Australia, to the rest of the world, is just far away, and Australia in the Thirties was the faraway of the faraway.

In 1977, hip-hop literally wasn't outside the boroughs. But I was profoundly aware of the city through films like Saturday Night Fever, The French Connection, and Network. I had a friend who visited New York, and I asked him what it was like. He said, "Oh, it's great. Just wear a coat and don't look anyone in the eye."

So, what is creative freedom? We can make what we want, how we want. The only constraint is: not for any budget.

I understand that anything actors are doing, good or bad, is motivated by fear.

My father made sure that I had lots of levels of education – from ballroom-dancing to painting, commando training, theatre and magic.

Sydney is rather like an arrogant lover. When it rains it can deny you its love and you can find it hard to relate to. It's not a place that's built to be rainy or cold. But when the sun comes out, it bats its eyelids, it's glamorous, beautiful, attractive, smart, and it's very hard to get away from its magnetic pull.

One of the great things about Sydney is that it has a great acceptance of everyone and everything. It's an incredibly tolerant city, a city with a huge multicultural basis.