SOUTHERN Highlands actor Vincent Stone was forced to delve into the deepest and darkest facets of his imagination to play the role of serial killer Vincent Malek, in the upcoming Aussie thriller The Backpacker.
Stone has been involved in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, staring alongside Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns and doing guest spots in popular TV series like Love My Way, and told Town and Country Magazine that this was one of the most challenging roles he has ever played.
This is the first time the actor has taken the lead in an Australian film and he said he relished the opportunity to get in touch with his more sinister side, whilst also playing such a complex and compelling character.
“I think there’s a dark side inside everybody and it is fun to tap into that,” he said. “I got into a place where I thought a part of myself could be like that.” Stone’s character, Malek, is a malevolent psychopath who kidnaps backpackers and hunts them down for sport.
However, he bites off more than he can chew when he targets Ben Cross (Nathan Waring), an Afghan War veteran, sparking a deadly game of cat and mouse. Stone is a method actor and said he did an intensive amount of research for the role.
Despite the obvious similarities between his character and infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Milhat, the actor said he deliberately steered clear of imitation, instead deciding to craft his own character.
“Obviously people will assume this is Ivan Milhat but I did look into the psychology of serial killers and researched what makes them tick,” he said.
“I never really focused on Ivan Milhat though because I thought that would have been too obvious. (The writer) provided me with a back story for the character and that was what really put me on track.”
The film was shot in the state’s north-west and is a throw-back to the chase films of the 70s and 80s Deliverance and Rambo: First Blood. Writer/director Dion Boland said he loved working with Stone and that he really brought the character to life.
“Vincent was just bloody brilliant,” he said.
“He really took the character by the reins.”
He also said Stone was always well prepared, dedicated and ultimately able to deliver a performance that was scary as it was compelling. Boland originally penned the script in the late 1990s and despite having obvious ties to true crime stories, it was actually inspired by a hairy experience he had whilst backpacking in Eastern Europe, which he was saved from by a soldier he had never met.
However, it was the release of Aussie Gorno Horror flick Wolf Creek, which he believed was gratuitous and didn’t like, that inspired him to take the script out of the draw and actually put it to screen.
“Wolf Creek came out and it was such a bloody gory film and I thought wouldn’t it be great to make a film about someone who could stand up to these guys,” he said.
“So it was more a message for kids, which is don’t just lay down and die. Most people when they find themselves in a corner give up but you can’t, you have to fight back. The message is to never surrender.”
Stone has seen the film and said he was pleased with the way it had turned out. He said he was extremely proud of his work and hoped it would lead to more. “The Backpacker” is now showing at the Limelight Cinemas, The Hyperdome, Tuggeranong, ACT. For a full review of visit: www.townandcountrymagazine. com.au
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