This interview contains SPOILERS.
As a Brisbane boy in the early stages of his career, Liam Greinke is all too aware how lucky he is to be able to share the screen with Jai Courtney in the serial killer-cum-shark attack thriller Dangerous Animals – even if he doesn’t make it to the final frame!
Talking to Peter Gray ahead of its release, Greinke shared how it was to prepare for his own demise on screen, what he learnt from his co-stars, and if he has an ultimate role in sight.
You’re involved in one of the more notable scenes. Considering the role, what did you find the most rewarding, or the most surprising part of stepping into something like Dangerous Animals, where you’re only there for a smaller amount of time? Was there something that stayed with you?
Yeah, for sure. I think it’ll always stay with me throughout my entire career. It’s the biggest project I’ve been a part of to day, and I’m a Brisbane boy having the opportunity to work on an international production with the likes of Jai Courtney. I’d say getting stabbed in the neck by Jai Courtney was a dream I didn’t realise I had until (it happened) (laughs). It was a great opportunity to work with someone who’s effectively done what I would love to do in this career. It certainly made it feel like it was possible. And he’s a really lovely dude. A bloody legend, really. I think that was probably the biggest takeaway, was just having the opportunity to learn and be around people on a set. That was pretty epic.
Obviously you know that that moment is coming, but is it a difficult thing to react to something that’s intended as being spontaneous?
I think it’s probably one of the hardest things to do. And the repetition of shooting films means that you have to try and do it like the first time, even though it might be the 40th time. For me, I was falling off the back of a boat into the water. I had to be dead before I hit the water. It was kind of like a reverse belly flop every time. Just like a slap into the water. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt (laughs), but it was worth it. It was kind of like paying for the art.
In terms of settling myself, Jai really helped with that. There was one period there where it was like having an older statesmen on set, you know? Because he can see where you’re at, and he can give you a guiding word here and there. That really helped settle me. It was about keeping yourself present. But it’s definitely a challenge, and one that I felt like I put everything into trying and making it feel like it was first time every time. I think that’s a journey for a lot of actors. How do you replicate real life in a way that feels like the first time?
Is there a role for you that you really want to tackle if given the chance?
I think, for me, I try and look at it from the perspective of I just want to be a part of really good projects. No matter what the size of the role is, you just have to try and make them as memorable, or as good, or as real as possible. I don’t really look at it from a particular role standpoint. But, I love sports dramas. I’d love to be in a good sports drama. I used to be an athlete growing up, so that’d be something that would be pretty close to home. I like exploring anything that speaks to toxic masculinity and trying to transform this idea of masculinity and modernize it in a way. Or provide meaning to the types of characters that are seen as being dark and toxic in a way. A character like Jai plays in this, that’s something that I’d love to do in the future. It’s hard to be specific around it, because at the end of the day you just want to be a part of a creative process where you’re able to tell a story. Whatever role that you’re in, you just want to make sure that you’re doing the best you can to make it good.
Did working on this shift anything for you in how you think about your own voice as a performer?
I think this experience made me realize how much work goes into delivering a complete performance, especially when it’s something on the extreme end. Trying to replicate a death on screen, for example, it was quite a disarming process to be able to recreate something like that. There’s obviously not many things you can draw upon, because you haven’t experienced what it’s like to die, but the research and the rigor and understanding of all the stunt elements, that’s something that I want to continue to build on moving forward.
In terms of my own voice, there’s nothing really particular that stands out. It’s more just wanting to get my reps in and continue to pop in a way, so that those scenes kind of become second nature. You just try and make them more real as you get to do them. And I noticed that with Jai, having the experience that he’s had, like one of his first productions was Spartacus, and it’s quite a physically demanding exercise. Having the opportunity to do even a little bit of work like I did on set, I can take that with me into the next. And continue to build as I go.
And as someone involved in Dangerous Animals from the inside who has a better perspective, is there something that you think audiences might overlook but shouldn’t?
That’s a really good question. I think the character arc of Heather is a really, really interesting one. She’s the second kill in the film, spoiler, obviously, but I think that her journey and her performance, and what she brings to that character, is something that’s really interesting. She did such a great job of marrying the genre that we were in with the performance that she brought to make it seem very, very real. There’s so many great films in the film, and so many great performances, and I feel like everyone really worked together well as an ensemble. But that’s one character that I’d keep an eye out for, because there’s some great moments from Heather and the work that Ella Newton did.
Heather and your character, stepping onto that boat at the beginning of the film, if it was you, Liam, and you’re faced with someone like Tucker asking you to go cage diving…are you saying yes?
I’d probably go ahead with it. I’d be a lamb to the slaughter. I think I put too much trust in people. I feel I would have met Tucker and been like, “What a great bloke. I’d love to get a beer with him.” But I think I’d probably end up dead (laughs).
Dangerous Animals is screening in Australian theatres from June 12th, 2025.
