Home-grown

HOTTIE

RODGER CORSER I

t’s the early 1990s and a young RodgerCorser has just taken to the stage in asimple pub in Melbourne’s northeastern suburbs. With a mop ofhair, tight jeans and a smoulderingsmirk, the young frontman of energetic band Tender Prey belts out arock ballad that has the modest crowd

cheering. And so begins his road to stardom. More than two decades later, he’s regarded as one of the biggest stars on Australian television.

Corser, who currently leads Nine’s hit dramaDoctor Doctor, didn’t plan on being an actor.

“I was interested in film and TV so I did a degree in media studies but I figured I’d end up behind the camera,” the 43-year-old recalls.

“That was the plan. And music.”Then Corser beat 6000 other hopefuls in an

open casting call for the lead role in the national tour of the musical Rent.

Its 1998 seasons in Sydney and Melbourne were hugely successful and propelled him on to the radar of small-screen producers: “I got an agent and started doing bits and pieces and the rest, as they say, is history.”

From soaps to police procedurals and critically acclaimed dramas, Corser has fronted a long list of hit series since his debut in 2000.

His latest role is as Hugh Knight, a brilliant but troubled heart surgeon from Sydney who finds himself living back in his rural home town after a spectacular fall from grace.

The hard-partying, womanising doctor with aserious God complex believes he’s invincible, which causes him no end of trouble.

“I was really interested in that attitude. Theseguys literally have people’s lives in their hands so it’s no wonder some wind up a bit like Hugh,’’ he says. “Not all of them. We’re not implying it’s everyone at all, let me be clear. Some doctors came after us on social media a little bit.

“But in those high-end medical fields you might see a young surgeon living over in Bondi in a flash apartment who hasn’t settled down and is kicking around, living the high life.

“When you do something extraordinary at a level not many others reach, like surgery, it’s easy to begin believing your own bullshit.’’

Corser says it can be similar for artists: “There’s bravado, for sure, but there’s also a lot of insecurity. It’s a double-edged sword.

“In my profession, you can have people whoare very confident, and maybe rightly so, but there are many who constantly battle a lack of confidence and insecurity about whether they are doing a good job. You’re performing all the time, if you think about it. Whether it’s an audition, on camera, doing an interview like this, going on radio to promote a show, something like that, it’s a performance.

“It’s like hiding behind a false bravado and then it’s finished and it’s like, phew.”

Doctor Doctor brought some feelingsof anxiety, Corser admits. It doesn’tmatter how long he does this job,the nerves are ever-present. But, ashe points out, the face of the showenjoys dizzying highs during success and the lion’s share of blame in the event of failure: “The pressure is on a bit more. You want it to go again. Obviously you do with any project, but when you’re the central character you don’t want people to think you can’t carry a show.”

Thankfully Corser and the rest of the cast don’t need to worry about that. A few weeks into this season, Nine confirmed it had commissioned a second instalment for 2017.

It took the pressure off and resulted in a rarityfor an actor — knowing what he’s up to next year, with production due to start mid-year.

“I’ve been stopped on the street for this showmore than any other I’ve done, and I’m not just saying that. It’s really resonated,” he says.

But such is the nature of Australian TV thatCorser will probably fit in other projects that come up, for love and for money.

“More and more, it’s short-run shows. Back inthe day, not long ago actually, seasons would have three, sometimes four times the number of episodes that they do now,’’ he says.

“Rush wasn’t that long ago and we were doing22 episodes. One of those a year and you don’t need anything else. Six parts, you’ve got to find more work.”

On the plus side, shorter shows means moreairtime to fill and Corser believes TV lately has more variety than ever.

“There’s a lot of stuff around,” he says.“Just look at what I’ve done lately —

procedurals that maybe skew a bit older, like

Life’s good for this Aussie actor but there is still the question of finding

balance, writes Shannon Molloy

Doctor, Doctor star Rodger Corser (main), with wife Renae Berry (above) and with the Doctor, Doctor cast (below).Cover photo: Corser, wearing a Herringbone suit with Saba shirt and Brando shoes, relaxes at the hip designer hotel, QT Sydney. Picture: Justin Lloyd

07November 12, 2016

THE ROLESTHAT

STOLE OURHEARTS

“In my profession, you can have people whoare very confident, and maybe rightly so, but there are many who constantly battle a lack of confidence and insecurity about whether they are doing a good job. You’re performing all the time, if you think about it. Whether it’s an audition, on camera, doing an interview like this, going on radio to promote a show, something like that, it’s a performance.

“It’s like hiding behind a false bravado and then it’s finished and it’s like, phew.”

Doctor Doctor brought some feelingsof anxiety, Corser admits. It doesn’tmatter how long he does this job,the nerves are ever-present. But, ashe points out, the face of the showenjoys dizzying highs during success and the lion’s share of blame in the event of failure: “The pressure is on a bit more. You want it to go again. Obviously you do with any project, but when you’re the central character you don’t want people to think you can’t carry a show.”

