"We've been going to all sorts of regional places all around Australia," says John Jarratt, "and, because we've got a fantastic soundtrack for the film — with Split Enz, Skyhooks, Paul Kelly and Nick Cave, and I sing a song, and Kaarin Fairfax's daughters sing a song — we thought, 'Let's do some music instead of some boring bloody Q&As!' We screen the film, then we all file out, go out to the local neighbourhood pub and everything's sweet. I sing a couple of karaokes, the locals sing a couple of karaokes, and we all get to have a drink and a chinwag."
It's, Jarratt reckons, a refreshing change from the way films are usually screened, with their makers/stars and audiences rarely coming together as, for instance, a musician and crowd get to. "It brings you close to your audience, and lets them get to know you as a person. There's that strange thing where actors are supposed to be different as human beings, which is just bullshit. I've had people say that to me, 'You're just like everybody else!' What else are we supposed to be like, bloody aliens?"
"I sing a couple of karaokes, the locals sing a couple of karaokes, and we all get to have a drink and a chinwag."
Does he ever find people who, because of his iconic role as Wolf Creek villain Mick Taylor, are scared when they meet him? "You're only as good as your last gig, so I've still got a lot of living down to do of the Wolf Creek character," he admits. "If you make an indelible mark, it can be pretty hard to get people to shake it. As an actor, sometimes that means reminding people I have more to me than just psychotic villains. As a person, most people can dissociate me from the character I played, but sometimes, especially with women, you can tell they feel a little bit uneasy around me."
Alongside StalkHer's karaoke tour, Jarratt has also just started work filming Boar, Chris Sun's homage to Australian exploitation cinema. There, Jarratt feels quite at home amongst a cast — Steve Bisley, Ernie Dingo, Chris Hayward, Roger Ward — he calls "the Jurassics of the Australian acting fraternity". But, even as an old dog, StalkHer finds Jarratt learning new tricks - not just marking his directorial debut, but also his musical one, with the release of his first-ever single, Killer In Me. "Usually you start a rock'n'roll career when you're 22, not 62," Jarratt laughs, "so I'm not taking it too seriously."
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StalkHer was conceived as "a good little two-hander, a dark little domestic drama along the lines of Misery or War Of The Roses". Penned by producer Kristijana Maric ("I thought 'there's no way she can write, as well,'" Jarratt recalls. "Then I read the script, and I texted her back and said, 'You bitch! You can do everything!'"), it's a home invasion film turned battle-of-the-sexes.
"I kind of think of [my character] as what I would be like if I didn't seek counselling in the '80s and '90s to work out my emotional immaturities: he acts like the world owes him everything," Jarratt says. "The film starts out talking about the difference between men and women, but then it becomes about the difference between him and her."
