Murray Bartlett is undoubtedly one of Australia’s biggest exports.
The Sydney-born, Perth-raised actor got his big break in the early ’90s, starring in 13 episodes of “Home And Away,” before landing roles in a number of local hits like “A Country Practice,” “McLeod’s Daughters,” “The Secret Life of Us” and “Neighbours”.
But Bartlett broke into Hollywood in a major way with his starring role in the first season of HBO’s “The White Lotus” in 2021 as the unhinged hotel manager, Armond. That performance gifted the 55-year-old an Emmy and AACTA Award and shot him into a string of major productions, such as Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales,” which he scored a second-straight Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, another Emmy-nominated nod for “The Last of Us” from just one episode, and the second season of “Nine Perfect Strangers” alongside another Australian favourite, Nicole Kidman.
His next feature film, “The Death of Robin Hood,” sees him reunite with fellow Sydney star Hugh Jackman, who he worked with in “The Boy From Oz” stage production, which is set to hit cinemas next month.
Bartlett’s new project, Apple TV’s “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” is another scene-stealing performance.
The dark comedy thriller series follows a newly-divorced mother, Paula (Emmy Award winner Tatiana Maslany), as she goes down a rabbit hole of blackmail and murder after being convinced she witnessed a crime. Much like Bartlett’s other shows, it is stacked with big names include Jake Johnson (“New Girl”) and Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”), and is directed and executive produced by David Gordon Green (“Halloween,” “The Righteous Gemstones”).
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Where does Bartlett’s mysterious character fit into the show? Well, you’ll have to watch to find out. But here, Variety Australia sits down with Bartlett to talk all about the show and his stellar career to date.
Variety Australia: First of all, congratulations on the show — another incredible performance! We need to be careful so as to not give spoilers away, but what drew you to this show – the story or the mystery around your character?
Murray Bartlett: I mean, a combination of the things! I had a conversation with [creator and showrunner] David Rosen, and David Gordon Green, who was the first director set the tone. They’re so awesome. They were so passionate about the show. I had some scripts… it starts in this really great human place. They write reality well, in the way that I perceive reality, which is that it is dark, but it’s also funny. And then it just becomes this galloping story that just keeps surprising you
Likewise, this character that I get to play is a real chameleon. Like, you think you know who he is and then he kind of shape-shifts into something else, depending on what scenario he’s in and what he thinks he needs to be to get what he wants. That’s kind of dreamy as an actor, a character like that.
You’ve been in a lot of shows with some high-profile ensemble cast and crew — this one’s no different. What sets “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” apart from some of your other projects?
I guess it’s kind of similar to other projects, in that I love to work with super-talented people who happen to be really awesome humans and lovely. Those are my top two things. So, this is another show like that, you know? I mean, the whole cast is great, so I knew we were gonna have a great time together. And with Tatiana as the linchpin of the show, this is so awesome to have someone not only setting the tone on set, but also someone who’s super-talented and surprising and fresh, and she delivers in this show. She’s so awesome in it.
You’ve been lucky to have been a part of so many great projects, but your performances in these shows often stand out. For example, one episode in “The Last of Us” earned you an Emmy nomination and got the world talking. How important is a complex character to you, even if the writing is good enough?
Definitely for me, it’s more about the story. I just did a film where I play a more minor role in it, but it’s an awesome story with awesome people, and I just wanted to be part of that story. So yeah, it’s definitely about that.
I mean — if you’re playing a great character but the story is not something that lights you on fire, and it’s not gonna resonate with an audience, then to me I’m like, what’s the point? This is not an exercise about me just showing what I can do as an actor. I mean, there is a part of that, but that’s not the driving force at all. I want a character that I can sink my teeth into, and I feel like it’s a good match for me, and I feel like I can bring a lot and offer a lot to the character. It’s all about story, really and great scripts.
Have you been able to tell when you’re onto something special? Using “The Last of Us” as an example, a very intimate, closed-off shoot with just you and Nick Offerman. Could you tell this would land well?
Yes. We did know that with that. You never know how it’s gonna turn out, but we knew that it was up to us whether we messed it up or not, because it was a beautiful, beautiful script. It was a very memorable experience, in that every department in that production, like, you’d go into wardrobe and they’d be like, ‘Oh, this is such a beautiful story.’ Everybody felt, kind of, reverent towards it, and we just knew that it’s such a beautiful script and such a beautiful story.
But you can have that feeling and then it just doesn’t turn out that way. And vice versa — you can be doing something and you’re like, ‘Well this is shit.’ And then somehow it all comes together and it’s great. Or maybe it’s like, they’ve done a really great edit and it works. That’s one of the things that’s like the dangling carrot that keeps you going. You’re like, can it work?
But yeah, there are times, I guess, when it does work out, like with “The Last of Us”, where we felt that it was super special, and then it resonated with people in a way that was really, really, really special. It was an amazing experience to feel that response come back after we’d poured our hearts into it. It was very, very satisfying.
You probably knew you knocked it out of the park when the only negative criticism was from people angry about an episode centred on two men in love in a show based on a video game about a post-apocalyptic world.
[Laughs] Exactly, yeah! Nick had some great, witty things to say about that, which are worth looking up.
In recent years, you’ve been able to connect back to your local ties, working with Nicole Kidman, you’ve just wrapped “Robin Hood” with Jackman, and another film with Taika Waititi. Do you still tap into the Australian screen industry and see how far we’ve come?
Absolutely! I’m always looking for an excuse to come back to Australia. It’s tricky when you make your life somewhere else, and you make your career somewhere else, and there’s something about keeping that momentum going that it can become tricky. There’s so many wonderfully talented actors in Australia, so they sort of, in some ways, operate in separate kind of worlds. But I love coming back. I love the idea of coming back to work, so I’d always be open to that.
As we said when we started talking to each other, there’s something about hearing the Australian accent, and it just kind of makes me breathe a little deeper, and I feel at home. I got to work with Rose Byrne, and on set she’s like, “Hey, Maz!” And I’m like, what? When she did call, just sort of organically, it was like, “Hey, Maz,” and she’s like, “Sorry, can I call you that?” I’m like, are you kidding? Like, I never get to hear that. So cool.
Working with Hugh recently — we worked together in “Boy From Oz” aeons ago – getting the chance to say that — ’cause when I worked with him in “Boy From Oz,” he’s just an extraordinary, wonderful actor. One of the most beautiful humans you’ll ever meet, and so generous. And I was so inspired by him when I worked on that show, and he was the blueprint for how I wanna be in the world. I got the chance to say that to him because we were working together, and he hasn’t changed. He’s still as generous and wonderful as ever. It feels like a history that we share that is so lovely to connect back to.
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” is streaming on Apple TV now.