Barry Otto on Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin

Actor Barry Otto interviewed by Margaret Leask.

Barry was cast as Doug Hastings, father of Paul Mercurio’s Scott, in Baz Luhrmann’s first feature film Strictly Ballroom (1992).

In this clip Barry describes working with Baz and his partner Catherine Martin, and how their collaboration felt like glorious, in-your-face theatre.  

Barry is one of Australia’s favourite actors, having appeared on stage and screen in dozens of roles, including Harry Joy in Bliss (Ray Lawrence, 1985), Roy in Cosi (Mark Joffe, 1996) and Jimmy D’Abbs in Oscar and Lucinda (Gillian Armstrong, US-Australia-UK, 1997).