Alex Williams is well-known for his on-screen portrayals of real people. He was cast as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Underground: The Julian Assange Story in 2012 right after graduating from Perth’s acting school.
According to Christine Hawkins, the mother of Julian, “at times, I actually felt I was looking at my son” because Alex was so convincing.
“His mum gave a really nice quote about my performance, which was lovely – one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me,” says 32-year-old Alex to TV WEEK.
Later, he appeared in INXS: Never Tear Us Apart (2014) as musician Kirk Pengilly.
“Kirk was on set, helping me learn guitar and saxaphone,” Alex recalls. “I believe he was satisfied with his portrayal,”
In the two-part biographical drama Warnie, Alex is currently making headlines for portraying another real person, the legendary spin bowler Shane Warne.
Shane passed away a little more than a year ago at the age of 52. At his memorial service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, more than 50,000 people showed up.
Alex acknowledges that there was some strain because of how well-known and adored he is not only in Melbourne but also throughout Australia, India, and England. But I suppose the pressure spurs you to put forth your best effort to make it as genuine as you can.
To play Shane, Alex prepared for eight weeks. He gained roughly 8 kg, which was one of his actions.
He describes him as having a powerful core, arms, and shoulders like a discus thrower. He was strong, so I thought I should bulk up a little.
The actor claims it was “surprisingly easy” to gain the weight.
“I just began ordering two of everything, including two Guinness and two doughnuts… If you spread it out over six months, you’ll feel great, but if you spread it out over eight weeks, you won’t.
Alex has been playing “just socially” for the past three years, but he grew up playing backyard cricket. Warnie, however, had a different experience learning how to bowl leg spin.
It’s the most difficult task in the game, he claims. “There’s a reason why it was dead before Shane Warne,”
Alex trained with Steve O’Keefe, a spin bowler, in Sydney before moving to Melbourne to study under Bryce McGain, a Test bowler from Shane’s time.
“He not only helped me get the action right — he had trained with [Shane’s coach] Terry Jenner and Shane for a long time — but also to understand the mentality behind how he bowled and how he’d stare down a batsman, how he’d sledge, and those sorts of things.”
In addition, Alex devoted a significant amount of time to reading about Shane and watching him play.
By the end, my partner was very tired of watching Shane Warne clips on YouTube, I’ll tell you that much for free.
Actress Indiana Evans, who played Matilda Hunter on Home and Away and most recently made an appearance in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder, is Alex’s girlfriend.
Together, “we work on self-tapes and auditions,” he explains. She was a huge assistance to me during the Warnie audition.
Recently, Alex appeared in H&A as Jacob, the controlling husband of Dr. Bree Cameron (Juliet Godwin). It was “awful” to play such a cunning character.
“It was a great experience working on Home And Away, but I couldn’t say I enjoyed playing that character.”
Next, Alex says that he wants to continue working in Australia since “Indy loves it in Sydney” and that he has been considering some other actual people he would like to portray on television.
I actually have a few in my back pocket, he claims. But I won’t reveal their identities just yet.
