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You would think the presence of a film crew, an international movie star and the word "action" would distract punters from their poker machines.
But not at the Marrickville RSL in Sydney's inner west.
As filming took place yesterday for the new Australian coming of age movie Clubland, the 30-odd people having a midday gamble kept their eyes firmly on the blinking, beeping machines in front of them.
Only one man was distracted momentarily as English star Brenda Blethyn took to the stage to shoot a scene for the third time. He looked away from his machine and yelled across to the barmaid: "That time it was funny."
Blethyn, a veteran stage and screen star best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies, said the real-life extras made her scenes more realistic and added to the atmosphere of the movie.
In Clubland, Blethyn plays a middle-aged nightclub comedian with a raunchy stage act and a protective relationship with her son, who has just fallen in love with a feisty young woman.
The film is directed by Cherie Nolan (Thank God He Met Lizzie) and co-stars Philip Quast, Frank Holden, Rebecca Gibney and newcomers Khan Chittenden, Richard Wilson and Emma Booth.
Blethyn, 60, is so popular among the RSL crowd that many of the hired extras asked for more work to watch her in action.
"It's such a wonderful atmosphere on set," Blethyn said yesterday.
"Cherie (Nolan) encourages people to be creative and go with the flow, so it's a wonderful environment."
Nolan said working with Blethyn was a privilege. "She's made it easy, fun and exciting," she said. "It doesn't get any better than Brenda."
Blethyn's last film role was as Mrs Bennett in last year's adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice.
She said that going from filming a period piece in the English countryside to shooting in RSL clubs in suburban Australia was a culture shock.
"You could say that again," she said, laughing. "I enjoyed making Pride and Prejudice too. But variety is the spice of life."
Blethyn has worked in TV and film for the past three decades but maintains theatre is still her first love, even though she suffers from stage fright.
"It doesn't matter how often you do it, it just gets worse," she said. "I was on Broadway last year and every night I'd be ready to go on and I should have been in hospital, I got stage fright that badly.
"But once I walk on, I'm fine. I love the theatre, and I love acting."
© The Australian.
