Uniquely Under-The-Wire Australian Humour

It's been more than three decades since Anthony LaPaglia bid farewell to his hometown of Adelaide and lit out for the United States to make a name for himself as an actor. "No offence to Adelaide," he says. "But it was too small, and I wanted something bigger and more exciting." Not to mention that in the 1970s and '80s the city was not the greatest place for someone whose "last name ended in a vowel".

It took a few years, but America eventually embraced LaPaglia, who found success on the big screen, the small screen and the Broadway stage. Still, like any actor hungry for worthwhile material, he found himself heading where the best work was... and increasingly he's found it coming from Australia.

"I've been receiving material from here that is infinitely more interesting and more challenging," he says. "I don't care where it comes from but it happens to come from here right now, which makes me happy, because I love coming back here."

"It's funny, but it's also truthful and has these moments of great pathos. But it's what I like; I like to be taken on a journey with a film."

Indeed, the last few years have seen LaPaglia taking roles in movies like Holding The Man and TV series such as the upcoming second season of the ABC conspiracy thriller The Code. And currently he has the lead in the subtly funny and moving new film A Month of Sundays, written and directed by Matthew Saville (of Noise, Felony and Please Like Me fame).

LaPaglia plays Frank, a divorced, depressed Adelaide real estate agent drowning in midlife ennui — "Oh, that was easy," he laughs when asked about understanding his character, adding "I've told people this is like my third or fourth midlife crisis" — who is brought back to life by the friendship of Sarah (Julia Blake), an elderly woman he meets through a misdialled phone number. She initially thought she was speaking with her son; Frank thought he was somehow communicating with the ghost of his late mother.

It's a wry, quirky and human story that doesn't overplay its wit or philosophical bent, which makes it kind of a tough sell. LaPaglia agrees: "You can't one-line it. It's too complicated. On the surface it's one thing, and it is that thing — it's funny, but it's also truthful and has these moments of great pathos. But it's what I like; I like to be taken on a journey with a film."

It was "that uniquely under-the-wire Australian humour" that really sold him on A Month Of Sundays, says the actor. "I'd missed that, and the trick for me when we were making it was ensuring the gags actually landed because the humour was so under-the-wire I sometimes wasn't sure, so I had to consult with Matt to see if it did."

Fortunately, long-time friends LaPaglia and Saville were very much on the same page in that regard. "We've always liked each other because bent attracts bent — he has a very dark take on things, and that's my preferred comedy," he smiles.

Having the magnificently droll John Clarke on board as Frank's unflappable boss Phil also helped. "John Clarke was such a joy," says LaPaglia. "Matt loves to tell this story — I'd been away from Australia a long time and about two scenes into filming I went to Matt and said 'Where did you find this guy? He's a comic genius!' And Matt rolled his eyes and said 'Yeah, he's only been a legend for 30 years'."