QUOTATIONS

ABOUT DAVID...
THE VIEWERS AND THE REVIEWERS ...

“The movie (“Molokai”) itself rests on the shoulders of David Wenham, who plays Father Damien. Wow. I have a new favorite actor. You’ve probably seen David Wenham before -- he played Faramir in The Two Towers and Return of the King. He also played Audrey in Moulin Rouge! I first got interested in him when a friend told me about the Audrey-Faramir connection. They’re such different roles that I was impressed by his versatility. Father Damien is yet another drastically different role- a forthright man with few social graces but a selfless soul that is willing to devote his life to the people that society would rather forget. Wenham’s performance is understated and humble. He doesn’t turn Damien into a perfect figure, but rather a real man frustrated by aspects of his duty, yet still selfless and giving until the end”.

“I have to admit that Wenham's an excellent actor. LOTR aside, I've watched Moulin Rouge! sixty or seventy times, (sad, I know) but I would never have made the connection between the high strung Audrey of MR and good ol’ amiable, five o’clock shadowed Josh. Not even when he was wearing a dress… I really do like Wenham. His mannerisms and appearance struck me as a little bit Gere, a little bit Affleck… and a whole lot of boyish charm. In fact, I wouldn't mind sharing... a cab with him”.


“If this guy isn't a bigger name in America, I have to assume it's because he doesn't want to be. He has a really menacing presence in this role. We've seen David Wenham do noble (LOTR), touchingly hopeless (Getting' Square), bemused and cute (Better than Sex), drowning emotionally (After the Deluge) and coolly efficient (The Bank). Here (“Dust”) we see he can play menacing too”.


“But Wenham's Spit, which earned awards honours in a year dominated by Japanese Story, is a show-stealing sensation… In The Bank and The Boys, Wenham has shown he's a dramatic actor of class and in Getting Square here he demonstrates he's a gifted comedian as well. His performance alone is worth the admission price to an otherwise undistinguished film”.


“Anyway, do I recommend this movie (“Van Helsing”)? Well, for "Faramir"'s sake, sure. The final fight scene is cool, too. Oh, and Kate Beckinsale seems like a bad actress in this for some reason, but she IS hot. Dracula's harem is gorgeous in a slutty way, as well. Hugh Jackman is good, even with the horrible script. Gotta give him credit for that. Anyway, watch it for Faramir's sake. He's not as handsome or strong as his brother, Boromir. He's also not as noble as Theoden King or Aragorn. Faramir was super courageous and had a really good heart, though... also the guy that plays Faramir is a great actor. Anyway, thinking about Faramir and that great movie makes me want to lower this movie down to one star. I'll resist the temptation”.


“Superb Australian actor David Wenham takes the role of the narrator Dilios and for once narration isn’t irritating, because the man has a beautiful voice. This actor can do anything, from a brief but deliriously unforgettable appearance as a transvestite poet in Moulin Rouge to the noble Faramir in Lord of the Rings. In between he has played a pudgy priest in Van Helsing, a whining criminal in Getting Straight and a heart throb in the Australian TV series Sea Change. Turning himself into a mighty Spartan warrior with a rippling eight-pack wouldn’t have fazed him at all. More importantly, he has the screen presence and dramatic training to deliver some of the film’s most powerful dialog without making it sound cheesy”.


“David Wenham is the new Wedge Antilles! He’s found himself staring death in the face as Faramir, Carl, and now Dilios. He was also in The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course and somehow he survived them all. A feat only an Antilles could pull off. It’s Wenham who provides the narration through out 300 as well as some fierce fighting along side Leonidas. He is the glue of the story and a great choice as the voice of Sparta”.


“Word is that Wenham will play the movie’s bad guy. He’s a station manager plotting to steal Kidman’s ranch. I’m happy to see David Wenham in just about anything. He’s gotten work since playing Faramir in Lord of the Rings, but his only high profile part was in Van Helsing where he flat out stole the movie right out from under everyone. He’ll be in 300 later this year, but the more Wenham the better”.


“David Wenham is an actor who improves a movie just by being in it. He’s a gorgeous sandy-haired Australian, often described by interviewers as warm and personable. In my opinion, he’s the perfect hero. He’s honourable, understated and modest in manner but undeniably successful, and best of all, he has a sense of humour”.


“Another actor I've come to respect in being chameleon-like, though less known, is David Wenham. Who? He was Friar Carl in Van Helsing, Faramir in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Dilios and narrator in 300. On those roles, you see how versatile he is: he was a nerdy cleric in the first, a noble archer in the second, and a commanding warrior in the last. In the first, you see him as whimpering, crouching down; but by the third, he's ripped with 0% body fat like the rest of the Spartans. But whichever movie, he's incredibly convincing in what he does, becoming the character. A chameleon. But even if you can play a variety of roles, there's the question of what I call immersion. It's not just that you can play the part, but that we can believe that you really are the character you represent. Take David Wenham. Part of his ability to make you believe he is Friar Carl, Faramir or Dilios is his beautiful voice and terrific voice acting. By changing his voice, he matches his roles, hence we believe he's a nerdy inventor in Van Helsing. This was probably how he got casted in 300, such that his character's oration skills gets mentioned in the story. It's funny, but I only realize that he was all three of those characters was when I remember his face. A handsome man, but his identity is so skillfully hidden by his work. Impressive”.

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