interview with oliver ackland – star of ‘wasted on the young’

Wasted on the Young is a gripping teen drama from debut director, Ben C. Lucas. Set in upper class Australian suburbia, the film explores many themes relevant to the youth of today. When Xandrie (Adelaide Clemens) falls for the introverted Darren (Oliver Ackland) instead of his more popular and egotistical step-brother Zach (Alex Russell), a series of events unfold that end in tragedy and revenge.

Like many actors, Oliver Ackland found it hard to break into the industry, especially since he’s frequently mistaken for being a lot younger then he actually is. “I had the problem that I was only being at looked at for certain roles because I looked a certain age… But on this one, it finally paid off,” he says. At 31 years, Ackland portrays a teenager in Year 12, but despite the age difference, he did not find it hard to relate to his character. “What excited me was the fact that a lot of people’s experiences in high school are similar to my character’s in the film. Those feelings of being a complete outcast and not really knowing how to deal with people on a really basic level. Feeling like you couldn’t connect with anyone. I could totally relate to that stuff. Those were really vivid feelings. The kids were similarly trying to establish a pecking order at my high school. I can still remember all of that macho bullying,” he says. This is probably why Ackland’s performance is full of integrity in the film.

Wasted on the Young effectively exposes the supposed importance of popularity, and the effects of bullying, peer pressure and substance abuse.  “On the one hand it’s a moral fable,” Ackland says. “But the film was meant to represent a heightened sense of reality. It was then our [the actors] job to anchor it into a reality in which the characters interacted.”

Another primary theme in the film is the effect of the digital world. “We see these social forums popping up every 2.5 minutes, which changes the way that people interact. And these are the tools that kids are using to bully each other now… It’s funny how things are also a lot more immediate. There is this heightened sense of being disconnected. It’s like there’s this important ingredient missing. But people are so busy these day that they don’t really dwell on it for long enough… How much are we missing out on for the sake of a faster result?” he asks.

Ackland enjoyed his time working with first-time filmmaker Ben C. Lucas, and he found that everyone was really supportive on set. “It was great. We had a really open forum to create, suggest and work on things. Ben wasn’t cagey at all about putting new ideas out there. He gave us the playing field. He invested an enormous amount of faith and confidence in us and we didn’t want to let anyone down. I’ve never worked on a set like that – everyone was just great.”

After finishing work on The Slap and the mini series Cloudstreet, Ackland is setting his sights to L.A., to pursue his acting career.

Don’t miss Wasted on the Young – in cinemas March 3.