Ben Mendelsohn's not ashamed of Neighbours

Thirty years before he starred in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ben Mendelsohn was just another freckle-faced teenager trying to crack the big time appearing on Neighbours.

And now the actor, who played combative Warren Murphy in the Australian soap from 1986 to 1987, has recalled in an exclusive interview with Be how the role affected his career.

“I had a six-week story arc,” he tells Be of his memories of the TV series. “And I had friends who were in Neighbours - Kylie [Minogue] and some others. So yeah, I went and did Neighbours for about six weeks.

“It’s fair to say that prior to Star Wars, that is still the most widely known thing that I’ve done.”

The actor, who plays Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, adds that while there are plenty of roles he regrets doing, the one on the Australian soap isn’t one of them.

"I don't [cringe]," he tells us. "I look at some things I’ve done over the past several years and I think, ‘Oh geez, how did I get through?’ But I don’t look back shame-faced at any of it, really.

“And I’ve done things that were much more potentially, you know [more embarrassing]... than Neighbours – plenty!”

The Melbourne-born actor adds that the impact the show has had on many Australian acting careers is huge.

Well, the likes of Margot Robbie and Russell Crowe didn't emerge from nowhere!

“It’s been huge,” he recalls. “Neighbours and Home and Away have potentially produced or had more people who have gone on to have spectacular careers through their doors than any other show I can think of.

“No other shows have come close. You learn a lot doing that stuff.

“It’s sink or swim. It pays off hugely to have worked in that style of television.”

The actor, who was speaking with Be to promote his Star Wars debut, says that he was only seven years old when the first flick came out in 1977, but he still credits himself as an "original fan".

“I loved Han [Solo] but I wanted to be Luke [Skywalker],” he tells Be. “But I think that’s probably pretty much the way it fell for most of the young guys who saw it – you know.”

Being such a massive fan, it must have been difficult to keep the news of his upcoming role in Star Wars a secret from his friends.

“It felt like months and months,” he says. “I’m gonna take a stab at about three or four months from the time I had the initial meeting with [Rogue One director] Garreth [Edwards] and I was pretty sure he’d offer me the role ‘til it actually all got confirmed – it was a while.”

“You can probably tell two or three people if you choose carefully,” he says. “People say, ‘What are you doing?’ And you’re like, ‘Ehh. Might be doing something.’ So yeah.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story picks up some time after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and shortly before the events of the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope.

The first standalone Star Wars film, Rogue One, centres on a group of Rebel spies on a mission to steal design schematics for the Galactic Empire's new super-weapon, the Death Star.

But in this case, just like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there's a female lead, played by Oscar-nominee Felicity Jones.

Speaking about rumours Rogue One is the most diverse cast yet, Ben remains tight-lipped, but says that fans won’t be disappointed with Felicity's character.

“I would be loathed to call that one correct,” he tells. “But I think the last couple of Star Wars film have been female-driven stories – Daisy Ridley [in Star Wars: The Force Awakens] and now with Rogue One – I mean Jyn Erso is a fantastic character.

“She’s a great Star Wars character – she’s very, very firmly in the tradition but when you’ve finished watching Rogue One, I think you’ll also appreciate how spectacularly different and apart it is from the previous Star Wars films.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits Australian cinemas on December 15, 2016.

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