David Wenham

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), David Wenham’s Faramir is someone we wish Peter Jackson would stop hurrying past. The film remains thrilling and moving, but Wenham and John Noble’s Denethor do not always get enough breathing space. We were frustrated by that, because repeated speeches about perseverance use time these supporting characters could have had. The screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson often tells us what the characters’ behaviour has already established.

The deep, raspy voice is recognisable, but menace is only one use Wenham has for it. His Australian breakthrough took in Brett Sprague in The Boys (1998), an unsettling role, and television’s Diver Dan in SeaChange (1998–99). The international turn came with Faramir in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), followed by Hollywood supporting parts alongside continued Australian work. Yet Gettin’ Square (2003), in which he plays Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitieri, belongs in any account of his strengths. The comedy matters as much as the heroic or threatening parts.

Lion (2016) places him in another ensemble, as John Brierley, under Garth Davis’s direction. We recommend the film with a reservation about the repetitive adult drama: its strongest passages make the lost child’s fear immediate, with Sunny Pawar and cinematographer Greig Fraser doing much of that work. Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman keep the family troubles worth following when the storytelling becomes less sure. For an evening’s viewing, it is a sound choice; as an introduction to Wenham, it should not be the only stop.

Wenham builds parts through research and observation, down to choices of footwear and posture. That practical care is a better reason to follow an actor than the size of the productions employing him. He has said that comedy is one of his strongest suits and that he gets too few opportunities to exercise it. Start with Gettin’ Square if Faramir is all you know.