That’s how Max Cullen responded to the request “… tell me something the local people wouldn’t know about you.”
The actor, artist and pseudo comedian, who began his acting career in the 1960s, went on to explain he moved to Gunning from Sydney eight years ago with wife and fellow artist Margarita Georgiadis.
“We were living in Camperdown in Sydney in a shoe factory. They were turning it into apartments and we had to find a similar sized place,” he said.
The couple discovered the old Coronation Theatre in Gunning was up for sale and they set about renovating the run-down building.
The renamed Picture House Gallery and Bookshop, has an interesting collection of books, art and knick-knacks Cullen has acquired over the years.
The once overgrown garden is now tended to lovingly, although Cullen said it was all Georgiadis’ handiwork.
“We grow our own vegetables and we’re going to get some chooks. I watch Margarita do all the gardening; I can see its hard work… I hide in the shop and pretend I’m writing a book about philosophy.”
The book is one of Cullen’s many current projects, another including scripting a one-man show. The actor is still occasionally performing his previous one-man show 'Faces in the street: a salute to Henry Lawson' which opened in Gunning in 2008.
Cullen spoke excitedly about his new show which focuses on the life of Lennie Lower, a journalist from the 1930s who Cullen feels very close to.
“He was born in Wellington, the same as I was, he worked for the Telegraph and I did for a while too… and Lennie was inclined to have a drink,” Cullen said wryly.
After thorough research Cullen had discovered Lower was employed by Sir Frank Packer after the depression to make people laugh, and was paid handsomely for his work - 100 pounds a week.
Cullen said he’d always been interested in the written word, particularly since his time working on newspapers as a layout artist and cartoonist.
“It was just the energy of the place and people getting on with the job,” Cullen said. He said he enjoyed working with “people with enquiring minds and the excitement and the stress of going to press.”
This love for journalism continued throughout Cullen’s varied career path, his work included a 15-year stint interviewing people for current affairs show The Sunday Program.
His love for journalism and writing translated to his first book, his memoirs 'Tell ‘em nothing, take ‘em nowhere: a memoir by Max Cullen'.
It took the Wellington-born actor 10 years to write and re-write his life story, never completely happy with the outcome of the work.
“Having to revisit your life is draining but its cathartic… you’re thinking ‘what a bastard’,” he said. “I have had people come into the shop and say ‘I’ve read your book… you’re a bit of a lad’.”
“A previous wife dropped it down in front of one of my daughters and said ‘before you marry someone get them to write an autobiography’.”
Cullen announced his retirement 20 years ago but has been working continuously since then, noting that he’d probably really only give up when he drops dead on stage.
The Gunning resident said he might produce a script for his own one-man show but finding the right actor to play him would be the biggest battle.
“I could write about my own life but getting Brad Pitt out here might be a bit difficult… or my new close and dearest friend Leonardo DiCaprio,” Cullen said.
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