Actor Alex Williams has shared a serendipitous moment from the set of Nine’s major drama event Warnie.
The made-for-TV mini-series will document the life and times of Shane Warne – cricket legend and cultural icon – and will premiere over two huge nights on Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26 on Nine and 9Now.
When it comes to the cricketer, we know he sported number 23 on his Aussie uniform; but little did Williams expect to see this digit popping up on set in an unexpected way!
“We had a nice moment early on when we were sitting down during the betting saga where he’s playing roulette,” Williams said on Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline podcast.
“I’m at the table and we had a real croupier there… so he spun [the wheel] and I was supposed to lose the money. So I thought, oh, I’ll just chuck all my chips on 23, which was his number. They spun it up, and on the first take, it landed on 23.
“That was just a nice little lucky moment,” he said.
There was no one quite like Warne a.k.a “Warnie”, a big personality on and off the field. Even after his passing on March 4, 2022, he remains loved by millions across the globe and for Williams, another poignant moment showed him just how revered he was.
During a training session at the MCG with former cricketer Bryce McGain — who was helping him with his bowling technique — the pair went into the training nets at the grounds, bowling for an hour or so.
“That was the net where he used to train, so that was pretty cool,” Williams said before adding: “As I was leaving — there was no one around, a Sunday — I was just walking back towards Collingwood and saw this young couple taking a photo in front of the statue of Shane Warne…So, I just sort of said, ‘Do you want me to take a photo of the two of you?’ So, I took a photo of this young couple… which I felt was pretty cool and just walked off. It was great.”
How Alex Williams was transformed into Shane Warne
According to the 32-year-old, being transformed in Warne was a “gradual” process.
“It’s sort of a gradual thing, building the character, because obviously, you’re doing a lot of work and research before you even get into pre-production. Once you get the role, you sort of go into full immersion, you’re just watching and reading and listening to everything you can,” he said.
Williams had to focus on the way he sounds and also, his mannerisms which changed over the course of filming since the series spans over 20 years.
“You’re sort of playing a different person by the end of it as you are from the start,” he admitted. “I mean, obviously, it’s the same person, but there’s an evolution there. So you want to make sure that you’re getting that.”
Of course, one of the more iconic parts of the characterisation is Warnie’s infamous blonde mullet.
“That first little bit when they put the wig on…a lot of it was [my hair] but the younger full-on mullet was not my hair. There’s sort of a back piece that’s added to the back of mine because it was [shot] in five weeks and they can’t cut it when we’re doing the early stuff. It was a great experience and I was really happy with where we got to with the look.”
Alex Williams on the pressures of playing real-life icons
William’s acting portfolio features a who’s who of real-life personalities he’s portrayed onscreen including Julian Assange in Underground, Kirk Pengilly in Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story Of INXS, Paul Onions in Catching Milat, and John Harvey in Peter Brock.
“I’m not sure what it is exactly,” Williams said of his pull towards the genre. “When the auditions pop up, I definitely circle them and go, I want to work really hard on this. I find them fascinating because there is an element of working with truth. And then you’re working back from that and trying to figure out what motivated each decision. What got you there? So, you’re sort of using your imagination within the real world of a real person and I find that fascinating.”
While the genre certainly has its drawcards, there is a certain pressure that comes with playing real people with lived experiences.
“It’s different with every kind of different person you play,” he admitted. “Sometimes productions are in contact with people or it’s an adaptation of a book or whatever. I sort of approached Warnie thinking there’s a lot of pressure to get this right.
“You know, he’s a national hero. He was one of my heroes growing up. So, the thing about external pressure is an interesting one because you try and just make it about the process right? I just kind of go, Okay, well, this is my process. As long as that goes well, I just don’t think about the external part. But of course, that’s really difficult. I guess the main thing for me was going, no one can put more pressure on me to do this job well than me. No one’s going to care more or make me work harder than me.
“Mostly the pressure that I felt was from myself. I really wanted it to work and I really wanted it to be good.”
Listen to the full interview with Alex Williams on Mediaweek and Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline Podcast.
Warnie premieres over two nights on Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26 on Nine and 9Now.
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