Frankie J Holden's portrayal in A Place to Call Home, of Roy Briggs, a salt of the earth farmer has won him Most Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Logie Awards on Sunday, June 30.
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Announced at the gala event on the Gold Coast, it was Frankie J's first win from his first Logie nomination although there have been other nominations and awards.
"It is a thrill just to nominated and have your work recognised in that company of actors," Frankie J said.
He said that he had based his character in the show, which is set in the late 1950s, on his uncles.
I based it on my uncles who lived at Bendemeer, near Tamworth and were all sheep farmers. The men were heroes to me as a young boy. They were manly men who could ride horses, catch rabbits, slaughter sheep and milk cows; they were macho but not show off, they were humble.
- Frankie J Holden
"It takes place in a rural setting and he (Roy Briggs) is a real salt of the earth Australian male that is disappearing, it's a large part of the Australian psyche that is disappearing.
"I based it on my uncles who lived at Bendemeer, near Tamworth and were all sheep farmers. The men were heroes to me as a young boy. They were manly men who could ride horses, catch rabbits, slaughter sheep and milk cows; they were macho but not show off, they were humble," Frankie J said of his uncles.
"They were like the cowboys I was watching on the telly and it was one of the things that resonated with me."
He described Roy Briggs as starting out as a "cranky old coot" who mellows after the lead character Sarah Adams, played by Marta Dusseldorp stays with him. But in the last season of the show Roy Briggs young wife dies in childbirth and it was this portrayal which Frankie J believes got him the Logie.
You have to find yourself, locate the feeling and once found be able to go back there even if you have to break for lunch and restart afterwards.
- Frankie J Holden
"I had to portray that grief. It can be more difficult for a man to do because we tend to keep these things hidden. It can also be a challenge because you may have to do it at 7am or 2pm on a hot afternoon."
So what techniques did he use to bring that emotion to the small screen.
"You have to find yourself, locate the feeling and once found be able to go back there even if you have to break for lunch and restart afterwards," Frankie J said.
In his acceptance speech Frankie J thanked his partner Michelle Pettigrove and paid tribute to farmers acknowledging that many were doing it tough.
"It was a great honour to bring this character to life and I hope I did it," he said.
He admitted that before his category was called out he got "really nervous" saying that he had written a little speech in case, because he didn't want to make a hash of it.
"Of course when your name is called out, it's lovely."
Michelle wasn't able to attend as she is appearing in Spectrum Theatre Group's Ladies in Black which Frankie J directed.
On Saturday night Frankie J was at the show in Bega before taking the Sunday lunchtime flight to Sydney and heading to the Gold Coast for the Logies. On Monday morning he was heading back to work on Home and Away in the studio at Redfern.
"Next Sunday I will be setting up the gear for our usual gig at Tathra Beachside," he said.