Eric Bana, 56, is starring in the number one show currently on Netflix, the mystery series Untamed. I have some minor issues with the writing, it’s by director/writer Mark L. Smith (Twisters, The Revenant, American Primeval), but overall it’s bingeable and goes down easy. So much of that is due to Bana’s nuanced performance, he plays a grieving alcoholic park ranger investigating a murder and he’s superb. The supporting actors, including Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt and Lily Santiago, are also believable and highly watchable. Bana has a new interview with The Independent. Bana is Australian, and he’s stayed in Melbourne with his wife, Rebecca Gleeson, and their two kids and hasn’t chased fame at all. He discussed his career in this interview and how he chooses his projects carefully. It’s a good glimpse into a working actor’s thoughts on the industry. Here’s some of what he told The Independent, with more at the source.
On his approach to his career
“I’m really good at not working… It’s never felt like a big risk to say no to things. I’ve never panicked about work. It’s just not how I operate.”“I’m very happy to die, you know? I’m happy to be killed off in something.. I’m happy to support [other actors] – it’s just more interesting. I don’t want the audience to see me and think he’s going to be the main guy until the end credits roll.”
Why he turns down a lot of projects
“It doesn’t come from a place of arrogance,” he explains now. “You just have to be brutally honest about the quality of your material. If something has potential but it’s not there yet, let’s not be shy about talking about it. No single actor, writer or director is so good that they can overcome scripts that aren’t good. I don’t care who’s involved. Some people can elevate things a little bit, but once you’re underwater, you’re underwater.”Naturally, my mind jumps to Hulk. Production on the movie was a famously tortured affair, with filmmaker Ang Lee – an undeniable genius, if ill-suited for comic book films – sometimes demanding hundreds of takes of scenes. Bana struggled. “Humour and irony were not welcome on the set,” he once told GQ. The film drew mixed reviews and didn’t make enough money to warrant a sequel – a failed reboot was made in 2008 with Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has only ever been a supporting player in Marvel films since.
“We didn’t have a finished script,” Bana remembers. “I came on board [the film] based only on elements. And it was early in my career, so I wasn’t in the position I’m in now where I can [ask for changes]…
“You have to be really determined, but at the same time, I believe that if you’re patient enough, you will find another great drama, another great film. It’s harder now, but it’s still possible.”
There’s more about Bana’s career in the piece, including the detail that he used to be a stand up comedian in Australia and that he had his own sketch show. I didn’t know that at all! Then again, Bana has been superb at staying under the radar. Bana’s experience as a showrunner informed his opinion about the writing process. I can’t imagine what it’s like to act in a project with terrible writing. As a layperson, you notice it in shows that have glaring plot holes and inconsistencies. I’m thinking about AJLT bringing back a dead character. It’s surely no coincidence that John Corbett has talked about wanting to write and have agency over the creative process.
This also explains why Bana seemed like he was everywhere for a while in the late 90s/early 2000s and then kind of stepped back. He was making thoughtful choices about his career. This is a very Gen X take! Just wait it out and don’t stress about success, it will come when you’re true to yourself.
Update: A previous version of this page identified the woman in the photos with Eric Bana at the premiere of A Sacrifice as his wife, Rebecca Gleeson. She was incorrectly identified by the photo agency. That is Sylvia Hoeks, his costar. Bana is shown in older photos, available in the gallery below, with his wife.
Photos credit: Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix via Netflix Press and IMAGO/Faye Sadou/Avalon
Eric Bana…still gorgeous and my soul crush for over 20 years since I saw him in Troy. I’ll watch Untamed just because I need more Eric Bana in my life.
He was a good Hector 😍
He was the best Hector! Hector is my favourite character in the Iliad, and he played him so well.
I remember seeing it at the cinema with a friend who was drooling over Brad. Fool…
My crush too! He used to get coffee regularly in our Cafe when he lived in Sydney. I wasnt sure if he still lived in Mosman or went back to Melbourne. I love him as an actor.
I watched Untamed this week because Eric Bana was in it. Very good, complex characters and the scenery is magnificent.
Geez, I’ve been meaning to get to this, has it been out so long that SPOILER ALERT isn’t necessary?
Fear not there are no spoilers in this piece but you’d be wise not to read anything else about it online, as almost every single article gives something away, even in the headline—hate that trend.
I binged The Untamed last week and found Bana superb in the lead role! Also love Rosemarie Dewitt in anything, ever since Mad Men. The Untamed plot required a fair amount of “suspension of disbelief” but was a fun watch overall, with absolutely breathtaking scenery of Yosemite as well as Fauxsemite (much was filmed in British Columbia, I read.) Will watch out for more Bana in the future.
I’ve loved him since The Castle, I highly recommend it, a great Australian comedy. Tell him he’s dreaming.
