice. I’m always thinking ahead, not backwards. But about ten years ago, I was having a conversation with a very good friend of mine, a filmmaker I’ve worked with about five times, Robert Connolly and he brought up the character of Johnny Spitieri. We started riffing on all the different situations you could throw Johnny into and what would ensue from that.’
‘I happened to speak to Chris (Nyst). He said: “Well, funny, you should call because there is something in the bottom drawer.” Jonathan and Chris had been talking about it for a bit longer.’
The film, which wrapped shooting early last year on the Gold Coast, is very much a film for our times.
‘Chris cracked the story many years ago,’ says Wenham. ‘He was just a bit surprised about the hullabaloo regarding migration in this country and he couldn’t quite understand it, because he thought, we’re all migrants. It’s like, what’s the issue? And you know, today’s migrants are tomorrow’s amazing Australian citizens.
Spit lands in immigration detention. PHOTO: supplied by Transmission Films
‘He thought: the person to throw into this is Johnny Spitieri. Johnny could bring a bit of common sense to the situation. So that’s where the genesis for the idea came from.
Character study
‘When Chris sent me his initial script and I read it, I thought it was just inspired. I liked the reason for the film’s existence and the reason Johnny comes back (to Australia). We didn’t want to make Gettin’ Square 2. What Chris did was take that character, and it’s essentially a character study and you get to see who Johnny is. then you get to understand why people gravitate towards him.
Character study: PHOTO: supplied by Transmission Films
‘He’s a flawed individual. Yes, he’s an ex-junkie and an ex-small-time criminal, but essentially, he’s a good man and the least judgmental person you will ever come across. It doesn’t matter what colour your skin is, what religion you are, what you’re wearing, what you do, how much money you have … he doesn’t care. He’s going to treat you exactly the same. And that goes to exploring the Australian ethos of mateship. At its heart, this film is about what it is to be Australian and the exploration of mate-ship.’
Without giving too much away about the plot, there’s a beautiful scene early in the detention centre where Johnny mucks in and helps refugees learn his version of English.
‘It was great sitting in the audience at opening night at HoTA in Johnny’s spiritual home on the Gold Coast,’ says Wenham. ‘It was fantastic to hear the audience laugh as one and then be completely silent the next minute. It was really, really reassuring.
Actors bring lived experience to roles
‘In the English lesson, the characters of the refugees in this film are played by people who are either refugees themselves or relatives of refugees. So they bring lived experience to this film. The casting process was fascinating. Greg Apps, who cast the film up here in Queensland, he would bring each of the actors in and get them to tell us their story, which, many times, was extremely moving, but it allowed us to get an insight into what these people’s history was. What all those people loved about this film when they came on board, was the fact that it humanised them. A lot of them said, “Look, sometimes, refugees are portrayed on screen and it’s nearly as though they’re deified.” That’s ridiculous.
Spit has refugee themes. PHOTO supplied by Transmission Films
‘They said: “We’re refugees, sure, but we’re the same as everybody else. Some of us are smart, some of us aren’t. Some of us are idiotic, some of us are really stupid”.’
‘They wanted to embrace that and show people they’re the same. And they just revelled in opening night.’
Spit is produced by Trish Lake of Queensland-based Freshwater Pictures alongside Greg Duffy, Felicity McVay and David Wenham.
Check out the trailer here
The film opened 6 March and is showing at Event Cinemas and Village Cinemas and Palace Cinemas until the end of March.
