Shortly after they pulled the plug on their status as a ‘live touring unit’ in November last year, INXS fans were gifted with the news that the life of former frontman Michael Hutchence would be adapted for the screen, in three separate adaptations covering aspect of the legendary singer’s life with the band.
First, there was the silver screen biopic Two Worlds Colliding (based on the book Just A Man, penned by Michael Hutchence’s sister Tina and late mother Patricia Glossop) and Michael, directed by Dogs In Space filmmaker Richard Lowenstein. Excitement is building for the third adaptation, a new two-part mini-series entitled Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story, as casting for the miniseries continues.
Chronicling the rock n roll story of one of Australia’s biggest and most successful music exports of all time, complete with the tragic trajectory of their former frontman, back in April, Never Tear Us Apart cast the lead and most important role for the series, choosing Australian Luke Arnold for the coveted role of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.
Now the role of one of the singer’s main squeezes, iconic pop star Kylie Minogue, has been cast. As The Daily Telegraph reports, the part of the pint-sized blonde is going to none other than fellow Australian pop star Samantha Jade. The 26-year old Perth brunette and X Factor winner will be going blonde (and presumably short haired as is a good fit for the part for the upcoming Seven miniseries.
“I am such a fan of Dannii, who I’ve met a couple of times, and Kylie, and all they have done in fashion acting and music,” Jade told The Daily Telegraph of scoring her new role. “That is a career path I would love to even come a little close to achieving.”“I am such a fan [of Kylie] and all [she has] done in fashion acting and music” – Samantha Jade.
Her appearance in Love Will Never Tear Us Apart will mark Jade’s acting debut and, as previously reported, will reportedly involve a scene with Luke Arnold’s Michael Hutchence that involves a first-class entry into the mile-high club featuring a toilet cubicle and Bob Hawke as a witness.
The real-life Kylie dated the INXS frontman from 1989 to 1991 before Hutchence eventually moved to his equally high profile relationship with Paula Yates, who will also feature in the miniseries but whose casting has yet to be unconfirmed, along with the actor who will cameo as U2’s Bono.
Production on the two-part miniseries began last week, along with the announcement of the cast members who will be joining Arnold in playing the rest of the INXS lineup. Packed To The Rafters star Hugh Sheridan who will play bassist Garry Gary Beers, NIDA graduate Nicholas Masters has won the role of Tim Farriss, with Offspring newcomer Ido Drent as drummer Jon Farriss and Andy Ryan as keyboardist and songwriter Andrew Farriss.
Alex Williams, who played the lead role in Underground: The Julian Assange Story, has signed on to play multi-instrumentalist Kirk Pengilly. Love My Way actor Damon Herriman will play the band’s manager Chris Murphy, who in real life is also serving as co-executive producer on the two-part series.
Tim Farriss is also consulting on set to the actors, and told News Limited that it was emotional to see their own life replicated for television and to see frontman Michael Hutchesen brought back to life through Arnold.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with the cast and I’m amazed – at times I actually thought Michael was there,” the guitarist said. ”It has been all forms of emotion for me (but) I’m very excited.”
The two-parter, set to screen on Seven later this year, will reveal many of the untold stories of the Australian band who became one of the world’s biggest rock acts, including Hutchence’s spiral into depression after a motorbike accident in Thailand robbed him of his sense of taste and smell before his tragic suicide in 1997.
