INTERVIEW: Essie Davis on her journey to become Ned Kelly’s mother
Photo: Essie Davis and Orlando Schwerdt star in the True History of the Kelly Gang. Photo courtesy of IFC Films / Provided by KWPR with permission.
Essie Davis, the acclaimed actor known for The Babadook and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, journeyed back in time more than 100 years for her latest role: playing Ellen Kelly, the mother of legendary outlaw Ned Kelly. She portrays the martraich in the True History of the Kelly Gang, directed by Justin Kurzel and based on the book by Peter Carey.
The movie’s theatrical run was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, so it is now available on demand and digital, courtesy of IFC Films.
Joining Davis in the cast is George MacKay (the breakout star of 1917) as the title character, plus Russell Crowe as bushranger Harry Power and Nicholas Hoult as Constable Fitzpatrick. The adaptation of this infamous Australian tale sticks to the historical record, but also exercises some dramatic license. Ned and his gang are portrayed as young men barely surviving the brutality of English rule in 19th-century Australia. Ellen’s family lives tucked away in the bush, where the problems of the times come creeping onto her doorstep. Soon enough, Ned finds himself banding together with his friends to fight the oppression in this colonial society, and he takes his fury, goaded on by his dedicated mother, to scary and unsettling heights.
“Justin was working on developing the novel for quite some time,” Davis said in a recent phone interview about working with her husband. “Peter Carey’s Booker Prize-winning novel was given to him to consider, and as he was reading it, he goes, ‘I have a fantastic role for you in this.’ … He and I had been looking for something to do together that was really meaty and different and extraordinary. He was so passionate about this. This became something that we built together. He’s such an extraordinary director, and his unique of way of approaching work is so unique.”
Davis first learned about Ned Kelly and his gang while learning about the Australian bushrangers in primary school. The outlaws of the country are common fodder for academic lessons, and they have amassed legendary, if distorted, reputations that still impact culture and society today. She knew much of the story, but reading Carey’s book helped fill in the blanks.
“Our primary teachers always got a joy and excitement talking about these bad guys,” she remembers. “It’s quite interesting that Ned Kelly is probably the most recognizable of the bushrangers because of his helmet and his armor, and the story of the Kelly Gang has also inspired a massive collection of paintings based on Ned Kelly and his gang, including Steve Hart in a dress. … Ned Kelly has become this procured symbol of Australiana similar to a kangaroo or Ayers Rock (Uluru) or the Sydney Opera House.”
Davis said she believes the power of Carey’s novel comes from the fact that he focuses the story on its most basic and profound elements: This is ultimately a tale of a young man who formed a gang of teenagers who were trying to stand up for their rights against their oppressors. He was eventually hanged at the age of 25.
“There is massive history books about Ned Kelly and Ellen Kelly, and I read a lot of them,” she said. “And there is a huge amount of factual information that is in the film as well as dramatic license, so I did a huge amount of research.”
Interestingly, part of the movie was actually filmed in Melbourne Gaol (Jail), where Ellen served time while her son was also in jail. These scenes were powerful for Davis because she kept thinking about what it must have been like to be a mother in a jail cell, only a few feet away from one’s own imprisoned son — and then what it must have been like when he was finally executed.
This character fascinated her, and this fascination helped her brings a visceral reality to the role. “Ellen outlived most of her children, and she lived until the ripe old age of 91,” Davis said. “And she did marry George King, who was the same age as her son Ned, and she went on to have three more babies with him. She was this amazing survivor and sexual being and attractive woman, brilliant horse rider, and there’s all parts of her story that inspired the creation of that character.”
Davis, who also appeared in Game of Thrones, said the shoot was extremely difficult. The filming took place in the winter months, and there was a relatively small budget given the epic nature of the story they were telling.
“We had some extraordinary weather, flooding and being completely rained out, snowed in and gale-force [winds] off the mountaintops,” Davis said. “We had such a profound rehearsal period and just an amazing way of directing. [Kurzel was] giving each character a manifesto of things to do to prepare for their role.”
Davis was so impressed by her spouse’s reliance on punk music to help tell Ned’s story. The songs were actually written by the cast members, including MacKay and Crowe, through special music sessions and a live performance. The camaraderie that was built during the rehearsal process brought the cast together into one working unit.
“The boys had to form a band and write a set and perform a gig at another live music venue just before we started shooting,” she said. “They wrote eight punk songs and then performed to an audience of punters who had nothing to do with the film, and their performance was extraordinary. And the songs they wrote were amazing. They formed this gang that was so profoundly connected and empowered by doing this gig. … There was this amazingly profound sense of privilege and honor to be a part of the making of this, so no matter how brutal and rough and worn out and exhausted we all were … the cast had this sense of we were part of something extraordinary, something special. We bound together and felt connected.”
This year has turned into a high-profile one for Davis. In addition to the True History of the Kelly Gang, she is appearing in Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, a movie based on her successful run in the TV show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, where she plays Phryne Fisher, a detective. The beloved role has delighted audiences for years, and Davis believes there will be more adventures for the character.
[Read Hollywood Soapbox’s review of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.]
“I think Phryne Fisher exists in the world,” Davis said. “She’s never going to stop on her adventures and rocking around the world solving crimes and standing up for social justice. … It depends on how well the Crypt of Tears is received, how many people seek it out and buy it to download. That was about to be open in cinemas as the cinemas closed down, the same with the Kelly Gang. They are big-screen, epic adventures, but I feel very lucky that I can be a part of some people’s escapism and entertainment in their own homes at this time. And I think Phryne is certainly a joyous action-adventure-romance-romp-frivolity that hopefully will raise people’s spirits. Never say never is all I can say.”
Releasing two movies during these difficult days has been strange, and Davis is worried about the long-term ramifications for the industry she has called home since her early acting days in the 1990s.
“I think it’s thrown so many people’s lives upside down,” Davis said. “I feel devastated for our industry, particularly for all of our live performances and all of the theaters that have had to close. … I feel fortunate that I’ve worked so ridiculously hard the past couple of years that at least the work that I have created is now available for people to watch, but I don’t know what is going to happen. I’m really frightened for our industry, but I also know that, for the arts and creativity, we are the entertainers and the storytellers and the people who are lighting the candle of hope in many people’s lives. And I just hope the governments can remember to support us when we are down and not just expect us to carry on writing stories and telling stories, which we always will, but a lot of people have been totally devastated by this all over the world. I know we are in a very fortunate position in our society that we have access to entertainment and to the company of strangers within our own homes because there are lots of people who do not even have that in our world.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
True History of the Kelly Gang, featuring Essie Davis, is now available on demand and on digital. Click here for more information.
