australian television information archive

Act of faith

McLEOD'S Daughters star Brett Tucker says he always knew he wanted to be an actor but thought living in the bush would not afford him the opportunity.

"But I saw Jo Kennedy in a film called Star Struck and I was completely in love with her," he said. "Then I found out she had grown up in the same area."

The story goes that he tracked down the house where she had lived and met her family who promised to call him if Jo was ever in town.

"She called and I was just completely in awe," Tucker says. "She got me in her brother's short film and that was a defining moment for me… she was bloody great."

His name conjures up an image of a hardy bushman, leaning against a fence post, staring into the distance with a horse rein in one hand and piece of grass hanging from the left of his mouth.

While Tucker is not quite the rugged bushman described above, he certainly does have an appreciation and love for life on the land following his surreal country upbringing.

"I spent my childhood floating on truck tires up the Yarra River, fishing, playing war games in the bush, and investigating mine shafts," Tucker says. "It was a very kind of magical and adventurous place to grow up."

Tucker says his desire to become an actor was not very well received by school mates.

"We did have a drama thing in high school but it was very much a sports country kind of school and I sort of had to conform," he says.

"I copped a fair bit of crap from the boys and had to sort of do a balancing act.

"I still cop shit from them today actually," he laughed.

"Some are proud of you but then others who are like 'ah, ya bloody wanker'– it's the tall poppy syndrome.

"But I went and did a talk at my former high school just recently and my old footy coach came up to me and was beaming with pride."

Tucker joined McLeod's Daughters in 2003 as the larrikin vet Dave Brewer. To familiarise himself with the role of a country vet, he followed a real one around and since day one gained a new insight into the animal kingdom.

To date, his role as a vet has forced him to stick his hand up a cow's bum and geld a horse.

"So much is dependent on the animals," Tucker says. "You have to be alert and whatever the animal does in the scene you just have to go with it. But sometimes it works really well.

"There was one scene where I was riding a horse behind the others, because I was supposed to be inexperienced, and at the end of the scene the horse just turned around and looked at me, then booted me with his head.

"It was just perfect for the end of the scene."

He says the recent love triangle between his character and two others, Tess and Nick, added a new dimension to the drama.

"The competition between me and Nick is all part of keeping the drama there," Tucker says.

"I am sure there are some people that are saying we really want those two to be together.

"But it does keep people watching and interested for sure."

Off camera, Tucker says while he really clicked with Aaron Jeffrey, who plays Alex on the show, he got along with everyone really well.

"It's like a world on its own out there," Tucker said. "It's like one big family because it's just you guys and that's it.

"And as you can imagine with any kind of family unit you have your ups and downs.

"But it is one of the best casts I have ever worked with so far."

By Katrina Witham
April 01, 2004
The Courier Mail