The way Franc Violi tells it is just like a scene from a movie:
A kid just out of school who wants to be an actor is working in a service station in Adelaide and one day starts a conversation with a customer, who happens to be an old ABC newsreader.
“So I’m washing his windscreen or checking the oil and he says he’s working on a couple of productions, and they could do with some extras,’’ recalls Franc.
“He says to me maybe this will give me an insight into the world of film, see if I like it.’’
Next thing young Franc Violi knows he’s rubbing shoulders with Colin Friels and other stars on the set of For the Term of His Natural Life, a TV mini series.
Fast forward to July 215 – that is last week – and Franc Violi is seated opposite me in a café in Liverpool and he’s telling me about the ups and downs of trying to get a break in the movie business.
But first things first: He’s very excited about his next project – producing a TV pilot of a “quirky drama’’ with a very well known and popular Aussie actor, John Howard, not the former prime minister, the actor of SeaChange and Packed to the Rafters fame, to mention only two of his many credits.
“I met John Howard about two years ago while we were shooting a short film called Pot Luck,’’ says Franc.
“It was really quite interesting because we are so different in so many ways, yet we seemed to complement each other, there seemed to be some chemistry there.
“John is a very honest and open person with a great sense of humour and we’ve kept in touch.
“And through another colleague of mine whom I’ve known for 20 years, Greg Arthur, who’s living in America at the moment.
“Greg’s been writing for years and he’s structured this show not only for me but it was an opportunity to go back to something that was character based.
“I can’t say too much at this stage but it’s shot on the south coast of NSW, it’s in a fictional little town and it has an ensemble cast,’’ Franc says.
Said ensemble cast includes John Howard and Franc Violi, who says they all play quirky characters who contribute to the story.
“It is the many that make the whole in this project,’’ he says.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“At the moment we’re in pre-production; we will be shooting in November, editing December and January and pitching it in February.[/social_quote]
“We hope to pitch it to the networks here and there’s an opportunity for us to pitch it overseas as well.
“Hopefully it will sell the sizzle not the sausage.’’
♦ So, Franc, why did you want to become an actor in the first place?
“Funnily enough, the same ABC newsreader introduced me to an English actor called John Edmond, who had migrated from England to South Australia and was part of that whole arts scene in South Australia during the [Don] Dunstan era,’’ replies Franc.
“John started a theatre company in South Australia called Theatre 62, in 1962.
“John was my tutor initially, and I think I took lessons for about a month when I was thrown into a play and I’ve been acting ever since.’’
Yes, that’s fine, Franc, but when did you know you wanted to be actor?
“I was a bit of a class clown, and there was always humour – humour always drove me, I always want to find the funny side of things,’’ Franc says.
“And maybe that was the foundation for it.
I always liked laughter and that’s sustained me.
“Life’s tough and laughter can help; it’s a powerful, underestimated thing, I think.
“So I entertained the family when I was a kid and there were some performances at school as well.
“There was a lot of comedy on TV in those days, shows like The Two Ronnies and the Benny Hill Show, and we’d watch it then go to school and re-enact some of it the next day.’’
♦ Franc Violi’s acting resume describes him as a quintessential character actor, which is fine if you’re not of an Italian background with a name to match.
Truth is the name Franc Violi resonates a little differently from someone who may call himself Bruce Smith, for example.
Check out some of the people Franc’s portrayed over the years: “Aussie’’ Bob Trimbole, Ivan Milat, Santa Clause, Indian Catholic Priest, Italian teacher … if that doesn’t reek of typecasting nothing does.
Still, I pop the question to Franc: What’s been your best, your most satisfying role so far?
“It’s still to come,” he fires back, hardly before I finish the question.
“Though I enjoyed Crownies on the ABC,’’ he says.
“For the first time in a long time I was able to play a character as an actor, rather than someone of a specific socio economic racial background, which has been the bane of my existence for a long time,’’ Franc adds.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“As I get older that’s now probably not as relevant, but the first 20 years of my career it would pee me off when it was always hitmen, delicatessen owners, all those stereotypes.[/social_quote]
“That was not allowing the children of this country to fully explore the full potential of their capability.
“And given that their parents had come and contributed so much, and we are Australian and bloody proud of it – my grandfather’s been here since 1926, I can’t get more Australian than that, mate.’’
♦ Franc Violi came to Liverpool with his family almost 20 years ago and he’s been pretty happy about that particular move.
He left Adelaide in 1981, lived in Los Angeles for three years, London for a couple, then a bit of Asia before returning Down Under in the early 1990s to live in Sydney.
“I started in Bronte and slowly made my way west,’’ Franc says.
He’s still in Moorebank where he moved in 1997-98, and lives there with his wife of 20 years, Sandra, and the two boys, Jake and Isaac, both of whom were raised here and went to local schools.
“I love the people here in Liverpool,’’ Franc says.
“They are real people and they keep me grounded. They help me celebrate any successes that come my way but they make sure I don’t get above myself.’’
♦ There is no doubt Franc Violi was born to be in show business – he has a brilliant singing voice an does hilarious impersonations – so it’s no wonder his stage persona spills over to his day job from time to time.
We didn’t mention the day job, did we? Well, Franc Violi by day is a real estate guru – or as he puts it, 20 years as an auctioneer and salesman.
Here’s a recent scene from Franc’s role as an auctioneer – as he tells it:
“You know how locals call Bigge Park ‘Biggie Park’, right.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Well I did an auction there and I pronounced Bigge Street three ways, just to keep everybody happy: Biggie, Bigge and Bigger!’’[/social_quote]
Franc says he would love to see the establishment of an arts movement in Liverpool to help tell local stories through theatre and film and other art forms.
But first there’s this little quirky drama to produce with John Howard – not to mention the search for that elusive “best role ever’’.
“I see myself as a character actor,’’ he says.
“You can put on the fake nose and the wig, and I like that, but there’s less opportunity for that in this country.
“So then you try to have a persona that connects or resonates and that’s what you do with all the props stripped back.
“Some of the more modern stuff I’m doing, as a QC in Crownies and head prison guard Williams in Convict, those are roles that have started giving me hope that my 30 years in the business haven’t been in vain.’’