Thankfully Corser and the rest of the cast don’t need to worry about that. A few weeks into this season, Nine confirmed it had commissioned a second instalment for 2017.

It took the pressure off and resulted in a rarityfor an actor — knowing what he’s up to next year, with production due to start mid-year.

“I’ve been stopped on the street for this showmore than any other I’ve done, and I’m not just saying that. It’s really resonated,” he says.

But such is the nature of Australian TV thatCorser will probably fit in other projects that come up, for love and for money.

“More and more, it’s short-run shows. Back inthe day, not long ago actually, seasons would have three, sometimes four times the number of episodes that they do now,’’ he says.

“Rush wasn’t that long ago and we were doing22 episodes. One of those a year and you don’t need anything else. Six parts, you’ve got to find more work.”

On the plus side, shorter shows means moreairtime to fill and Corser believes TV lately has more variety than ever.

“There’s a lot of stuff around,” he says.“Just look at what I’ve done lately —

procedurals that maybe skew a bit older, like

away somewhere and flying economy withall the kids is the same as two first-class seats, did you know?”

His eldest child is showing signs of followingin his and Anu’s entertainer footsteps, with a keen interest in dance. The teen has grown up on TV sets and in recording studios.

“We’re blessed when it comes to her — she’s agreat kid. I was such a headache for my parents around that age. She’s great. She comes to stay with us on the weekends and loves spending time with the littler kids,’’ he says.

“Well, in certain doses. When they start climbing all over her and the baby starts pulling on her hair, she might retreat to her room.”

Corser grew up in the suburbs but spent a lotof his childhood in Victoria’s countryside, where his mother’s family had a farm.

He and younger brother Campbell would spend hours running around in the paddock and playing hide and seek in the shearing shed.

There’s a photo of the two of them as kids, propped on top of a tractor together, that makes an appearance in Doctor Doctor.

“The art department asked for photos of thecast when we were younger so they could Photoshop us in together, for family photos on set at the homestead,” Corser says.

“I gave them a bunch of me and my brotherand it could’ve been (my on-screen brother) Ryan Johnson, so they used it. That’s nice.”

His remarkable career and happy life aren’tthings he takes for granted and Corser says he has much to be proud of.

But there’s a tinge of regret about letting hismusical side slip away, he admits.

“I haven’t played in years. I sort of lost touchwith it. It’s been such a long time, but if I’m back in Melbourne and catching up with old mates, we might mess around a bit,’’ he says

“I strum a few chords around the house butthat’s as far as it gets. Maybe some late-night karaoke session after a wrap party. I like trying

to recreate the glory of the 90s, that rock era I loved.

“But I have to say, my music chopsaren’t what they used to be. That’s whykaraoke is my preference because it’slike the singing version of beer goggles.

“ The more people drink, the betterI sound.”

Doctor Doctor screens Wednesday,8.40pm, on Nine

Doctor Blake, genre shows like Glitch, dramas like Doctor Doctor and then extended miniseries like The Beautiful Lie. Those are just my credits but it’s replicated across the board.”

What this steady schedule means is lots of time away from home, which comes at a cost,he admits.

Corser is a father of four. His eldestdaughter, Zipporah, from hisprevious relationship with singerChristine Anu, is now 14. Thenthere’s Budd, 6, Cilla, 4, andDustin, who’s one, with wife Renae Berry.

“My youngest daughter hates it when I go away,” Corser says with a hint of painin his voice.

“When I have to say goodbye, she asks ifI’m coming home that night, which breaks

my heart. She asks how many nights, so I tiptoe around it and say ‘Just a few’ or ‘I’ll see

you in a little while.’ It’s tough.”He credits Berry, an actor herself, with

keeping the family ship afloat. Doctor Blake took him to Melbourne each week for several months, while Doctor Doctor was shot predominantly on location in Mudgee.

“She’s absolutely wonderful,” Corser beams.“Going away is tough on her. From next year,

when the kids are a bit older, I think she’s looking forward to getting back out there and maybe doing a few more things to rediscover that she’s not only a mum but her own person, and a talented performer in her own right.”

He’s aware of the complexities of wranglingyoung kids each day. The sight of three car seats jammed into the back of the car is sometimes a daunting one.

“It’s a lot. We realise just how much when we try to book a holiday. The cost of going

RUSH

Peter JohnsonIt’s the part that won over the ladies of Australia, a handsome bushman with a sensitive side.

MCLEOD’S DAUGHTERS

Steve OwenHe played a detective senior sergeant investigating a spate of killings in Melbourne’s notorious gangland wars, based on a true story.

UNDERBELLY

COVER STORY

Lawson BlakeHe showed his ease in cop roles playing the leader of an elite police tactical response unit, who is by the book and tough on his team.

PUBERTY BLUESFerris HennesseyCorser grew a very impressive moustache that his wife hated to play a philandering, unhappy dentist in the drama set in the ‘70s.

GLITCHJohn DoeHe stripped down and got dirty to portray the brute who came back from the dead and liked to throw punches in a small town steeped in mystery.

Picture: Christian Gilles

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