George Mason was on the set of the new series Run, preparing to shoot a scene as notorious real-life bank robber Brenden Abbott, when he was handed a phone. On the other end of the line was none other than the convicted thief, who’s been in prison since 1998. The Invercargill-born actor, 35, recalls, “I was like, ‘Holy shit!’ I got on the phone and said, ‘I’ve been trying to talk to you for so long!’”
Abbott’s son James was visiting the set of Run that day and he was the one who handed George the phone. The former Home And Away actor – who starred as former jailbird Martin “Ash” Ashford on the soap from 2014 to 2018 – admits he was nervous about James watching him play his dad.
“His old man did things that definitely traumatised some people, like waving guns around in people’s faces and robbing banks,” says George.
“It’s stuff that I know that he regrets to this day. It stopped him from being able to have a relationship outside of prison with his son. “There’s a fair bit of weight to playing a real character and representing him as accurately as one can. For me, having James on set, it was quite an emotional day because you could really feel how much he cared about his story and about his father’s story.”
George didn’t have much time on the phone with Abbott, but he turned out to be an “amazing storyteller”, the star remembers.
From Southland to silver screen
“I said, ‘Have you got any advice for playing you?’ And he goes, ‘If you get pulled over by the cops, just relax.’ I was like, ‘That’s so good.’”
Growing up in Southland, George hadn’t heard of Abbott, one of Australia’s most notorious criminals, also known as “the Postcard Bandit”, until the role in Run came along. He immediately started finding out as much as he could about the robber, who escaped prison twice, and was thrilled when fellow Kiwi star Robyn Malcolm was cast as Abbott’s mum Thelma Salmon.
“It’s such an incredible story,” enthuses George, who was keen to do as many stunts as he could.
At one point, he was hanging off a cherry picker. Another time, he was running across the roof of a real-life prison.
When the stunts get real
“There was one take where I was screaming across the roof and I tripped up, busting my shoulder open,” he reveals.
“I stood up and I was in shock. I walked over to the director’s tent and I was like, ‘Oh, that was pretty epic. Hopefully we’ll be able to chuck that in there.’ But the director just goes, ‘Brenden Abbott wouldn’t fall over!’”
After making his debut in the queer Kiwi film 50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous, George went on to star in Shortland Street, Tangiwai: A Love Story, Top Of The Lake, The Blue Rose and Go Girls, before joining Home And Away.
Looking ahead
Asked if he’d ever return to the Aussie soap, he replies, “Never say never, but at this stage, probably not. I feel like I’ve done my apprenticeship, but it was a really great experience and I loved my time on that show.”
George has since appeared in top dramas One Night, Black Snow and The Survivors, plus the hot new comedy Sunny Nights. Of his busy career, he says, “I’m not complaining because for so long, I was just cruising, really, and waiting for the phone to ring.”
In between roles, George lives “a pretty relaxed sort of lifestyle”.
He grins, “I live in the bush six hours north of Sydney, so it’s nice when I’m not working – I just kick back with my dog. I surf, I cook nice meals and I go camping.”
He says it’s “amazing” to be back home after filming in and around Perth. “I had to leave my dog behind because it’s all-consuming when you’re on set, so it’s just lovely to come home.”
While George sees himself working in the US sometime, Hollywood doesn’t appeal.
He insists, “I love living here, so it’s all good. But as long as I’m working, I’m happy – doesn’t matter where it is.”
Run is now streaming on TVNZ+.
