Fear factor in Chopper role

Underbelly Files: Chopper stars Aaron Jeffery, Michael Caton, Vince Colosimo, Debra Byrne, Kevin Harrington gathered for the drama’s launch last night in Melbourne.

The event at the Waterside Hotel in Flinders Street, which was a favourite haunt of Melbourne’s underworld, was where the original Underbelly launch was held a decade ago. Back then nobody knew the series would become a mega-hit and be banned throughout Victoria.

Jeffery told guests that taking on the character after Eric Bana’s famed performance was a daunting prospect.

“Obviously the fear factor is there, but the opportunity was such that you just have to throw yourself into it,”he said.

“But they are 2 different stories. The movie is really about him in his heyday and (miniseries) is about his life after that, a love story against all odds, a whodunnit and a man trying to integrate the man and the myth, and nature versus nurture.

He described filming as an out of body experience.

“You didn’t have time to think. It was just bang, bang, bang!”

Michael Caton praised Jeffrey’s approach to the role.

“Aaron and I just clicked,” he said. “I had been trying to find out about Keith, his father, and it was really hard to get any information. But of course Aaron had all of the information. I just had to talk to him for about an hour and I knew exactly who Keith was and where he was coming from.

“Through this shoot he buggered his back chopping wood, a candy bottle exploded in his eye and he was really sick when we did all the scenes in the court. But I never knew. He didn’t let anyone know. he just powered on. So it’s a wonderful tribute to him and I am proud of him.”

Also in attendance last night were Nine drama execs Andy Ryan, Jo Rooney, Screentime’s Bob Campbell and producer Karl Zwicky, director Peter Andrikidis and attachment Damian Walshe-Howling.

Underbelly Files: Chopper screens 8:30pm Sun Feb 11 and 9pm Mon Feb 12 on Nine.