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News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bizarre way star landed his role in The Castle
Stephen Curry has revealed the bizarre way he landed his role in the iconic Aussie movie, The Castle, saying it was the result of 'pure dumb luck'. The actor, best known for playing the quietly optimistic Dale Kerrigan, opened up about his casting during an interview to promote his role in a new Uber Green campaign. Curry was only 20 years old when he landed a role in the film after catching the eyes of Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch from Working Dog (the production company that made the movie). 'They'd cast the whole film but they hadn't cast my character,' he recalled. 'Then, all of a sudden, while they're (Sitch and Kennedy) sitting there on their couch talking about who they're going to get to play Dale Kerrigan, an ad came on.' The TV commercial was a lighthearted one that Curry had filmed a year earlier for the TAC (Transport Accident Commission), and clearly both Kennedy and Sitch were impressed by what they saw. 'They had no idea who I was,' Curry said. 'The next day I had the script (for The Castle) in my hand. 'It was pure dumb luck.' Almost 30 years later, Curry has reunited with castmates Anthony Simcoe and Michael Caton in a new Uber campaign, promoting the rideshare company's EV offering. 'Uber Green is the same price as an Uber X, but they're all electric vehicles … so you can save the planet and still get there on time in a nice, whisper quiet ride,' he told The cultural impact of The Castle The 1997 movie is full of memorable lines, including 'tell him he's dreaming', 'how's the serenity?' and 'this is going straight to the pool room'. They're lines that people have been repeating to Curry for more than 25 years, although not always accurately. 'Usually they get it wrong,' the actor said. 'Someone came past on a bus and all I heard was, 'how's the serendipity?'' Another line that people often misquote? ''Dad, I dug a ditch,' I've heard numerous times,' Curry laughed. Other fun facts about The Castle A few months ago, the Working Dog team who made The Castle shared some little known facts about the film during a Q+A event at HOTA on the Gold Coast. One of the most surprising was that they rejected an offer for a remake involving a Hollywood megastar. 'I think there was an offer to remake it in the United States with Tom Hanks playing the main role and it was going to be set next to O'Hare Airport in Chicago,' Working Dog's Santo Cilauro said. 'I think they wanted to make the lawyer the main character and that he had to return to university to study law to do a constitutional case in the Supreme Court,' Cilauro recalled.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The cast of The Castle don't look like this anymore! Stars of iconic film look unrecognisable in Today show segment
The Castle stars looked unrecognisable as they reunited on Wednesday, 28 years after the film hit Aussie screens in 1997. Stephen Curry, Michael Caton and Anthony Simcoe sat down with Nine's Today show on Wednesday to discuss their new gig - a partnership with Uber Green - while also reminiscing over the iconic '90s flick. The trio have all greyed since the film first premiered; however their humour hadn't changed a wink as they chatted to Richard Wilkins over a pint at The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre in Marrickville. Caton and Curry also now sport salt and pepper bushy beards and moustaches. Looking back on the iconic Aussie film, the trio couldn't believe how the film was still so relevant after all this time, especially considering it only took 11 days to film. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'All those lines from the film have become such a part of the vernacular that the next generation of people coming through don't even know they're quoting the film,' Stephen, 49, revealed. Reflecting on the film's popularity 28 years on, Caton, 81, said that no one could've predicted the cult status it achieved. 'We all knew it was a great script. Great scripts have come and gone and the films have done nothing. This, this just surprised us all,' he said. Simcoe, now 56, chimed in, saying: 'When it took off, I was almost in disbelief about the impact that it had. 'I'd done a few films before that and usually it's your girlfriend, your mum and dad and your next door neighbour who sees it. 'And here, all of a sudden, you've got something that people not only watched at the time, but to have something that people remember 25-something years later...' The Castle recently made its way back into headlines after critics of the 1997 film linked its plot about a blue-collar family trying to save their home from being acquired by developers to Australia's current housing crisis. Taking to X, a critic slammed the beloved hit comedy that made household names Eric Bana, Michael Caton and Stephen Curry. 'The film that did irreparable damage to urban planning in Australia,' complained the keyboard warrior about the film that launched one-liners like: 'Tell 'em they're dreamin'.' The angry critic then explained that the film was 'a convergence towards self entitlement and hypocrisy, a surrender to urban sprawl and sitting on a motorway two hours a day.' Another joined in the strange pile-on against the film. '[1997] Literally when the housing boom took off. Coincidence?' they added on the X thread. Originally released in 1997, The Castle is a comedy about a blue collar family who battle with developers. The ultra-low-budget film went on to gross $11 million at the Australian box office. The film's creators Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Jane Kennedy later made another comedy classic The Dish, in 2000.
