Mark Davis brings on the laughs in acclaimed film ‘Topdecked’
Although Mark Davis is now an industry leading actor in his home country of Australia, he did not always know performing would be in his future. The early years of Davis’ life were committed to one dream: becoming a professional athlete. Sports were always Davis’ main passion as a child, and at one point it looked like he would play for Australia’s national hockey team. However, when Davis sustained an injury in his early twenties, he had to re-evaluate and discover new passions. It didn’t take him long to fall into performing, and he couldn’t help but notice the parallels between acting and sports.
“Working with a crew on set or stage is a big team environment and having grown up playing team sports I always love getting along with the guys and making stuff whilst everyone else is playing their position. The director is the coach or manager and you just play your part,” said Davis.
With that attitude in mind, Davis has collaborated with some of his country’s finest on many successful projects. He has worked with prolific companies on national commercial campaigns, including Honda, Interflora, and Crownbet. He teamed up with award-winning actress Tawni Bryant on their acclaimed film Lucy, which he also co-wrote, and worked alongside famed Spartacus actress Viva Bianca in the drama I Want You.
Just last year, Davis starred in the telling film Topdecked. The story, which Davis wrote, begins when a mysterious girl gate crashes a house party, vanishing again almost instantly. The next day, housemates Jen and Ben discover an issue with the bathroom. Desperate to fix an increasingly alarming problem, they reluctantly agree to get in the only plumber available on a Sunday — a ridiculously pricey one. Issue solved, the plumber leaves the house and gets back in her truck, to reveal her apprentice sitting in the passenger seat: the mysterious gate crasher. Their latest heist completed, they move on to the next one.
“It’s not often you see a film about a small heist, where instead of stealing millions, these culprits are stealing a few hundred bucks through a dodgy scam. It’s important to tell though, because there are individuals all over the world scamming people for small amounts each day,” said Davis.
Davis played Ben, the host of the party who has to deal with the dysfunctional bathroom the next day. Davis loves comedy, which is why he wrote the script, and being able to portray a drunk and then hungover character with a crisis occurring in his personal life was fun for the actor.
“My character is very hungover and has messed up the night before and he is struggling to keep it together under comedic circumstances,” said Davis.
Davis initially did not plan on starring in the film. After writing the script, he began casting for the main character of Ben. However, his producer quickly made him realize that the obvious choice for the part was himself.
“It was a funny script and I love to work with comedy. The story is based around an urban legend and is very funny. I like stuff that people remember. Like a story of Chinese whispers and how things go from bad to worse,” he said.
After its premiere, Topdecked was an Official Selection at the Peninsula Short Film Festival. Davis, although both writing and starring in the film, credits the film’s vast success to his team, knowing that working with a good group of people makes filming a dream, as he puts it. On top of this, getting to show his work not only to the world, but also those closest to him was what made the experience truly amazing.
“I’m always proud when my face is on screen in front of my family. Family means everything to me and to make my mom and dad proud means the world to me. They have sacrificed so much even when I’ve consistently done the opposite of what they’ve advised,” he concluded.
Davis will once again be on international screens with the upcoming period drama Fallen. Don’t miss it.