The absolute best. I still use “and it was an absolute credit to the airline” any time anything goes right when travelling.
He should be an Oscar winner for Chopper.
Gosh, is he ever not gorgeous? Will check out his new show! Can confirm in Australia, he’s very much considered a comedian that just happened to turn out to be a fantastic dramatic actor lol!
Found this from the sketch show in question, maybe it won’t translate but it still made me laugh (the context is reporting on the Rainbow Warrior, not sure if that was big news in the US). https://youtu.be/L-W-vzELBt8?si=PONeHNzFbpPdvI3d
That’s brilliant! I hadn’t seen it before. I remember the Rainbow Warrior incident very well; It put me off anything French for many years. I wonder how anyone not Australian would understand anything he said in that sketch? 😀 I’ve loved him since The Castle and I’m enjoying the new show.
I binged Untamed this week. Bana was superb and the supporting cast were excellent (with one exception). Yeah there were some plot points that caused a bit of eye-rolling but overall it was extremely worth watching. I’ve been planning a Yosemite trip and now I hope there is at least one ranger or agent that looks like Bana!
Jeez the reviews have been hard on this show – which is watchable and has Eric Bana in it. Seriously all you need to know. I love how the Australian actors for the most part stay so connected to their homeland. Go clear 5 hours and just enjoy Eric Bana.
Eric and Cillan are two actors I admire of the way they conduct themselves. They seem to be goo family men and not fame whore. It is all about the work. Also, if they like the project on paper whether it is successful or not by hollywood standards.
He was out of this world gorgeous/hot in Troy. Other than Peter O’Toole’s scene where he goes to get Hectors body there’s little of value in Troy after Hector’s death.
What a refreshing lack of ego for someone in that industry.
Netflix keeps suggesting I watch this when I log in for more Schitts Creek (being VERY late to the party to appreciate that gem) and you may have convinced me to give it a go.
Just watched the start of ep 1 based on everyone’s comments and I am IN. Also, 🤍 Eric Bana.
I don’t think that’s his wife, unless he’s remarried. But I don’t think that’s the case.
You are right. The photo agency, Avalon, identifies her as Rebecca Gleeson but that is Sylvia Hoeks, his costar in A Sacrifice. I’ll fix that!
Eric Bana is one of my favorite actors. He’s incredibly talented yet so underrated. I wish him bon fortune with his career! 🙂
He’s great in an Australian movie called The Dry. I’ve watched it on cable and saw it again when I was on a cruise, it was a wonderful surprise finding it on the small movie list they had.
I don’t agree with the middling reviews. I thought it was well written and well acted. It’s just melancholy, like any show about people processing grief — there are a number of those out there, and sometimes it brings out the best acting and writing. It was also positive in making a new (non-romantic) partnership with his fellow park ranger, played by Lily Santiago.
I’m also a giant Start Trek dork, as are my siblings, children, and SIL. Everytime something goes wrong and we’re trying to figure out what to do, someone quotes Eric Bana “Fire Everything!”
He is just…the personification of “noble features”. He plays one of the BEST Good guys out there~
I was a bit disappointed with Untamed I thought the writing was a bit lame as well. But I stuck with it just to watch him and did enjoy it in the end. Can I just say I absolutely love his grey hair. What a silver fox!!
I really enjoyed Untamed, great performances all round, a thriller alongside a moving story of the impact of the death of a child. Unlikely, as these series always are, but recommended. Hope there’s another series.
Glad you wrote about Bana. He never doesn’t turn in a great performance. That pot is simmering on the back of the stove. I watched Untamed, and the Dry, and am trying to get the Dry 2. I used to read by authors, and I watch movies by actors. When they are really good actors, as is Bana. He is just excellent, and beautiful. I went back and rewatched Munich, as well. I never watched Troy, because I couldn’t get past how stupid Brad Pitt was. Stupid. I couldn’t watch it. I might watch an excerpt of Hector on YouTube. There are some actors that you can always count on for a wonderful performance, like Bana, but you can almost always count on him making an intelligent choice of movie. So he is one of the few people that I will watch a movie just because he is in it.
My crush too. He was a guest at the Mugello Motogp race in June. My Italian boyfriend messaged me that the actor that played the first Hulk was in attendance. I thought it was Lou Ferrigno then I saw a photo and freaked. He is so TALL.
I think his heritage is German-Croatian.
I’m a lawyer in Australia and I’ve met his father-in-law in passing. His father-in-law was the Chief Justice of the highest court in Australia.
I remember Eric Bana when he was on Fast Forward or whatever that comedy sketch show was. He has matured a lot as an actor.
Probably one of the few HW men in a monogamous relationship (no flings on the side when filming).