Tom Beasley talks to George MacKay and Essie Davis about their roles in the fearsome real-life Outback thriller True History of the Kelly Gang…
Taking on the role of Ned Kelly is a big challenge for any actor but, in the wake of an awards season run for World War One drama 1917, George MacKay was up for the challenge. He portrays Kelly in director Justin Kurzel’s new take on the life of the bushranger, adapted from Peter Carey’s Booker Prize-winning tale True History of the Kelly Gang. Essie Davis stars as his mother in a supporting cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Russell Crowe and Nicholas Hoult.
MacKay and Davis both sat down to talk to Flickering Myth about Aussie slang and the pressure of telling such a significant story.
SEE ALSO: Read our ★ ★ ★ ★ review of True History of the Kelly Gang
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG shatters the mythology of the notorious icon to reveal the essence behind the life of Ned Kelly and force a country to stare back into the ashes of its brutal past. Spanning the younger years of Ned’s life to the time leading up to his death, the film explores the blurred boundaries between what is bad and what is good, and the motivations for the demise of its hero. Youth and tragedy collide in the Kelly Gang, and at the beating heart of this tale is the fractured and powerful love story between a mother and a son.
True History of the Kelly Gang is in UK cinemas from 28th February.
Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.