November
23The Disappearing Star
Arguably the biggest scene-stealer of this season’s films is an 11 year old novice named Brandon Walters. Baz Luhrmann discovered the aborigine lad in the outback. And now he’s dispatched him back whence he came.“It seemed that within hours of the premiere in Sydney, Brandon had become the hottest star in the country,” Luhrmann told me Friday. Fans and photographers were pursuing him everywhere. Luhrmann became alarmed.
The filmmaker had found his child star after a massive search. He interviewed some 1,000 actors. He trekked far and wide on his search. When he finally found Brandon he spent a week in the outback with the kid and his family trying to gain their trust and also to determine how his young star would respond to pressure.
Brandon’s role is pivotal in the film. His character is part of the “stolen generation” – aborigine kids and half-casts, who are stolen from their parents, sent to training school and brought up as “white” Aussies.
“Brandon turned out to be a natural,” says Hugh Jackman, who stars in “Australia.” “He understood the movie. He understood the camera. He was a joy.”
But though Brandon withstood the pressure of shooting, both Jackman and Luhrmann were concerned about the pressure of stardom. “Australia” represents the biggest movie in that country in generations. The glitz surrounding the opening was overwhelming.
At the end of the film, the boy goes back to the outback. It’s time for a “walkabout.” That’s the plot – also the reality.
After the premiere, it was time for Brandon to go home. Whether he will emerge for promotion is now up in the air. Having created a star, Baz Luhrmann is worried about destroying a boy.
(Photo of Brandon Walters by Janie Barrett)
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