Another Aussie Actor Joins Nicole Kidman In Trespass; Aussie Star Troy Cassar-Daley Talks Keith Urban

Huge thanks to our Aussie friend timtam and an anonymous reader for these stories! It just goes to show the skeptics are full of it when they say that Australia and the Urbans' Australian contemporaries don't want anything to do with them!

Actors decide to 'Trespass'

Thesps join Kidman, Cage for Nu Image actioner
By DAVE MCNARY

Ben Mendelsohn ("Animal Kingdom"), Dash Mihok and Liana Liberato ("Trust") are rounding out the "Trespass" cast opposite Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage in Nu Image/Millennium Films' action-adventure.

Shooting starts Monday in Louisiana with Joel Schumacher directing and a nine-week shoot planned. Cam Gigandet and Jordana Spiro also star.

Reports earlier this month indicated that Cage had left "Trespass" but he subsequently re-committed to the production. He and Kidman signed on to "Trespass" to portray a married couple.

Story, written by Karl Gajdusek and Eli Richbourg, centers on a husband and wife taken hostage by four brutal perpetrators seeking easy cash. Complications ensue amid the unexpected discovery of betrayal and deception.

""Trespass" marks the fourth collaboration between Cage and Nu Image/Millennium Films following the recently wrapped 3D adventure "Drive Angry," "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" and "The Wicker Man."

"Trespass" will be produced by Irwin Winkler and David Winkler of Winkler Films and Rene Besson. Avi Lerner executive produces for Nu Image/Millennium Films, along with Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and John Thompson, and Jill Cutler exec produces for Winkler Films.


timtam let us know that Ben Mendelsohn has just come off a very popular Showtime Australia drama called Tangle and that he is a very sought-after actor on Australian television. This isn't the first time he's worked on a film with Nicole Kidman. Readers may recognize him as "Captain Dutton" from Baz Luhrmann's Australia.



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DAVE'S DIARY - 7 MAY 2009 - TROY CASSAR- DALEY INTERVIEW

KEITH URBAN

"From the day we met I have to say/ my life's been blessed/ and that old sky above ain't got nothing on/ this big, big love." - Big, Big Love - Troy Cassar-Daley.

The singer credits fellow pre-teen Tamworth busker and latter day expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban for the disc's entrée single and video.

"I was having real trouble writing last year," Troy recalled.

"I ended up catching up with Keith on a plane, going over to Phoenix, Arizona, to do his show.

He said to me 'how's the writing going?'

I said "to tell you the truth, it's not going too well. I'm having a bit of a writer's block.'

He said 'how are you approaching it?'

I said 'on guitar.'
"He said 'try a drum machine - in your Mac computer you'll have garage band.'

"I often go to it when I need energy in a song. I started that when I got home. I started on electric guitar that I normally don't write on a lot. I got it going and was having a ball.

Three or four songs into this project I thought I've broken the drought - it's finally flowing again."

Cassar-Daley confessed that both the Cassar-Daley and Urban spouses and offspring inspired the song.

Troy wed fellow singer and 4KQ breakfast DJ Laurel Edwards many moons ago and they have two sons.

Urban, 41, took the plunge much later in life with a Sydney born thespian named Nicole.

"When Keith and Nicole's baby was born we texted him and said 'congratulations, it must be a huge thrill for you being a dad the first time.'

His reply - beautiful result, she's absolutely gorgeous. We're all tired. Big love to the family - Keith.'

"I was in the middle of this track. I was working out real rocking drum feel. I thought it doesn't get much bigger than that. I might head for that as the hook line and go for that direction. I worked the demo up in a couple of days, sent it to Keith and he loved it.

He really thought I nailed what he was talking about. It kicked a door in for me - opened up another avenue. You can write this. So far he hasn't asked for a share of the royalties."

PATERNAL ADVICE

Instead the singer gave the new father free paternal advice.

"He asked me a lot about the balance of family and career," Troy revealed.

"At any level it's hard to balance. I said to him 'you probably already know that but what it comes down to is priorities. As long they're the No 1 priority everything else will fall into line behind that and will happen in its own way. You tell the record company when you want to tour. You keep your time off in big blocks for Nicole and you like Laurel and I do. He found it refreshing to hear it coming from an Australian voice - someone he's known for more than 20 years."

Urban, once signed to fellow expatriate Australasian Barry and Jewel Coburn's publishing company Ten, Ten, didn't offer Troy advice on landing songs in movies and TV shows.

"No, we mainly talked about guitars and about old memories we had back in Tamworth," Cassar-Daley recalled.

"We used to go and busk outside Cheaper Music in Tamworth as 12 year-olds. We continued doing that over the years, even after we had our record deals. He would ring up and say we're raising money for the kids ward at the hospital - can you come over and do a few songs at the front of the music store. I would go to his gigs and he would come to mine - a cross-pollination. The first time I met Jerry Flowers (Urban's U.S. bassist from his era with embryonic trio The Ranch) they were going to smash a few guitars on stage in Tamworth. But Keith missed the stage and cut Jerry's hand in the middle of show. It was a big moment when they were doing a Garth Brooks piss-take. I don't think he would have as many Australian friends come through that would have as much history."

The singer confessed that he hadn't read the controversial Urban biography.

"I'm waiting for Laurel to finish it," he confessed.

"I'm looking forward to having a read because a lot of people and events I would have been part of. It's nice to see someone's take on Keith but I would much prefer to hear one from Keith. It would be nice to hear it from the horse's mouth. I don't think I would be interested in learning someone else's take on personal battles he has had - everybody already knows about that.'