Toby Wallace admits it’s as good as compulsory for young Australian actors to appear in Neighbours. Having done his time back in 2012, he’d worked his way through a number of shorts and TV movies when he was presented with the script for Babyteeth. It’s proved to be his breakthrough role, winning him the Best Young Actor award at Venice last year and UK audiences get the chance to see his performance when the film arrives in cinemas this Friday.
He plays the drug dealing boyfriend of teenager Milla (Eliza Scalen) who suffers from a serious illness, one that makes her parents (played by Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis) extremely protective. And, while her choice of boyfriend doesn’t meet with their approval, it turns out to be better for her than any medicine.
Talking to THN on the day when the film received the top award at the Transylvania Film Festival, alongside the Audience Award, Wallace recalls why the role appealed to him straight away and how, with help from director Shannon Murphy, he set about creating a backstory for his character. He also describes the creation of his distinctive haircut in the movie and the experience of working with actors of the stature of Mendelsohn and Davis.
Babyteeth is released in cinemas on Friday, 14 August.
