The Leading Man

Former Home and Away star DAN EWING is gearing up for multiple upcoming big-screen appearances and it all starts this month with the release of the new alien invasion Aussie action film Occupation…

- Santi Pintado

 Hey mate, what’s been doing since you finished up on Home and Away? You are done on Summer Bay, right?

Well my character Heath is not dead, so you never say never, but I’ve had a very exciting last 12 months — I have four films in post-production and a couple of pilots I’ve shot, too. I’m extremely grateful for all the opportunities – so, stay tuned.

How would you best describe your Aussie action flick Occupation?

People have seen $200 million movies made overseas and there’s just something that gets lost in the mix of all the special effects and the budget. Occupation is an intergalactic invasion film, yes, however it’s from a small-town perspective. They are a small, dying town so there’s no astrophysics or the American President flying a fighter plane. This is Aussies trying to help other Aussies in a small town – so, it’s unique.

What attracted you to the film?

The uniqueness of the script. I’ve seen alien invasion and war films and great Aussie classics, like Chopper and The Castle, but this type of film hasn’t been done before.

You play an ex-footy player and gained weight for this role. How was that?

Well, quite simply, I stayed comfortable but I didn’t pig out anymore than I normally would. Naturally, I’m not a small dude, but it was quite refreshing to be able to just stay the way I was and being able to eat lots of rice and pasta – all the things you can’t really eat when you must do a shirt off, running-out-of-the-water-with -a-surfboard scene.

We hear your Kiwi co-star, Temuera Morrison, did the Haka on set?