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Aussie film Bring Her Back called one of the best horror movies of the year
A new Australian horror film has left viewers terrifyingly glued to their seats. Bring Her Back has cinemagoers both disturbed and impressed by the movie, which stars British actress and two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as a foster parent who takes in two orphaned children after the death of her own child. The horror flick is directed by the same duo behind the widely acclaimed 2022 Aussie supernatural thriller Talk to Me. Twins Michael Philippou and Danny Philippou wowed the industry when they went from YouTube pranksters known as RackaRack to filmmakers who raked in a cool $143 million at the global box office for Talk to Me, their debut film. And now they're back with this psychological thriller filmed in Adelaide that they've described as 'harrowing, traumatic and fun'. 'We wanted to do something different from talk to me. It's still a horror film but it's more psychological,' Michael said in a promo teaser. 'I always knew Bring Her Back was the next film I wanted to make next. I was excited doing a character study and a psycho-biddy film,' added Danny. 'My hope is that audience go away saying it's a horror movie but why am I emotionally moved by this too?' Michael shared, as Danny teased, 'There's some f***ed up s**t in this film.' The audience agrees, with many saying the film has stayed with them long after leaving the cinema. 'The sombre quietness of everyone in the theatre walking out of Bring Her Back was something else. What a movie,' one tweeted on X, as another added, 'Saw the movie bring her back last night & it might be one of the best horror films i've seen so far in the past couple years.' 'I mean wow,' tweeted another viewer. 'I'm absolutely speechless right now and I was NOT ready for just how harrowing and devastating this movie can be. the brothers have done it once again and they've impressed me beyond my expectations. 10/10.' And this from another viewer: 'Holy F**k! So I went to see A24's Bring Her Back. Brought to you by the same guys who did Talk to Me. Talk to Me was pretty good, but this movie is one of the darkest and most intense movies I've ever seen!' 'Just seen bring her back. Good movie but I'm traumatised,' concluded another fan. Bring Her Back has also been praised by critics, earning glowing reviews and an 89 per cent 'fresh' score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has you hooked from the very first scene that features grainy VHS footage from an intense cult ritual, and the film cuts back to this grisly scene every so often. Hawkins' character Laura is stellar as the chillingly creepy foster parent who welcomes Andy (Billy Barrett) and his visually impaired sister Piper (Sora Wong) to her secluded house in suburban Australia. As it turns out, Laura's biological child Cathy, who was also visually impaired, mysteriously died too long ago, and it soon becomes apparent that she has sinister plans for Piper. 'We love Sally Hawkins and were so honoured to be able to work with her,' Danny said of their leading lady. 'She lived and breathed this character. The process of her was so incredible. She gave a part of her soul for this character and when she went there, she went there. And the crew were terrified of her and so was I.'
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Meet Australia's next Margot Robbie: Teen horror star impresses Hollywood after working on fright film with zany Aussie directors who made over $100m at the box office
Mischa Heywood may only be 15, but the Aussie actress' CV is more stacked than most trying to make it in Tinseltown - and she hasn't even finished school yet. Mischa is about to make her big film debut in Bring Her Back, a supernatural horror film by Aussie brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, the genius twins behind the smash frightening hit Talk To Me, which made over $100m at the box office. Starting her career on kids' show The Wonder Gang, one would hardly expect Mischa's next big step to be a leap into the horror genre, especially considering she's a self-acclaimed scaredy cat when it comes to gory films. But the young star revealed that filming Bring Her Back was anything but scary. 'It was just like a big party. It was the funnest thing ever,' she said of her experience playing Catherine in the film. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It's no surprise why, considering the film's directors are none other than Danny and Michael Philippou - aka the RackaRacka brothers. The boys started out filming stunts and pranks in their backyard at the age of seven, but soon graduated from home videos to Hollywood flicks, with projects such as 2022 film Talk To Me and, of course, Bring Her Back, which is set to hit Aussie screens on May 29 and will premiere in Sydney tonight. 'They're so full of energy and bubbly, which is great because when you're filming something so serious and devastating - like Bring Her Back - I guess you have to have that fun on set to lighten the mood,' Mischa said of the YouTubers turned horror directors. 'They're just the sweetest human beings.' And the RackaRacka brothers weren't the only ones on set who had the young actress starstruck. 'I think my highlight when filming was probably meeting Sally Hawkins,' she said, adding that she was 'so cool' and 'hardworking'. Sally, who has featured in mega box office films such as Wonka, The Shape of Water and Paddington, plays Mischa's mum Laura in the flick. However, Mischa says Sally's character in the beloved English bear classic is a far cry from her role as Laura, who attempts to bring her daughter back from the dead using a paranormal ritual. 'Paddington's mom gone rogue,' she joked of her TV mum. Despite throwing herself into the 'grown-up' movie genre, Mischa still had time to be a teen on set, playing foosball with her castmates between takes and going out for YoChi with her co-star Sora Wong, who plays Piper. Sora was one of her 'best friends' while filming Bring Her Back and the girls 'helped each other' while filming, bonding over their shared interests and similar age. It was Sora who broke the big news to Mischa that they'd be heading to Los Angeles for the film's US premiere, a 'surreal' moment for the young star. 'LA has been on my bucket list for years,' she said. From bumping into celebrities on sidewalks to visiting California's Instagrammable eateries, Mischa's Los Angeles' adventure was straight out of a movie, especially when visiting one iconic LA monument with her always-up-to-no-good directors. 'We went to the Hollywood sign with them [Danny and Michael]. It broke out into a full on pretend fight scene. It was so fun,' she shared. The RackaRacka brothers proceeded to photobomb tourists' pictures as they performed 'stunt fights' at the iconic picture spot, which is no surprise to fans of the chaotic duo. It was Sora (centre) who broke the big news to Mischa (far right) that they'd be heading to Los Angeles for the film's US premiere (pictured), a 'surreal' moment for the young star After all the hilarious hijinks from the Phillippou brothers' movie, Mischa is now looking towards the future, with several opportunities on the horizon. 'We have meetings with a lot of big studios which is really exciting,' she said of upcoming film projects. Mischa is set to front another horror flick Dead Eyes, which will hit screens in 2026 and feature the likes of Ana Thu Nguyen and Stephen Phillips. And as for what's next, Mischa wouldn't mind switching it up a bit, eyeing up a more 'fun, upbeat' genre for her next gig. 'Kind of like Disney vibes,' she said, adding that playing Rapunzel in a live action remake is something she's always dreamed of doing. As Mischa takes on the horror genre, attends LA premieres and works with some of the biggest up-and-coming directors in film and television, it's no wonder industry insiders are eyeing her as the next Margot Robbie. And with a three-year head start on the beloved Aussie actress, she may just be the next big thing.
