After putting the final touches on his new movie, Paul Fenech found himself with a bit of time off – a realisation that scared him.
The man behind cult TV classics Fat Pizza and Housos describes the sense of dread that came with lack of work.
“I get bored – I’ve had three weeks of not doing anything and it’s driving me nuts,” Fenech says.
The new film, Dumb Criminals, will have a one-off screening at Sunshine next week. It’s billed as “Underbelly meets Housos” and follows Rabbit (Fenech) and Rongo (Kev Taumata) as they embark on bad deeds for a good cause.
Fans can expect some of the wickedly offensive humour for which Fenech and associates are known, with many familiar faces joining in the fun.
“Our sense of humour is one of the best things about the Australian character and if you take that away, what are we – third rate Americans?” he says.
Fenech isn’t impressed by politically correct hand-wringing in comedy.
“Without the right to poke fun at authority and the way things are, suddenly you’re living in a totalitarian state,” he says.
Fenech has a loyal cadre of fans and laughs at the notion of retirement.
“I really enjoy entertaining people one way or the other, so I’ll probably be 60 on a stage somewhere doing crappy jokes, saying ‘subwoofer’ like a has-been.”
By Ed Gardiner
