‘The Dry’ actor Eric Bana on US debut of film set in rural Australia

Australian actor Eric Bana could moonlight as a language teacher.

Calling from his home in Melbourne, the former Hulk and star of “Dirty John” laments his pandemic time. “I’m happy to confess I did absolutely nothing. I whinged it.”

Is there an interpreter Down Under?

“Whinged,” he explains with a laugh. “It means to moan and complain. Having a whinge is what we say here in Australia. I’m very proud of my mad whinge skills. In fact, everyone in my family was ready for me to go back to work. I had been home too long!”

Bana is back in a big way in the moody crime film “The Dry,” in theaters this weekend. Based on the 2016 bestselling novel by Jane Harper, the film is among the biggest box-office draws ever in Australia.

Bana plays Aaron Falk, a police officer who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend the funeral of an old friend who allegedly shot his wife and son before killing himself. It leads to the reopening of a decades-old case involving the death of a teenage girl.

The film is part of an eclectic mix for the 52-year-old actor, who planned on being a mechanic but instead starred in “Munich,” “Troy,” “Black Hawk Down” and “Dirty John,” which was partially filmed in Las Vegas.

Next up for the actor and father, who is married to actress Rebecca Gleeson — a role in the “Black Panther” sequel.

Review-Journal: What is your idea of an ideal Sunday?

Eric Bana: A great Sunday starts at our home in Melbourne. We live an ordinary life in the quiet suburbs. The day will start very slowly. My wife and I sleep in. But when we do get moving, it’s time for a bike ride, followed by a slow breakfast at the local cafe. If I’m really lucky, my football team is playing. After the game, we drive our bikes home and I’ll usually wash a vehicle. I was going to be a mechanic, so I love going outside and washing a car.

Tell us about “The Dry.”

I just loved the source material of this book, which felt very cinematic from the start. Jane did an amazing job of depicting rural Australia and the heart of what it is like to live through a drought. Even though the movie is a thriller, there is something so poetically tragic about this setting.

Las Vegas is gripped by drought. What is it about this condition that feels so frightening?

In a drought, there is this sense of being trapped. In the film, people in this town have had no drinking water for a year. A truck arrives once a week and the locals come out to get their water for the week. It’s so frightening to think about life where water is scarce. It’s about survival.

Tell us about your experience growing up in Australia.

I grew up in the home state of Victoria in the city and in country towns. My parents had nothing to do with acting. I was just that kid who loved to pretend that he was someone else. One day, I realized that was potentially a job. I was so fortunate that I was highly naive and knew very little about acting and show business. That was a very good thing because I didn’t plan to conquer the acting world. I had zero conquering plans, thank God. Basically, I had no plans. No expectations.

Is having no plan the key to a happy life?

There is something to be said for recalibrating as you go.

Were you really going to become a mechanic?

Yes. It’s what I love to do. Working on old cars and motorcycles just makes me happy. In fact, I wanted to leave school when I was too young just to become a mechanic. My dad said, “Don’t make that your job. Make it your passion. Find something else to do.” I found something else, which was comedy and then acting. I was passionate about those two things, in addition to working on cars. Luckily, it worked out for me. And luckily, my dad talked me about of being a mechanic.

If you had become a mechanic, you couldn’t play a lunatic like Dirty John. The miniseries with Connie Britton was filmed partly in Las Vegas. Did you have a good time here?

I thought “Dirty John” was an amazing opportunity and a really important story to tell. Deborah Newell has done great work to raise awareness and shine a light on corrosive control of another person. One of the great things about being involved in this series was the discussions that happened afterward and continue. As for Vegas, it was great to be there, although very quickly. I spent a few months in Vegas in 2006 on a film called “Lucky You,” about a hotshot poker player. I was familiar with Vegas, which hasn’t changed a whole lot since I was there. I do like the people-watching and the mountains.

What are your post-COVID-19 dreams?

We’re still unable to travel here. But I do dream of the days when I can go to football games again with 30,000 other people. I want to yell and scream with them. I look at it this way: Last year was just a different story, and this year is starting well enough. Everyone is ready to go and do. I’m ready to get back to work.