When I got the email asking if I wanted to speak with Austrailian actor Dan Ewing, I thought…The Black Wolf Ranger? HELL YES! So I did. We chatted about his new film, which is out now – Occupation. Check out our conversation below.
Occupation was written and directed by Luke Sparke. Dan stars in the film alongside a tremendous ensemble cast that includes Temuera Morrison, Stephany Jacobsen, Rhiannon Fish, Zachary Garred, and Izzy Stevens…to name a few. You can check out the trailer here.
Before Occupation, Dan spent 10 years starring on the series Home and Away appearing in almost 600 episodes and three of its TV movies. He was also in Power Rangers R.P.M. as Dillon the Black Wolf Ranger and starred in Luke Sparke’s Red Billabong.
RONN!E: You star in a new movie called “Occupation” which was written and directed by Luke Sparke. What can you tell us about your character in the film?
Dan Ewing: I play Matt Simmons. He is sort of a fallen gladiator, of sorts. He’s an AFL football player, which is kind of a mix between rugby and dodgeball. I’m going to say the aliens are the least of his trouble. He’s struggling with an addiction to alcohol and painkillers; he’s not doing too well. So when I pick him up he’s no Captain America, which is great. He’s a very interesting character to play. Obviously, the proverbial *cough* hits the fan when the aliens show up, he’s not in the best state of mind to deal with it. It’s a great character arc.
RONN!E: Did you have to do a lot of preparation for this role?
Dan Ewing: To be honest, not very much. I did fitness-wise because he’s not a brain guy, you know what I mean? I don’t think the cinematic lenses add a few pounds, but I think I did a proper rugby [something before] and I lost a little bit of weight and lost a little bit of muscle and just sort of stayed comfy. He wasn’t supposed to be overweight, but he certainly wasn’t in peak physical condition, so to speak. So I pretty much think I just… I didn’t have to avoid the catering truck like you have to do on these movies. *laughs* You know what I mean? I must say my girlfriend thanked me when I lost the weight for this film.
RONN!E: In this movie there is a lot of action. Is there a lot of training you had to do for this film?
Dan Ewing: I’ve been pretty lucky in that I’ve done a lot of stunt work. With budgets being what they are in Australia… It’s funny…when I talk to my buddies in the states, they have a lighting double and a stunt double, and a backup stunt double, it’s quite… Here it’s sort of baptism by fire. Don’t get me wrong, we do everything safely, but I did a series of Power Rangers when I was first starting out. They shoot that over in New Zealand, so a lot of Aussie actors sort of do the rounds on that. I know it was sort of a four-week boot camp of martial arts and then dealing with explosions, and driving. It’s actually so quirky; the training background that gave me. I haven’t really needed a stunt double apart from the thing the studios just won’t let you do, legally. But just knowing how to put your body in the right place, the controls, obviously taking hits, and obviously which there are plenty of in Occupation… So yeah, [something] when that fireball goes off and like “That was me!” ten years ago and there’s that look. There’s something in your bones, a down wave that flows through you. It’s incredible.
RONN!E: That brings me to a good question. In Power Rangers RPM you were the Black Wolf RPM Ranger. Is it very different filming on a Power Rangers set than a film set?
Dan Ewing: TV certainly moves faster. This was back in the day, but now there’s a middle ground with TV getting very cinematic. They are creating some amazing content, very cinematic now, TV. It certainly was fast-moving and a lot of the action sequences on Power Rangers were a second unit, a Japanese second unit, pretty much. Those dudes move, man. I thought Aussies and Kiwis and Americans work hard on a movie, but these dudes move. The pace is just much faster. Obviously, with a film, there’s a bit more prep time and you get through a bit quicker, but I must say the pacing on the Power Rangers was something a big difference.
RONN!E: I just recently talked to Luke Sparke and we were talking about Occupation and how he’s fast-tracking the sequel right now. I’m curious; are you going to be in it?
Dan Ewing: Now that’s just the thing, isn’t it? People are just going to have to go see the movie July 20. Without giving too much away, I certainly hope I make it. There are rumors that I make it. I think there’s a lot more to tell with Matt’s character. I’ll say that. I don’t want to have Luke walking up behind me. I don’t want to give too much away. I think there’s a lot more to Matt’s story to tell. Does that give you enough hint, Ronnie?
RONN!E: Good enough. So besides Occupation that you have coming out, I know you have Interface, Society…
Dan Ewing: At the moment, to be honest, Ronnie, I shot four movies last year. I’m in premier and promotional heaven. For the next one I *could* go in to shoot, Occupation 2, if I was involved it could be the next thing I’m shooting. If I was involved. My next thing, I’m in a premier with for an Aussie rom-comedy called Chasing Comets. I’m starring opposite the beautiful Isabel Lucas, who’s done a million things over there in the states with you guys. The plotline there is she’s an evil transformer, who can actually [garbled] It was great. I think I shot that [something???] psychological thriller. Then into a quirky little Aussie rom-com. That’s always nice to go into a quirky little Aussie rom-com about running after you’ve done a psychological thriller. That’s the next thing. That premiers in a month and then if I’m in Occupation 2 I’ll shoot that around the same time.
RONN!E: What is Beast No More?
Dan Ewing: Beast No More is a psychological thriller. That’s the one I did right before I shot the [????] film. It’s a story about how people deal with grief. Sci-fi fans and genre fans, that’s a really quirky, bright little, really great drama. I highly recommend it. People who like darker stuff–there’s a movie called The Babadook, a genre film that really did quite well–it’s kind of that type of horror, I must say. Kind of fun, like The Babadook, it’s one of those things that really, it’s not a slasher, there’s no gore for no reason, it’s a very dark piece. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes watching dark stuff. It’s a bit chilling. Watch it with someone. Have a glass of red, watch it with someone. Drink responsibly, of course. Cuddle up with someone when you’re watching that one.
RONN!E: Nice. I’m always curious with every actor, is there a role out there or a character, something that you haven’t played yet, where you’re just hoping one day you’ll get to play?
Dan Ewing: Great question. I’m a big believer in manifestation, so I’m very much looking forward to doing a great war piece. A war period piece. I think there’s a lot of great Australian war stories to tell. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t say no to doing a great American one, but I think there’s a soldier out there somewhere that I’m yet to play that I’m looking forward to doing. And look, man, soldier sandals! I’m leaning more towards Gladiator than 300, but it’s darn cool how they did that film. [Something about the sequel of 300, argh.] Something that cool and that artistic would be great. Certainly a gladiator-style thing. Remind me we talked about this when I’m complaining about how silly the sandals look, alright brother? *laughs*
RONN!E: All right! Well, thank you so much for speaking with me. I wish you success. I’ve personally seen Occupation like three times now and I really like it.
Dan Ewing: Thank you so much, Ronnie. Thank you for your support.
A huge thanks again to Dan Ewing for taking the time to chat with me. Make sure to keep up with what he is doing at his IMDb page. Make sure to also check him out on Twitter.
*Special thanks to Katrina Wan PR and Cheryl Dyson.
Occupation is available via VOD at places like Amazon and iTunes!
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