Template:Realworld Template:2008spoiler Eric Banadinovich (born 9 August 1968; age 55), better known as Eric Bana, is an award-winning Australian actor of Croatian and German descent who will be portraying Nero, the Romulan villain in Star Trek. He is known for starring in such films as Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Troy, and Munich.
Early life and comedy career
Bana was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a Craotian father and a German-born mother. His affinity for performing surfaced when he was six or seven years old, when he began to imitate members of his family. He even mimicked his teachers at school in order to get out of trouble. Bana decided he wanted to become an actor after watching the 1979 film Mad Max as a teenager, but it was not until 1991 when he began doing stand-up comedy that he started to seriously consider a career in performing.
After performing on the late night talk show Tonight Live, Bana was invited by the producers of the sketch comedy program Full Frontal to join their show as a writer and performer. One sketch Bana did on this show was a parody of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which he portrayed Worf, with a crab in place of the character's signature ridges. [1]
In 1996, after three years on Full Frontal, Bana created his own television special, called Eric, which was followed by a sketch comedy series of his own, The Eric Bana Show. Although this show was canceled after only eight episodes due to low ratings, it earned him a Logie Award as Most Popular Comedy Personality.
Having become a successful film actor, Bana currently has no interest in returning to comedy. Bana stated that, by the time he made the transition to film, he was "kind of burnt out" from his comic performances and that he "had had enough of it."[2]
Film career
Bana made his film debut in the 1997 Australian comedy The Castle, but first earned wide recognition as an actor for his starring role in the 2000 film Chopper. His performance in this film earned Bana critical acclaim and several awards, including the 2000 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor.
Impressed with Bana's performance in Chopper, director Ridley Scott cast Bana in the war film Black Hawk Down without an audition. Also starring in Black Hawk Down was Tom Hardy, who played Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis (the film immediately preceding Bana's Trek film), as well as Glenn Morshower and Enrique Murciano. Afterwards, Bana starred as Dr. Bruce Banner in Hulk, the 2003 film adaptation for the Marvel Comics character. Although the film was not a critical or financial success, Bana's performance in the film was critically lauded and it earned him a nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films as "Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award".
Bana's voice can be heard as the hammerhead shark Anchor in Disney/Pixar's 2003 CG-animated hit Finding Nemo. In 2004, Bana played Prince Hector in Wolfgang Petersen's big-budget epic, Troy. The following year, he starred in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated film Munich. Bana's performance in Munich earned him a nomination from the Australian Film Institute, again for Best Actor. Afterwards, Bana starred with Drew Barrymore in the 2007 romantic comedy Lucky You.
Coincidentally, before donning the role of a Romulan, Bana played the title role of the 2007 drama Romulus, My Father for which he received his second Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute.[3] He was most recently seen in The Other Boleyn Girl, an historical drama in which he played Henry VIII of England.
Prior to assuming the role of Nero, recently completed work on The Time Traveler's Wife, a romantic science fiction drama currently set for release on 25 December 2008 (which was also the original release date for Star Trek). With his work on Star Trek complete, Bana will next have a supporting role opposite Adam Sandler in the comic drama Funny People, written and directed by Judd Apatow. He will also star opposite Terrence Howard in Factor X, to be produced and possibly directed by Bana's Black Hawk Down director, Ridley Scott.
Star Trek
Bana has stated he was a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series when he was a child, but his appreciation for the show was not the reason he signed on to do the movie. Bana said he accepted the role after reading the script (written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman), which he called "awesome" and said he could not resist being a part of the movie. Another factor was his friendship with the film's director and producer, J.J. Abrams. He and Abrams have the same agent, which allowed them to meet several times before the film was in production. [4][5][6][7]
His casting in Star Trek was announced on 9 October 2007. He was filming The Time Traveler's Wife when the announcement was made. [8][9] Before Bana's casting, it was reported that Paramount Pictures were seeking Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe to play the role of Nero. [10] Bana was the first of three Star Trek cast members with a strong connection to comedy. His co-stars John Cho (Sulu) and especially Simon Pegg (Scotty) are also known for their comedic works.
Despite being the film's primary villain, Bana described his role as a "cameo," stating Nero to be "a great character" and that he "couldn’t say no." [11] However, sources revealed to TrekMovie.com that Bana's characterization of the role as being a "cameo" was an understatement, and that Nero was much more than that. [12] Bana later clarified his statements in an interview with Cinematical:
- ...what I mean is that in the context of the roles I usually do, the weight is firmly on other areas ... It's not one of those roles where you’re carrying the movie, is what I’m saying. I feel like I'm very much in a supporting role, not one of the main guys. ... It’s a luxury to not be in that position. It’s nice to be offered a part like that.[13]
Bana began filming his part on Star Trek sometime between 20 February and 28 February 2008. He had to miss the New York premiere of The Other Boleyn Girl due to his work on Trek. [14] For the role of Nero, Bana was required to shave his head bald, as were all other actors portraying Romulans. [15][16][17] His work on the film was completed by 27 March 2008, when principal photography wrapped. [18]
Personal life
Bana has been married to publicist Rebecca Gleeson since 2 August 1997. They have two children together, Klaus (born August 1999) and Sophia (born April 2002).
Bana is a motor racing enthusiast and once even considered dropping out of high school to become a full-time mechanic. He participates in various motor racing competitions in Australia. He is also a supporter of Austrialian rules football and is an advocate for the Mental Illness Fellowship.
External links
- Eric Bana at Wikipedia
- Template:IMDb-link
- Eric Bana at Lauren Bergman Management