MOST Australian actors would give anything to land a Hollywood film role, but Home & Away’s Dan Ewing has revealed he actually turned one down.
The star, who’s best known for playing bad boy Heath Braxton on the long-running Aussie soap, says he was offered a major part in an action movie, but sensed that something wasn’t right.
“It wasn’t shooting in the US, and they were like, ‘We’ll offer the lead role to an Australian because we’ll get him for cheap’,†the 31 year old explained.
“It’s like this multimillion-dollar American studio and they were trying to rip someone off because they weren’t American.â€
Apparently, the casting choices for the lead male role came down to Ewing and an American actor.
“Because they were filming in another country they could technically offer me less than him,†he said. “Don’t get me wrong — it’s not about the big pay packet, it’s about respect and valuing yourself as an Australian actor. We’re worth every bit as much as the other guys are.â€
Even so, it was an extremely difficult decision to turn down an opportunity many would kill for, but Ewing says he knew it was the right move.
“It was tough, because it would have almost certainly catapulted my career in the US, but I made a decision to value myself as a performer,†he said.
On the other hand, the actor was thrilled to be cast in new Aussie film Red Billabong alongside X-Men actor Tim Pocock and Jessica Green, which hits cinemas next week.
The Luke Sparke-directed action thriller follows the story of two brothers who are haunted by a supernatural being.
He insists it’s like nothing audiences will have seen before.
“I couldn’t pigeonhole it — Australia’s famous for Chopper, The Castle, Wolf Creek ... Red Billabong is not just a monster movie, not a comedy, not an action movie,†he said.
“It ticked a lot of boxes — that’s why it drew me in.â€
Ewing and his wife Marni Little returned from a stint in Los Angeles last year, after following the well-trodden path of Australian stars trying to make it big in the states, but he says the decision to come home all boiled down to the quality of life for their young son, Archie.
“We were huge fans of the place, but it wasn’t a good place to bring up children,†he said.
Sadly, the pair’s three-year marriage broke down soon after, and Ewing openly blames himself.
“I regret not appreciating what I had. I had a beautiful wife and little boy, and I’ve learned the grumpy old depressed fool thing didn’t work,†he confessed.
“I was just creating a negative energy to be around — I wish I’d woken up to that sooner. I still love Marni with all my heart.â€
Red Billabong is in cinemas from August 25.