JOHN JARRATT 'I'VE GONE FROM GOOD GUY TO BAD GUY'

The Aussie actor on ageing, family and his final outing as film's most terrifying serial killer

He's the homegrown actor whose résumé includes stints on some of Australia's most successful TV shows and movies.

From the iconic Picnic At Hanging Rock and the title role in The Great Macarthy opposite Barry Humphries to presenting on Better Homes And Gardens and a five-year stint on McLeod's Daughters, John Jarratt, 70, has become a fixture on both big and small screens.

But aside from success in Australia, the veteran actor - whose career spans a whopping 50 years - also now enjoys international fame, thanks to the unlikely success of homegrown horror flick Wolf Creek, in which he stars as murderous psychopath Mick Taylor.

It's a character that is the polar opposite of his plethora of good guy roles.

"I'm better known for playing goodhearted, Aussie nice guys," he tells Woman's Day.

"But because of Wolf Creek being so successful, if I'm known for anything overseas, it's as Mick Taylor. So yeah, I've gone from being the good guy into an absolute bad guy now!"

'I LOVE MY FANS'

John admits that his path to stardom hasn't been calculated or contrived and his decision-making is based on one factor only: a good script.

"People ask me what role I'd like to play next," he says. "Well, for me, it's all about the script - I don't care about anything else. If I read a script and think that the character is great, then I'll do it.

"I never set out to play Hamlet Mel [Gibson] did!" he chuckles. "So, if I read a good script, and I'm playing a screaming [drag] queen, then I'll do it.