Getty Images
Rob Collins had a banner 2017, appearing on television in Cleverman, The Wrong Girl and Glitch. WHO chatted with Collins, 38, one of our Stars of the Year.
Q: Did you imagine 2017 would turn out the way it did?
A: No, I couldn’t have foreseen it at all. It’s just fortuitous, really, that I had been cast in some really great shows that had some really strong years. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
Q: Junkee just called you Australia’s “It Man.” Any pressure?
A: It’s such a strange title but look, all I can say is it’s just good to be working and it’s good to be working on such great projects with such great people so, it’s such a fickle industry where you can have a busy year one year and a not so busy one the next, so I’m just very grateful that I’ve had the year that I’ve had.
Q: The more work you get, the less time with family, so how do you balance the two?
A: There is no method for it. You squeeze in the family time you can in and around projects. And I’ve just been lucky that I’ve had projects that have enabled me to do that. I have been grateful that both productions that I’ve been at, Cleverman and The Wrong Girl, are family orientated and have allowed me significant time to be with the family. It has been a balancing act, but there’s no rhyme or reason to it.
Q: Do feel the pull to go back on stage?
A: I’d love to have a balance of the two. I have a great love of theatre and I love live performance, and I really love TV and film as well. If I could have my cake and eat it, it’s a nice mix of both a theatre and film career.
Q: You seem to be veering towards villainy lately. Are you drawn to evil parts or what’s the deal?
A: [Laughs] It might say something about me, I don’t know! Certainly, the villainous roles, as you say, have been very consistent, and I’m drawn to complex characters and both Glitch and Cleverman, I’ve had the opportunity to delve into some pretty complex psychology. It’s been real fun. Having said that, though, the light-hearted love interest as well is also fun to play and to be able to mix up the roles has been really great as well.
Q: Of course as Jack on The Wrong Girl, you are giving off ‘hunk’ vibes. What’s that like at this point in your career?
A: It’s honestly, I find it funny if only because if people see me like I am now, sitting at a café with my daughter with my hair not brushed, having just come from the beach, looking quite disheveled, this is what I’m like most of the time, so the sex symbol tag is quite funny.
Q: Do you have a New Year’s resolution? Do you make them?
A: I used to quite a lot and in fact, this year, rather than think of a resolution, we had a theme song and it was Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” which was our theme for the year, so I was sad to hear of his passing. It seems so strangely apt. So this year we didn’t have a resolution as such but we had an anthem for whenever we felt we needed some inspiration or motivation, we would play that song. So it’s something I normally do and going into next year, I don’t know what my resolution should be. But I do pray quite a bit and every New Year’s Eve, I pray for the same thing, which is to have a happy, healthy family because if you’ve got that, everything else is secondary, really.
To hear more from Rob and to see the Best and Worst in news and celebrity in 2017, pick up the bumper special issue of WHO on newsstands today.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
