Mad Max star Steve Bisley, who played Jim Goose in iconic film, heading to WA

Annelies GartnerThe West Australian
Camera IconSteve Bisley Credit: Getty Images

In 1977, actors Mel Gibson and Steve Bisley took the fast road into dream jobs after they graduated.

“We both went to NIDA together and we were cast in Mad Max at the end of our third and final year,” said Bisley, who starred as Jim Goose in the story of murder and revenge set in a dystopian future.

“I’d had a motorbike when we were filming, so to be given a role where they say, ‘Here’s a fast motorbike and you’re the cop and get on it and just go crazy’. I was like OK!”

It wasn’t the first film the friends worked on together. In their second year at NIDA, Gibson and Bisley were both cast in low-budget surfing film Summer City. Bisley said director George Miller was aware he and Gibson were close when he cast them as mates in Mad Max.

“He had come to see some of the graduate productions for our third year,” he explains. “There was no guarantee that we got the role. We were just given a script and had to audition along with a lot of other guys.”

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Even though he had motorcycle skills, luckily Bisley wasn’t expected to do his own hair-raising stunts.

“A lot of the fast riding was done by stunt men because they have the cinematographer on the back with a camera perching over the rider’s shoulder,” he recalled.

“It was filming by the seat of your pants. Although I didn’t do the stunts, we did a lot of stuff that these days actors wouldn’t be allowed to do given the safety regulations.”

Mad Max was released to a mixed reception including being banned in New Zealand and Sweden and dubbed for release in the US.

“I think when it was released in the UK, it was the American version, somebody said, ‘You just sound like a Montana cowboy in it’,” he laughed. “I would like to see it one day just for a laugh.”

Camera IconMel Gibson as Max & Steve Bisley as Jim Goose in Mad Max Credit: FILM COMPANY ORION HOME/WARNER BROS.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film’s release, Bisley is coming to WA for Supanova Comic Con & Gaming expo, along with Mad Max co-star Hugh Keays-Byrne aka Toecutter.

“There’s never been a real forum where the fans could get together,” Bisley said. “The fact that Supanova included Mad Max in their program this year, I think it has been great.”

Bisley has been greeted by fans dressed as Jim Goose, who have replica cars and bikes from the film, and has had a lot of requests to sing a song from the movie.

“I sang this sort of crazy tongue-twisting song just before I get killed in the film and it was something my grandmother use to sing,” he explained.

“I don’t know why the thought occurred to me, I’m travelling along in the ute, the crash bike on the back and I was singing this song.

“George Miller contacted me while they were editing the film and said where can we get the copyright for the song and I said, ‘It’s something my grandmother use to sing, I don’t know if there is any copyright on it’.”

But it’s not only his roles in Mad Max that the veteran actor gets asked about, his fans also want to talk about 90s TV series Water Rats and Police Rescue.

Another film favourite is 1990 comedy The Big Steal, in which he played a used cars salesman alongside Claudia Karvan and Ben Mendelsohn.

“I love The Big Steal too, I play Gordon Farkas and even his name cracks me up,” he said. “Gordon Farkas what a guy.”

There’s another reason Bisley is keen to head west, his partner is Rebecca Anderson, events manager at the Art Gallery of WA.

“We’ve been conducting this long-distance relationship for about five years,” he said. “I do get to Perth and Rebecca comes over here as well, so we criss-cross this country.”

Supanova is on Friday to Sunday at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Details at supanova.com.au

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